587 ratings | 205 reviews | avg rating:4.45

A.J.’s Year In Books

A.J.’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at A.J.’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to A.J.’s 2025 Year in Books

A.J. Sass’s Followers (295)

A.J.’s Bookshelves

to-read (1905)
currently-reading (1)
read (872)
2019 (98)
2020 (118)
2021 (101)
2022 (97)
2023 (44)
2024 (32)
2025 (15)
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A.J.’s Friends (234)

Grace

1,950 books | 146 friends

Leah

1,495 books | 311 friends

Amy

1,902 books | 106 friends

Anja V

1,277 books | 291 friends

Lewis Weinstein

4,399 books | 2,459 friends

Casey

1,415 books | 10 friends

Melony Breeze

1,087 books | 15 friends

Lori

1,391 books | 95 friends

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

A.J. has read 14 of 50 books.

28%

A.J. Sass

Goodreads Author

Website

https://sassinsf.com

Twitter

matokah

Genre

Contemporary, Children's, Gay and Lesbian

Member Since

July 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/matokah

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A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author whose narrative interests lie at the intersection of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship. He is the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, and Ana on the Edge, as well as the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG (with Nicole Melleby). All three books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections.

A. J. is the author of the upcoming middle-grade book Just Shy of Ordinary (Little, Brown, 2024), and a contributor to the This Is Our Rainbow (Knopf Books for Young Readers), Allies (DK/Penguin Random House), and On All Other Nights (Abrams, 2024) anthologies. His debut picture book with illustrator Noa Kelner, Shabbat ...more

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A.J. Sass’s books

Average rating: 4.25 · 5,476 ratings · 1,145 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	Ana on the Edge 4.36 avg rating — 1,599 ratings — published 2020 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ellen Outside the Lines 4.31 avg rating — 1,419 ratings — published 2022 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us by Katherine Locke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Nicole Melleby (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Eric Bell (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.14 avg rating — 1,061 ratings — published 2021 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby (Goodreads Author), A.J. Sass (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 590 ratings — published 2023 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again by Shakirah Bourne (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Dana Alison Levy (Goodreads Author) (Editor), I.W. Gregorio (Goodreads Author) 4.32 avg rating — 420 ratings — published 2021 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Just Shy of Ordinary 4.08 avg rating — 426 ratings — published 2024 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Being an Ally by Shakirah Bourne (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Dana Alison Levy (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Derick Brooks (Contributor) 4.05 avg rating — 130 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shabbat Is ... by A.J. Sass (Goodreads Author), Noa Kelner (Illustrator) 4.13 avg rating — 24 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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A.J. is Currently Reading

A.J. is currently reading

The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World's Oldest Writing

by Joshua Hammer (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, 2025, cultural, historical, language-and-linguistics, audio, non-fiction, novel-research

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Feb 13, 2026 09:05AM

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A.J.’s Recent Updates

A.J. entered a giveaway Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy 50 copies available, ends on March 19, 2026 Enter to win »
15 hours, 24 min ago · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
A.J. entered a giveaway Voidverse by Damien Ober (Goodreads Author) 10 copies available, ends on February 28, 2026 Enter to win »
15 hours, 25 min ago · like · see giveaway
A.J. is 78% done with The Mesopotamian Riddle The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World's Oldest Writing by Joshua Hammer (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22 hours, 43 min ago · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Mesopotamian Riddle by Joshua Hammer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Mesopotamian Riddle by Joshua Hammer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
A.J. wants to read The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 16, 2026 07:33AM · like
A.J. started reading The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World's Oldest Writing by Joshua Hammer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 13, 2026 09:05AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Mesopotamian Riddle by Joshua Hammer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Mesopotamian Riddle by Joshua Hammer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
A.J. wants to read Limelight by Andrew Keenan-Bolger	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 12, 2026 07:31PM · like
A.J. finished reading The Raven King (All for the Game, #2) by Nora Sakavic (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 12, 2026 07:25PM · like
A.J. rated a book it was amazing We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 06, 2026 06:45AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
A.J. wants to read Names for the Dawn by C.L. Beaumont	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 04, 2026 08:29PM · like
A.J. wants to read Whisper by Tal Bauer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by A.J. Sass (?)

“A year might not feel like a long time, but years add up. Every single one has bought me closer to the person I am now.”
― A.J. Sass, Being an Ally

tags: ally, gender-euphoria, love, non-binary, sentimentalism, transgender, years

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“Not every person fits neatly into categories. Life doesn't always stick to a planned itinerary.”
― A.J. Sass, Ellen Outside the Lines

tags: categories, spontaneity

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“Pretty sure this is it,” Andy says. Isa takes it in. “It looks like…” “… a hot mess,” Gibs finishes. For once, I agree with Gibs. La Pedrera looks like someone threw clay onto a building that dried before it could be smoothed out. It’s the opposite of symmetrical.”
― A.J. Sass, Ellen Outside the Lines

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Polls

What book should we read in March?

As always, you may write in titles, provided the book is a 2025 Newbery contender and already published.

The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee

29 votes 25.0%

Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (write-in)

19 votes 16.4%

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

18 votes 15.5%

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell

17 votes 14.7%

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel and Bethany Strout Illustrated by Sammy Savos

8 votes 6.9%

Just Shy of Ordinary by A.J. Sass

6 votes 5.2%

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson (write-in)

6 votes 5.2%

The Misfits (write-in)

4 votes 3.4%

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (write-in)

2 votes 1.7%

Black Girl You are Atlas (write-in)

2 votes 1.7%

Ligh and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (write-in)

2 votes 1.7%

Misfits (write-in)

1 vote 0.9%

light and air (write-in)

1 vote 0.9%

Light and Aire by Mindy Nichols Wendell (write-in)

1 vote 0.9%

116 total votes

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