What a treat to welcome Anna Zoe Quirke into The Reading Realm to share some of their favourite LGBTQ+ YA book recommendations! Over to you Anna!
Hi, I’m Anna, author of Something to be Proud Of and high school librarian, and here are five of my essential LGBTQ+ reads to have in your library and/or classroom!
The Fights That Make Us by Sarah Hagger-Holt
Sarah’s written lots of great middle grade and YA LGBTQ+ reads, including The Fights That Make Us which I recently read and LOVED. With call backs to Section 28 in the 80s, it’s a really important and timely read, as well as just being a lovely story about queer community and fighting for what you believe in, perfect for upper-Primary or Year Seven/Eight students.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is one of my all-time favourite queer upper-YA reads. Set in San Francisco in the 1950s, it follows teenage Lily Hu as she blossoms into her sexuality alongside love interest Kath and discovers the importance of LGBTQ+ spaces. The writing is just breath-takingly gorgeous, and the story is packed with compelling, nuanced queer and trans characters.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper barely needs an introduction these days! These comics about gay and bi teen boys Charlie and Nick (respectively) provide a really sweet, wholesome depiction of young queerness, but also don’t shy away from introducing some more difficult topics like mental health and abusive relationships. I read Heartstopper when I was a teenager and it was still just a webcomic and I’m thrilled by how popular the graphic novels are now. As well as being such positive LGBTQ+ representation, their graphic novel format to grab students’ interest with their gorgeous illustrations.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
The House in the Cerulean Sea follows Linus Baker, a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, who gets summoned to investigate an orphanage on a remote island. What follows is one of the most gorgeous stories about found-family I’ve ever read – and found-family is my all-time favourite trope, so I’ve read a lot! This is the perfect book to have in your classroom for any student who needs reminding that the things that make them ‘different’ should be celebrated, and for any reader who needs a bit of escapism and would enjoy a cosy queer romance.
Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas
Cemetery Boys is a gorgeous story about Yadriel, a young Latinx trans boy who just wants to be accepted by his family for who he is – a brujo. The story has mystery, magic, characters readers can really root for and a really tender romance plotline (everyone I’ve spoken to who’s read the book adores the sweet love interest, misunderstood ‘bad boy’ Julian as much as I do!). Cemetery Boys is perfect for older YA readers wanting to escape into a compelling magical mystery with a whole lot of heart at its centre.
Something to be Proud Of by Anna Zoe Quirke
Apologies, but I have to talk about my own book now! Something to be Proud Of is contemporary YA story that follows two teens – autistic, aspiring comedian, chaotic bisexual Imogen Quinn, and openly-gay captain of the football team Oliver Armstrong – as they start an activist group in their school and fight to fundraise to put on a Pride festival in their town that’s accessible to all kinds of LGBTQ+ people. Ultimately – I wanted it to be a message of hope and defiance for LGBTQ+ and disabled people everywhere and a reminder that we deserve to be loved for exactly who we are and not in spite of it. It’s joyful, a little bit silly, and it talks about lots of important topics, and I’m really excited to put it in my school library (and hopefully see it in lots of others)!
