Firebird by Sunmi is a two-color graphic novel that tells the story of Caroline and Kim, two girls who meet in tutoring and become friends… and then fall for each other. Caroline is generally withdrawn and easily flustered, but a serious and high-achieving student with a few close friends. Kim is outgoing, glib, friends with everyone,Read More
A Sapphic Take on a Classic: Tink and Wendy by Kelly Ann Jacobson Review
Tink and Wendy sets the story of Peter Pan with a small twist that changes everything: instead of bringing the Darling siblings into their world, Peter and Tink stay in our world. As Peter brings his chaotic brand of fun to their dour lives, Tink grows more and more concerned over the impact this will haveRead More
A Brutal Colonial Horror Story: To the Bone by Alena Bruzas
To the Bone is the story of Ellis, an indentured girl in the Jamestown settlement of the Virginia colony. Ellis aspires toward little more than goodness; born poor in the late 1500s, she can neither read nor count, but understands the world as preachers sketch its edges. She works hard as a servant to the semi-prominentRead More
Queer Friendship and Active Shooter Drills: Fight + Flight by Jules Machias
Trigger warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, bullying, grief, gun violence in schools Fight + Flight has two main characters, Avery and Sarah, who take turns narrating. They attend the same school and each begins the book interested in the other. Bold, active Avery is openly pansexual; she knows she has a crush. And, as a middle schoolRead More
Religious Trauma and Queer Awakening: Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Content warnings: homophobia, child abuse, religious abuse, physical abuse Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus follows Valerie Danners as she begins to understand and live her own truth. Unfortunately for Valerie, the truth of her sexuality is beyond unacceptable to her conservative Christian community,Read More
Queer Joy at the IBD Support Group: The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! And you think you have a lot of crap to deal with! The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow is the story of twelve-year-old Al Schneider, whose life is moving at far too fast a pace—and so are her intestines.Read More
Forever is Now by Mariama J Lockington
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Content warnings: biphobia, racism, police violence Forever is Now by Mariama J. Lockington tells the story of Sadie, a Black teenage girl with anxiety that develops into agoraphobia after a truly terrible day. Her girlfriend breaks up with her and they witness an incidence ofRead More
A Book and Herb Review: Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Basil and Oregano is a sweet, safe, very cute and inclusive graphic novel about two girls who fall in love while competing to become top student at their magical cooking school. While chock-full of softness and cuteness, the story also includes serious themes thatRead More
Identity Crisis via Teleportation: Star Splitter by Matthew J Kirby
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Content warnings: violence, death A note: I listened to the audiobook of Star Splitter. It’s a good one, but may have led to misspellings in this review.Let’s say you lost all memories of the past three days. You’re still you, right? You’re just youRead More
Two Takes On Intersectional #MeToo YA Lit: What Works and What Doesn’t
Trigger warnings (apply to both books): sexual assault, grooming, minor instances of racism (mostly microaggressions) Trigger warnings (Missing Clarissa): kidnapping, gun violence Trigger warnings (For Girls Who Walk Through Fire): ableism, supernatural violence This past month, I read two books that struck me as remarkably similar. Both were multiple perspective YA books that dealt withRead More