Recent Teen Books with 2SLGBTQIA Representation
The (un)popular vote
Sanchez, Jasper, author
2021
Optics can make or break an election. Everything Mark knows about politics, he learned from his father, the Congressman who still pretends he has a daughter and not a son. Mark has promised to keep his past hidden and pretend to be the cis guy everyone assumes he is. But when he sees a manipulatively charming candidate for student body president inflame dangerous rhetoric, Mark risks his low profile to become a political challenger. The problem? No one really knows Mark. He didn't grow up in this town, and his few friends are all nerds. Still, thanks to Scandal and The West Wing, they know where to start: from campaign stops to voter polling to a fashion makeover. Soon Mark feels emboldened to engage with voters--and even start a new romance. But with an investigative journalist digging into his past, a father trying to silence him, and the bully frontrunner standing in his way, Mark will have to decide which matters most: perception or truth, when both are just as dangerous.
Ace of spades
Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah, author
2021
At Niveus Private Academy, Devon and Chiamaka are the only students chosen to be Senior Prefects who are also Black, which makes them targets for a series of anonymous texts revealing their secrets to the entire student body. Both students were on track toward valedictorian and bright college futures, but this prank quickly turns into a very dangerous game and they are at more than one disadvantage as it looks like things could turn deadly.
Aristotle and Dante dive into the waters of the world
Saenz, Benjamin Alire, author
2021
Two boys fell in love. Now they must learn what it means to stay in love-and to build their relationship in a world that doesn't seem to want them to exist. In their senior year at two different schools, the boys find ways to spend time together, like a camping road trip they take in the desert. Ari is haunted by his incarcerated older brother and by the images he sees on the nightly news of gay men dying from AIDS. Tragedy feels like his destiny, but can he forge his own path and create a life where he can not only survive, but thrive?
Between perfect and real
Stoeve, Ray, author
2021
Dean Foster has watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure he's a trans guy. But everyone at his high school thinks he's a lesbian-- including his girlfriend Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a "nontraditional" Romeo. Maybe it would be easier to wait until college to come out. But as he plays Romeo every day in rehearsals, Dean realizes he wants everyone to see him as he really is now- not just on the stage, but everywhere in his life. Can playing a role help Dean be his true self? -- adapted from jacket
The Civil War of Amos Abernathy
Leali, Michael, author.
2022
Through letters he writes in his journal, thirteen-year-old Amos finds a confidant in a queer historical figure from the Civil War.
Continuum
Man, Chella, author.
2021
Offers advice and insight into cultivating self-acceptance and supporting inclusivity through the experiences of Chella Man, a deaf, transgender, and Jewish artist, activist, and actor.
Fifteen hundred miles from the sun : a novel
Villa, Jonny Garza, author
2021
"Julián Luna has a plan for his life. Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown--literally--out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self. Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules's DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules's fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone. Jules accidentally propelled himself into the life he's always dreamed of and now that he's in control of it, what he does next is up to him."--Provided by publisher.
The girls I've been
Sharpe, Tess, author
2021
When seventeen-year-old Nora O'Malley, the daughter of a con artist, is taken hostage in a bank heist, every secret she is keeping close begins to unravel.
I'm a wild seed
De la Cruz, Sharon Lee
2021
"In this delightfully compelling full-color graphic memoir, the author shares her process of undoing the effects of a patriarchal, colonial society on her self-image, her sexuality, and her concept of freedom. Reflecting on the ways in which oppression was the cause for her late bloom into queerness, we are invited to discover people and things in the author's life that helped shape and inform her LGBTQ identity. And we come to an understanding of her holistic definition of queerness"-- Provided by publisher.
In deeper waters
Lukens, F. T., author
2021
Sixteen-year-old Prince Tal is on his long-awaited coming-of-age tour when he meets the intriguing and roguish Athlen, and when he is kidnapped by pirates, Athlen is his only hope of escape.
Indestructible object
McCoy, Mary, 1976- author
2021
In the city of Memphis, eighteen-year-old Lee and her boyfriend Vincent make a popular podcast on artists in love, but Lee learns that stories of happily-ever-after love do not always mirror real life.
Jay's gay agenda
June, Jason, author
2021
"A hilarious and heartfelt romantic comedy by debut young adult author Jason June, that follows a boy named Jay after he moves to Seattle from his rural high school, introducing him to other queer teens for the very first time, and allowing him to finally cross items off his gay romance to-do list"-- Provided by publisher.
The lucky list
Lippincott, Rachael, author
2021
Rising high school senior Emily felt lucky until her mother's death, but now, with childhood friend Blake, she sets out to accomplish every exciting, scary, and intimidating task on her mother's bucket list.
May the best man win
Ellor, ZR (Zabé R.), author
2021
Jeremy Harkiss, cheer captain and student body president, won't let coming out as a transgender boy ruin his senior year. Instead of bowing to the bigots and outdated school administration, Jeremy decides to make some noise--and how better than by challenging his all-star ex-boyfriend, Lukas for the title of Homecoming King? Lukas Rivers, football star and head of the Homecoming Committee, is just trying to find order in his life after his older brother's funeral and the loss long-term girlfriend--who turned out to be a boy. But when Jeremy threatens to break his heart and steal his crown, Lukas kick starts a plot to sabotage Jeremy's campaign. When both boys take their rivalry too far, they jeopardize the entire dance. To save Homecoming, they'll have to face the hurt they're both hiding--and the lingering butterflies they can't deny.
