LGBTQ-inclusive children’s and young adult books were among the titles honored at the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards today, winning not only Stonewall Awards for LGBTQ titles, but also awards in several other categories—proving again that those who wish to ban them are keeping kids from some of the best books around.
A new podcast will bring listeners a free audiobook version of an award-winning young adult novel about a gay teen, as a way of reaching teens whose access to such books may be blocked by so-called “Don’t Say Gay” laws.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club, a young adult lesbian love story set in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1954, yesterday won the prestigious National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. In her acceptance speech, author Malinda Lo urged viewers to resist right-wing efforts to remove books about LGBTQ people and people of color from school and library shelves.
I don’t cover a lot of young adult fiction here; the other age groups keep me busy enough. I’m making an exception today, however, not only because I happen to know the author, but because the book is a rare YA novel that I found myself reading for my own sake, not just with an eye to how it would impact younger readers. It’s the queer historical fiction novel I never knew I wanted.
Liz Lighty is a Black, nerdy, poor, wallflower, which sets her apart in her small, rich, Midwestern town. But when a scholarship to an elite college falls through, she unexpectedly finds herself in the social spotlight, running for prom queen and the prize money that brings. As if that’s not hard enough, she may also be falling for one of her competitors.
Two similarly named books coming out this month offer tweens and teens a colorful look at some of the revolutions and revolutionaries of LGBTQ history.
I don’t have to convince regular readers of the need for LGBTQ-inclusive books and other media in schools. That’s why I’m excited about a new project that is donating boxes of such books to rural public schools, and providing coaching and curriculum guides to help educators use them effectively.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots—but also marks the decennial anniversaries of several groundbreaking LGBTQ-inclusive books for children and young adults in the U.S. Walk through the decades with me.
A national organization for English teachers has established a new award for equity and inclusion in young adult literature. It will first be given to gay author Bill Konigsberg and named after him for future recipients.
What happens when a closeted gay teen stumbles across a secret that could alter our perception of one of the greatest figures in American history? That’s the question at the heart of a new young adult novel by a gay dad and award-winning expert on books for LGBTQ youth and their allies.
