Today I have the fabulous Christa from Hooked On Books stopping by to share with us a her TOP 10 Contemporary YA titles with LGBT characters! Christa has a great blog event happening over at her blog right now in which she talks about books with LGBT themes - make sure to stop by and say hi to her!
1) Shine by Lauren Myracle.
If I had to pick one and only one title off of this list, this would definitely be one of the big contenders. A heart-breaking and moving novel, Shine by Lauren Myracle is one of the most gritty and authentic books I have ever read. Can not recommend it enough.
2) Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.
David Levithan is like the Gay YA god. His books are straight up incredible. Not only does he have an amazing way with words, he writes the most incredible love stories I have ever read. The nice thing about Boy Meets Boy is that it’s not a coming out story, and it’s not depressing or tragic. It’s just a good old fashioned love story (ok maybe not “old fashioned” but you know what I mean)
3) The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth
A debut author this year, Emily Danforth’s The Miseducation of Cameron Post is not to be missed. Don’t be intimidated by it’s size! You’ll be so wrapped up in Cameron’s story, the pages will just fly by. Brave and independent, Cameron is one of my all time favourite female characters.
4) Way to Go by Tom Ryan
Another fabulous debut author! And a fellow Canadian!
Way to Go takes place on the fabulous Canadian east coast. There’s music and cooking and some crazy small time adventures. And this is simple, no frills writing - no fluff. Just a great story about a boy trying to figure out who he is..
5) Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
The story of a boy named Grady, who was once a girl named Angela. Grady is a great character and his determination to be himself is incredibly admirable. If that wasn’t good enough, there are some really interesting secondary characters. Particularly a geeky boy named Sam.
6) Pink by Lili Wilkinson
I have to put Pink of every LGBTQ list I write because of the main character Ava. There are few characters I find as easy to relate to as Ava. She struggles with who she really is, who her friends and family expect her to be and how society might see her. Plus she (and many other characters in this book) are total nerds! Nerd power!
7) Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Simply put, if David Levithan is the Gay YA god, than Julie Anne Peters is the Gay YA queen. Like David she has scores of amazing books, most dealing with LGBTQ issues. They’re all amazing, but if I had to pick the one I recommend the most, it would be Luna, hands down. It’s a beautiful book and a National Book Award finalist. Can’t go wrong there.
8) The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
I actually haven’t read this one but it has come highly recommended from a number of trusted sources. Maureen Johnson is a fabulous writer (you should follow her on Twitter if you don’t already) and her book asks the question “What happens when your two best friends fall in love...with each other?”
9) Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
A lot of books deal with teen depression and suicide but I don’t usually see book about what happens after an attempted suicide. In this way Suicide Notes stands out as a unique and thought provoking read. And I personally think Michael nails the voice of 15 year-old Jeff.
10) Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
One of my all time favourite books. LGBTQ or otherwise. What else would you expect when two brilliant writers come together? Trust me, you’ve never met a character like Tiny Cooper. And if you’re into audiobooks, you’ll want to add Will Grayson Will Grayon to your to-listen list.
I'm loving this list! I haven't actually read any of this titles yet, but I'm definitely planning to! Thanks for sharing it with us, Christa :)
What do you guys think? What is your favourite book with a LGBT character? Have you read any? Are you planning to? Would love to hear your thoughts!
5 comments:
Great list! I hadn't heard of some of these, and I'm always on the look out for new LGBT titles. :)
Great list. I love lists like these because it is difficult to compile them yourself even with google.
reading way to go soon
must read all
gr8 post
I have read Pink by Lili Wilkinson, The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson, and just finished The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth. I loved all this books and would recommend them to anyone. I hope you enjoy the books.
I really liked Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz.
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