Not my problem
Smyth, Ciara (Young adult author), author
2021
A teen girl, Aideen, makes a journey from self-protectively tough to ready and willing to face her main problem: her single mother's alcoholism.
The pride omnibus
Glass, Joe.
2021
Joe Glass's The Pride in a full omnibus trade paperback, collecting volumes 1 and 2 as well as the collection of self-contained stories, The Pride Adventures In The Pride , FabMan is sick of being seen as a joke. Tired of the LGBTQ+ community being seen as inferior to straight heroes, he thinks it's about damn time he did something about it. Bringing together some of the world's greatest LGBTQ+ superheroes, the Pride is born to protect the world and fight prejudice, misrepresentation and injustice--not to mention a pesky supervillain or two. The Pride Adventures brings a whole host of extra, self-contained stories and adventures starring the heroes of the Pride See the team members face down crazed shooters, invasions, and even a sixty-foot-tall drag queen Featuring a slew of incredible artistic talent, plus stories from writers Mike Garley, Sina Grace and PJ Montgomery too Follow the LGBTQ+ heroes into whole new stories and meet even more characters in the world of The Pride Join the Pride as they work to change the world and show just what they can do Collects the original digital series The Pride and The Pride Adventures in print for the first time. For readers hungry for queer superheroes . Joe Glass' The Pride introduces a superhero universe built on LGBTQ+ inclusion, following a team that is explicitly created to show the range of the queer experience. The Pride features superheroes who are gay, lesbian, bi, trans, non-binary, and children of gay parents. Glass blends modern queer issues with classic superhero storytelling to tell narratives that classic superhero comics haven't touched. . . . The Pride excels at using queer struggle and joy to show a different side of the superhero genre.-- AV Club.
Rise to the sun
Johnson, Leah (Young adult author), author
2021
Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival. Toni is reeling in the wake of the loss of her roadie father and desperate to figure out where her life will go from here -- so she's heading back to the festival that taught her to love music in a last ditch effort to rediscover her passion. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating (again), and is beginning to believe that someone like her may never find "the one" -- but the Farmland Music and Arts Festival is a chance to at least find a place where she fits. When the two collide, it feels like kismet. But when something goes wrong and the festival is sent into a panic, Toni and Olivia find that they need each other, and the music, more than they ever imagined.
She's too pretty to burn
Heard, Wendy, author.
2021
When seventeen-year-old Veronica's photograph of her introverted girlfriend goes viral, they are sent into a spiral of fame and lethal danger as they navigate the turbulent waters of their relationship, secrets, acclaim, and the underground San Diego art scene.
The Sky blues
Couch, Robbie, author.
2021
Seventeen-year-old Sky, openly gay but under the radar, decides to make a splashy Promposal but his plans are leaked by an anonymous, homophobic hacker, moving his classmates to help him expose the perpetrator.
Small town pride
Stamper, Phil, author.
2022
"Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school's first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can't be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio. When Jake's dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade. Except Jake doesn't think that's a ridiculous idea. Why can't they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? The problem is, Jake knows he'll have to get approval from the town council, and the mayor won't be on his side. And as Jake and his friends try to find a way to bring Pride to Barton Springs, it seems suspicious that the mayor's son, Brett, suddenly wants to spend time with Jake. But someone that cute couldn't possibly be in league with his mayoral mother, could he?"--Provided by publisher.
The Stonewall Riots : making a stand for LGBTQ rights
Bongiovanni, Archie, author.
2022
"Three teenagers - Natalia, Jax, and Rashad - are magically transported from their modern lives to the legendary Stonewall Inn in the summer of 1969. Escorted by Natalia's eccentric abuela (and her pet cockatiel, Rocky), the friends experience the police raid firsthand and are thrown into the infamous riots that amde the struggle for LGBTQ rights front-page news."-- Provided by publisher.
The taking of Jake Livingston
Douglass, Ryan, author.
2021
"When a murderous ghost begins to haunt sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston, high school soon becomes a different kind of survival game"-- Provided by publisher.
When you get the chance
Ryan, Tom, author
2020
As kids, Mark and his cousin Talia spent many happy summers together at the family cottage in Ontario, but a fight between their parents put an end to the annual event. Living on opposite coasts -- Mark in Halifax and Talia in Victoria -- they haven't seen each other in years. When their grandfather dies unexpectedly, Mark and Talia find themselves reunited at the cottage once again, cleaning it out while the family decides what to do with it. Mark and Talia are both queer, but they soon realize that's about all they have in common, other than the fact that they'd both prefer to be in Toronto. Talia is desperate to see her high school sweetheart Erin, who's barely been in touch since leaving to spend the summer working at a coffee shop in the Gay Village. Mark, on the other hand, is just looking for some fun, and Toronto Pride seems like the perfect place to find it. When a series of complications throws everything up in the air, Mark and Talia -- with Mark's little sister Paige in tow -- decide to hit the road for Toronto. With a bit of luck, and some help from a series of unexpected new friends, they might just make it to the big city and find what they're looking for. That is, if they can figure out how to start seeing things through each other's eyes.
The witch king
Edgmon, H. E., author
2021
Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from--but a kingdom demands its king. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft...don't. Wyatt's betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt's newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what's more important--his people or his freedom.