I tend to take a traditional approach to fiction. I learned the three elements of a story—plot, setting, character—pretty early, and it stuck because is made sense. The Secret Astronomers by Jessica Walker is an exception. Before genre or protagonist, above theme or prose, this book’s most remarkable feature is its format. It’s a tale told inRead More
A Rabble-Rousing Girl Reporter: Renegade Girls by Nora Neus Review
Renegade Girls tells the story of Nell, a girl from Chicago who spends summers with her aunt and uncle in New York. This year, at 17, Nell is eligible to marry… and more importantly, she’s working as a reporter! The story explores life as a late-nineteenth-century “stunt girl”, an undercover reporter, alongside a sweet story ofRead More
The Redemption of Daya Keane by Gia Gordon Review
This book is so delightfully, perfectly messy. Titular character Daya lives in a small, conservative town in Arizona, surrounded by small-minded, conservative classmates and a small-minded, conservative mom. It’s a tough place to be queer. When Daya begins a friendship that turns to something more with megachurch poster-girl Beckett Wild, she might be making moreRead More
A Sweet Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure: Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom by Nina Varela
Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom by Nina Varela is a middle grade adventure novel about two girls, a crown, and a kingdom crumbling away. June is the new kid in town, lonely and homesick and definitely not expecting to meet the princess of fantasy realm! But Galatea must find a way home to save herRead More
A Memoir of Anxiety, Queerness, and Figure Skating: On Top of Glass by Karina Manta Review
On Top of Glass by Karina Manta is a memoir of the author’s experiences growing up—equal parts a story about sports, queer identity, and anxiety.
A Queernorm Adventure Comic: The Flying Ship by Jem Milton Review
The Flying Ship is a graphic novel filled with magic and adventure. It’s the story of Dobrinia, a grumpy girl with a prosthetic leg and no time for friendship, who gives an old wanderer half a pastry—all she has left. In exchange, the wanderer creates a flying ship with which Dobrinia must assemble an impossible crew,Read More
Rivals, Resistance, and Recovery: It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango
It’s All or Nothing, Vale is a middle grade novel-in-verse about seventh grader Vale, who used to be a champion fencer. And she will be again. She will. She doesn’t need a cane. She’s definitely not disabled. In fact, she’s returning to her fencing school just this week, and she’ll make up the losses from months of no fencing, PT, surgery, and recovery.
A Grounded Middle-Grade Sapphic Romance: Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt Review
Redwood and Ponytail is a middle grade novel in verse about two girls whose friendship causes them to question many of the norms in their lives. Tam is a tall, confident volleyball player with a strong support network of quirky characters; Kate is a cheerleader—scratch that, she’s the cheerleader, but she’s beginning to wonder if this is quiteRead More
A Queer Girl Detective Romp: Goldie Vance (Volume One) by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams, and Sarah Stern Review
Goldie Vance (Volume One) centers on a girl detective with a passion for cars, ideally fast ones. She’s the daughter of a hotel manager and a professional mermaid in Cold War-era Florida. Goldie is a friendly, outgoing, direct girl, and when she hears of a necklace gone missing in her dad’s hotel, she’s right on theRead More
An Engaging and Realistic Queer Coming of Age: Middletown by Sarah Moon
Content warnings: alcohol abuse/alcoholism, sexual harassment by an authority figure, parental neglect, bullying Middletown by Sarah Moon is a middle-grade/on-the-cusp-of-YA novel about 13-year-old Eli, whose mom’s stint in court-ordered rehab leaves her and her 17-year-old sister alone. Eli and her sister Anna are desperate not to be split up, so they lie. They claim their auntRead More
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