YA LGBT Books discussion

This thread is for nominations for the YA LGBT book that you would like to see the group read in February 2013.

Anything we haven't already read is welcome. Check our group "book-of-the-month" bookshelf (Bookshelf link upper right on the home page)if you are nominating an older book to see if it has already been read. Please post a link to the book, copy the blurb, and give us a few words about why you think this would be a good choice. Also please let us know if a book's content is edgy/16+ - we don't eliminate those, but do want members to know that when they vote.

Books that lost a previous vote are more than welcome to be nominated again, and authors are allowed to nominate their own books if they feel moved to do so.

POLL IS NOW UP: http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/78...

AND THE WINNER IS:

hi there, i just joined this group. i would like to be have some personal suggestions on books to read. and what better books then personal favorite or the best literature for 2013.

Larry wrote: "hi there, i just joined this group. i would like to be have some personal suggestions on books to read. and what better books then personal favorite or the best literature for 2013."

You could look at the thread Building a YA LGBT school Library - what books would you want?

The beginning is a big barely-organized list, because I haven't had time to make it better yet, but if you scroll down you will see people's book choices and favorites.

thank you so much kaje. thats awsome. i will most def take alook at it.

i love will grayson and will grayson by john green but i dont know if thats already been done

Sara wrote: "i love will grayson and will grayson by john green but i dont know if thats already been done"

Not as far as I know.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Blurb: One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both of them legions of faithful fans.

- Sara - if you want to add a comment about why you would choose this book that would be great. I liked it quite well too.

actually its been a little while since i read this book but i remember it being funny and the gay theme wasnt overwhealming like some other books that ive read i liked the john green chapters more than the david levithan chapters but thats because i like john green more
i also read it at a time that i was struggling and it helped me feel a little bit better because i could connect in some way to all the characters

Sara wrote: "actually its been a little while since i read this book but i remember it being funny and the gay theme wasnt overwhealming like some other books that ive read i liked the john green chapters more ..."

Very cool. I liked the Levithan chapters better, but then I love DL :) It would be a fun one to discuss, I think.

I loved Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher. The story is about a boy who (unknowingly at first) dates and begins to fall in love with a boy who is in the process of transitioning to female.
Blurb:
Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.
P.S. I don't have the courage to nominate my own book. :)

I never nominate anything of mine either :) This one sounds fascinating and I'd love to see us read another *trans book (We read Parrotfish which was very good.)

I loved Luna by Julie Anne Peters as well. A superb book.
blurb:
Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, only reveals herself at night. In the secrecy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change-Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives? Compelling and provocative, this is an unforgettable novel about a transgender teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance.

Kaje wrote: "I never nominate anything of mine either :) This one sounds fascinating and I'd love to see us read another *trans book (We read Parrotfish which was very good.)"

I adore Luna - my favorite Julie Anne Peters book. (And I like most of hers.) I recommend it a lot.

so i just finished reading luna and i didnt like it all that much i guess i just never connected with the characters
its not to say that im unsympathetic towards transpeople
my best friend is transitioning female to male so i get it
maybe just wasnt the book for me

Sara wrote: "so i just finished reading luna and i didnt like it all that much i guess i just never connected with the characters
its not to say that im unsympathetic towards transpeople
my best friend is trans..."

Which is the fun of discussing things. Best of luck to your friend. I think F2M is even harder than M2F right now, because of the physical aspects. Hopefully you'll find other books you like better. This one was the sister's POV looking from the outside. You might like Parrotfish from the trans character's viewpoint better. Or not - tastes surely vary.

Would like to propose my own book, and hope that that's okay. I've read it, of course, but would love opinions from other people who've read it and would love to discuss it with an intelligent, open-minded group. It's titled OUT. I've posted it on the Self Promotion portion of this group, and I do not want to overstep here...but I would really welcome any feedback since it speaks directly to readers of YA fiction with LGBT themes.

Laura wrote: "Would like to propose my own book, and hope that that's okay. I've read it, of course, but would love opinions from other people who've read it and would love to discuss it with an intelligent, ope..."

We specifically state that authors can nominate their own books, and several have. If you put a Goodreads link and the blurb here, that would be helpful.

OUT is a story about love. It's speculative fiction, and it takes place ins a world where same-sex couples are the majority while opposlte=sex couples are the minority. Here's the Goodreads link:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

Out

(Be aware there is another book Out that is YA LGBT but not the nominated book)

I'm not too chicken to nominate my own stuff, especially when it's a bit different...

Accepting Me is a short story about a 16-year-old boy who wishes his family would accept that he has no interest in love, dating, or sex.

I don't think we've done any books with asexual characters; I'm not sure how many others there are, to be honest. I wrote this one because my editor dared me.

I certainly don't know of any. Expanding our horizons and understanding each other in all our diversity is part of why we're here, so definitely, let's put it on the list.

I'd like to nominate Scarsby Cheryl Rainfield.

Here's the blurb: "Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth."

As you can probably tell from the blurb, it's on the edgier side, but it's really well written, and it handles the difficult topics well. I thought it was a very powerful book, and it was refreshing to have a book with a queer protagonist where the fact that they were queer isn't the main problem. In fact, Kendra's relationship is one of the most positive things in the book.

Also, as a side note to go with this book, if you're in crisis, don't forget that you can always call the Trevor Project at 866-4U-TREVOR

Last day to nominate a book for this month - I'll close nominations noon on Sunday (23 hours from this post), and then get the poll up. We have some great choices already, but there's always room for one more.

Jo wrote: "I'm not too chicken to nominate my own stuff, especially when it's a bit different...

Accepting Me is a short story about a 16-year-old boy who wishes his family ..."

Jo, this book looks excellent. Even if it's not a book of the month for February, I need to get this!

Thanks, Jennifer :)

OK - NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

POLL IS NOW UP: http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/78...

Difficult choice this month but I finally made a decision and voted (which is no mean feat at this time on a Monday morning)

BUMP!

And we have a winner - Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Discussion thread will be up soon.