The Best at It
by
Twelve-year-old Rahul Kapoor heads into seventh grade armed with advice his grandfather gave him--to find a thing he's good at and become the best at it. But Rahul struggles with his identity, including his confusing attraction to classmate Justin Emery. Rahul joins the Mathletes but it doesn't go as planned, and when Jenny asks him to a dance, Rahul spirals into depression and anxiety. With the help of his best friend Chelsea, Rahul confronts who he actually is.
Lily and Dunkin
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Eighth-grader Lily Jo McGrother, who identifies as a girl even though born in a boy's body, makes friends with Norbert "Dunkin" Dorfman, a boy with bipolar disorder--which is bad enough for his social life, but he is also hiding a terrible secret that makes things much worse. Only Lily Jo and Dunkin's friendship has the power to change their lives.
We Are All Made of Molecules
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Thirteen-year-old brilliant but socially-challenged Stewart and mean-girl Ashley must find common ground when, two years after Stewart's mother died, his father moves in with his new girlfriend--Ashley's mother, whose gay ex-husband lives in their guest house.
A Home for Goddesses and Dogs
by
After her mother dies, thirteen-year-old Lydia moves into a Connecticut farm with Aunt Brat, her wife Eileen, and the elderly live-in landlord Elloroy. Upon her arrival, Aunt Brat adopts a rescue dog who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Lydia struggles to cope with her mother's death, a new school, and a lovable, yet terrible, dog--all while keeping her secrets intact.
Ana on the Edge
by
Figure skater Ana-Marie Jin is unsure about the princess-theme routine assigned by her choreographer for an upcoming competition. When Ana begins giving lessons to transgender figure skater Hayden in exchange for free ice time, Hayden assumes Ana is a boy and Ana doesn't correct him, feeling comfortable exploring the male identity. As Ana comes to understand who they are, they grapple with what others will think and how they can express themselves in a traditionally binary sport.
Birdie and Me
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After their mama dies, Jack and Birdie find themselves without a place to call home. And when Mama's two brothers each try to provide one--first sweet Uncle Carl, then gruff Uncle Patrick--the results are funny, tender, and tragic. They're also somehow . . . spectacular. With voices and characters that soar off the page, J. M. M. Nuanez's debut novel depicts an unlikely family caught in a situation none of them would have chosen, and the beautiful ways in which they finally come to understand one another.
Where the Heart Is
by
Thirteen-year-old Rachel works with the animals at her family's small hobby farm, and she looks forward to spending the summer swimming in the lake with her best friend, Micah, who wants to be more than friends, but Rachel isn't sure she feels the same, at least not for a boy. Her parents fight more and more over money, and the family soon loses the house, which makes Rachel have to really consider what makes a home a home.
The 57 Bus
by
Explores the true stories of Sasha and Richard, two teens from Oakland, California, who never would have met if not for the 57 Bus which they both were taking home one day. Richard, an African American boy, had a lighter; Sasha, a white boy, wore a skirt. A dare to use the lighter changes both boy's lives forever.
Hurricane Child
by
On the island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, twelve-year-old Caroline is known for her bad luck because she was born during a hurricane. A new student from Barbados named Kalinda arrives and becomes Caroline's only friend--and her first crush. As Caroline works through her feelings for Kalinda, the two set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother and are followed by a mysterious spirit.
The Moon Within
by
Told in verse, eleven-year-old Celi Rivera is anxious about her approaching period, and that her mother wants to hold a traditional Mexican moon ceremony to celebrate the occasion, a party she promises she will not attend. Meanwhile, her best friend explores what it means to be gender fluid, which prompts the boy Celi has a crush on to make mean comments, which in turn forces Celi to make some rash decisions
King and the Dragonflies
by
Certain that his brother Khalid has transformed into a dragonfly after passing away, King often steals down to the bayou to search for him among the hundreds of dragonflies there. Khalid also visits King in his dreams, still, a secret King knows he has to keep--that, and the fact that he thinks he might be gay. Grief transforms King's family, but King learns how to use grief and pain to find beauty and redemption as his true self.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by
Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
Music from Another World
by
It’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk…until she’s matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything.
Saving Montgomery Sole
by
When Monty buys the Eye of Know for six bucks online, it comes with a curious instruction: "In sight not see black light not be." It becomes the topic of discussion at the Mystery Club, made up of Monty and her friends Thomas and Naoki, who share a love for the unexplained. When Monty puts the Eye of Know on, strange things start happening, mostly toward the people she dislikes. However, the Eye may end Monty's friendships at the same time it takes down her enemies.
The Magic Fish
by
Tien, the son of two Vietnamese refugees, is struggling with the right way to come out to his parents. With a language barrier, Tien wonders how he will ever tell his parents the truth. As he helps them with their English, Tien realizes he may be able to use fairy tales to get his message across.
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
by
A tornado rips through town and, in demolishing her family's home, flings Ivy Aberdeen's secret notebook of drawings of girls holding hands she knows not where. Those drawings begin showing up in Ivy's locker with notes telling her she should open up about her identity, and Ivy dares to hope they are from the girl she has developed a crush on.
The Only Black Girls in Town
by
Surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in her small California beach town for years. When she finds out that the new owners of the bed-and-breakfast across the street are black and that they have a daughter her age, Alberta is convinced that she and Edie will be best friends. But Edie misses her life in Brooklyn and is finding it hard to adapt to California life. When the girls find a box of old journals in Edie's attic, they team up to find out why they were left behind, uncovering painful secrets from the past.
Jerkbait
by
Tristan's twin Robbie is a young hockey star, but after Robbie comes out as gay, a suicide scare forces Robbie and Tristan into a shared bedroom for Robbie's own safety. As Tristan tries to find success as a musical theatre performer, he gets caught up in Robbie's secrets, pressure, and anxiety, and Tristan must choose between pursuing his own path or supporting his troubled twin.
Ask the Passengers
by
Having spent the better part of her life in New York City, Astrid had a hard time moving to the largely rural town of Unity Valley. With her close friends at her side, things don't seem too difficult - until Astrid begins to suspect she is falling in love with a girl.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
by
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.
Last Pick: Rise Up
by
Wyatt has become the reluctant leader of the "last picked" humans passed over by their new alien overlords, the disabled, elderly, and too young to be useful for hard labor. Now having hacked the alien tech, Wyatt and his crew have a spaceship and a new plan to attack the alien federation. Meanwhile, Wyatt's lesbian Sister, Sam, and her girlfriend, Mia, are traveling the galaxy searching for a way to rescue Sam's parents.
See You at Harry's
by
Seventh grader Fern has a full (and somewhat complicated) life: Her high school freshman brother, Holden, has taken the first steps toward acknowledging he is gay, and their older sister Sara is spending her first year after high school helping with the family restaurant, allowing her overly critical eye to land wherever it pleases. Then there's three-year-old Charlie, oftentimes messy but always loved, and the children's distant parents who leave them all desperate for more attention. When a sudden tragedy rips the family apart, Fern is at the forefront of their efforts to manage the pain and vividly describes the process by which her siblings come together to find some semblance of healing.
