Maybe He Just Likes You and Dear Sweet Pea--"Sometimes seeing something from a distance is all it takes to figure out what you should have seen all along"OR: The one where I reminisce about beloved and problematic content in some favorite childhood books

Titles: Maybe He Just Likes You and Dear Sweet Pea

Authors: Barbara Dee and Julie Murphy


LGBTQ+ Representation: In both books, the main character has a good friend who is implied to be gay. In Dear Sweet Pea, the main character's father comes out of the closet after divorce, and a female teacher is married to another woman.


Content Warning: Sexual harassment, bullying, and gas lighting in Maybe He Just Likes You.


What they're about (in 75 words each or fewer): 

Maybe He Just Likes You--The updated "Bully plot" from my childhood favorite 1980's books. Mila isn't sure how it started, but she knows that she is very uncomfortable with how the boys keep touching her without her consent. Are they flirting? Why won't they stop? Mila gains some self-confidence through her karate classes, but will she ever get an adult to take her concerns about the boys' behavior seriously? 

Dear Sweet Pea--The updated "Advice column plot" from my childhood favorite 1980's books. Patricia "Sweet Pea's" parents are divorcing, and her dad only moved one house away. In between the two houses lives Miss Flora Mae, the newspaper advice columnist. When Flora goes on a trip, she asks Sweet Pea to forward her mail to her, but then, Sweet Pea recognizes the handwriting on an advice letter, and thinks, hey, I could write a reply! Hijinks ensue.

Why I'm writing about these books: Ladies and gentlemen: these are the updated Bully and Advice Column plots found in so many of my childhood faves and after-school specials! Neither are *technically* LGBTQ+-enough for me to immediately want to write about them. Even combining them both in one post--that would be cheating and still not *quite* enough LGBTQ+ content.

So why am I reviewing them? Because in spite of the nostalgia-factor of the plots, neither of these books would have been the same if they had been written thirty years ago.

Anger is a Gift--"You gotta grasp on to it, hold it tight and use it as ammunition. You use that anger to get things done instead of just stewing in it."

Title: Anger is a Gift

Author: Mark Oshiro


LGBTQ+ Representation: Gay, lesbian, biromantic/bisexual, LGBTQ+ adults, transgender, asexual, nonbinary


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Moss is a sixteen-year-old African-American boy with a great group of friends and a new love interest (cute Javier!). But Moss wishes he could be someone else--someone who doesn't suffer from panic attacks as a result of witnessing the police kill his innocent father. When the school administration begins an "enhanced security program" at the financially-stressed high school, Moss and the community, tired of being treated like criminals, stand up for themselves via organized protests.


What I think: This story is amazing, and I couldn't put it down--except, of course, when I HAD to put it down due to my anger and frustration--

In which I tweet my displeasure at a major event in the story, claiming "never to speak to author again" while already picking up the book to finish reading it.

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens--"The only thing about bliss is that it's sometimes accompanied by ignorance"

Title: Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens

