Bauer, Marion Dane. Am I blue?: coming out from the silence. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
To see what readers on Amazon thought about the book, click here. For the LibraryThing discussion of Am I Blue?, click here.
Boock, Paula. Dare truth or promise. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
Dare Truth or Promise, set in New Zealand, tells the story of Willa and Louie. Willa has been in love with a girl before, and has been burned. So when Willa starts at a new school and meets the wonderful Louie, she has her doubts. However, the two quickly make up for lost time. But will their relationship last or be destroyed by external pressures? The book helpfully includes “A Kiwi Glossary” with translations for such phrases as “fair dinkum” (meaning the real thing or authentic).
Chambers, Aidan. Postcards from no man's land. New York: Dutton Books, 2002.
Postcards From No Man's Land tells two concurrent stories. In one story, 17 year old Jacob goes to Amsterdam to learn more about his grandfather, who served there in World War II. The second, concurrent narrative tells the story of Gertruii, who helped protect Jacob's grandfather during the war. This sophisticated, multi-layered book explores the nature of history, secrets, and the process of discovery.
Postcards From No Man's Land was awarded the Carnegie Medal (UK) and the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.
For Amazon reader reviews of Postcards from No Man's Land, click here. For LibraryThing reader reviews, click here.
Garden, Nancy. Annie on my mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1982.
Liza is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art one day when she meets Annie Kenyon. That's when everything starts to change. Annie on My Mind is a love story, which charts a gradual, sweet crush evolve into a relationship. For Liza, the emotions she feels around Annie are overwhelming. "It was like a war inside me; I couldn't even recognize all the sides. There was one that said, 'No this is wrong; you know it's wrong and bad and sinful,' and there was another that said it was happening too fast, and another that just wanted to stop thinking altogether and fling my arms around Annie and hold her forever." (93)
Liza knows she loves Annie, but doesn't know what her attraction to Annie means. To learn more, she looks up "homosexuality" in her father's encyclopedia. The entry entry surprised Liza, because "in that whole long article, the world 'love' wasn't used once. That made me mad, it was as if whoever wrote the article didn't know that gay people actually love each other." (143) Annie on My Mind is a classic in the field, and a warm, delightful story of one's first love. The book's central message is "Don't let ignorance win--let love."
For a video reading of Annie on My Mind by a YA reader, click here. To see what other readers thought about the book on Amazon, click here and on Library Thing, here.
Green, John, and David Levithan. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. New York: Dutton, 2010.
This story is about two guys, both named Will Grayson. The first Will Grayson, written by John Green, avoids emotion and showing his true self. Unfortunately, he's friends with the delightful Tiny Cooper, who relishes emotion and musicals. The second Will Grayson, written by David Levithan, is depressed and pursuing a long-distance relationship with an online friend. The two Wills eventually meet through unlikely circumstances, and their lives become interconnected in ways neither could expect. The star of the novel, though, is the irrepressible Tiny Cooper. Funny, bright and truthful, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a wonderful book about identity, love, and everything in between.
If you need further affirmation about this amazing book, check out what a reader of Will Grayson, Will Grayson says on Amazon:
"Boy or girl, gay or straight, confident or confused, lonely or popular: please do yourselves a favor and read this book. No matter who you are, it will touch your soul. That is all."
Hartinger, Brent. Geography Club. New York: Harper Tempest, 2003.
In high school, Russel is keeping the fact that he is gay a secret. But out of school, Russel discovers that his main crush, popular basketball star Kevin, is also gay. Along with three other guys, the boys start a club to talk about their lives. To meet, the boys form a "Geography Club", betting that no other students will be interested in such a boring activity. What will be the result of Geography Club? Will Russel and Kevin fall in love? Will the true meaning of Geography Club ever come out in the open?
In high school, Russel is keeping the fact that he is gay a secret. But out of school, Russel discovers that his main crush, popular basketball star Kevin, is also gay. Along with three other guys, the boys start a club to talk about their lives. To meet, the boys form a "Geography Club", betting that no other students will be interested in such a boring activity. What will be the result of Geography Club? Will Russel and Kevin fall in love? Will the true meaning of Geography Club ever come out in the open?
For LibraryThing reader reviews of Boy Meets Boy, click here. To see what Amazon readers had to say about Boy Meets Boy, click here.
Peters, Julie Anne. Luna: a novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2004.
In this work, Regan struggles with learning to accept her brother, Lia Marie/Luna. Like most siblings, Regan’s brother has driven her crazy since childhood. But Regan knows that her brother has always been a girl. Thus, Liam/Luna has two selves, a "public" self and a "home" self. At one exasperating moment “a sigh of resignation escaped my lips", says Luna. "I couldn’t help it. She was my brother.” The two cope with meeting parental expectations and negotiating social roles, all while trying to remain loving and supportive towards each other. This book, a National Book Award Finalist, is a great novel regarding sibling relationships and transsexual issues.
For reader discussion of this book, click here for Amazon reviews and here for LibraryThing reader reviews.
In this work, Regan struggles with learning to accept her brother, Lia Marie/Luna. Like most siblings, Regan’s brother has driven her crazy since childhood. But Regan knows that her brother has always been a girl. Thus, Liam/Luna has two selves, a "public" self and a "home" self. At one exasperating moment “a sigh of resignation escaped my lips", says Luna. "I couldn’t help it. She was my brother.” The two cope with meeting parental expectations and negotiating social roles, all while trying to remain loving and supportive towards each other. This book, a National Book Award Finalist, is a great novel regarding sibling relationships and transsexual issues.
For reader discussion of this book, click here for Amazon reviews and here for LibraryThing reader reviews.
Ryan, Sara. Empress of the world. New York: Viking, 2001.
In Empress of the World, 15-year old Nic is spending her summer at the Siegel Institute Summer Program for Gifted Youth. There, Nic meets the gorgeous Battle, and the two fall in love. However, the story quickly becomes much more complicated as Battle begins dating a boy, and Nic and Battle break up. Nic has to grapple with the idea of bisexuality, since she also still feels attracted to boys. This witty, tender, realistic book explores friendships, the nature of love, and the social pressure of being called upon to label one's sexuality.
Weyr, Garret. My heartbeat. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.
Ellen and her older brother Link live in Manhattan. Upon entering the high school her brother and attends, Ellen discovers that other students in the school believe that her brother and his best friend James are a couple. This confuses Ellen, since she has always had a crush on James. Ellen's revelation sets off a chain of circumstances related to sexual identity, as Ellen, Link and James and struggle with issues of love, society and self-definition.
Ellen and her older brother Link live in Manhattan. Upon entering the high school her brother and attends, Ellen discovers that other students in the school believe that her brother and his best friend James are a couple. This confuses Ellen, since she has always had a crush on James. Ellen's revelation sets off a chain of circumstances related to sexual identity, as Ellen, Link and James and struggle with issues of love, society and self-definition.
Woodson, Jacqueline. The dear one. New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press, 1991
Afeni is struggling with her grandmother’s death and her parent’s divorce when Rebecca, a pregnant 15-year old, comes to live with her. Although the two bristle at each other's presence at first, Afeni and Rebecca learn to work together and care for each other. Afeni’s mother’s best friend, Marion, and her partner are warmly portrayed. Jacqueline Woodson is the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, a Newbery Honor, two Coretta Scott King Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Afeni is struggling with her grandmother’s death and her parent’s divorce when Rebecca, a pregnant 15-year old, comes to live with her. Although the two bristle at each other's presence at first, Afeni and Rebecca learn to work together and care for each other. Afeni’s mother’s best friend, Marion, and her partner are warmly portrayed. Jacqueline Woodson is the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, a Newbery Honor, two Coretta Scott King Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
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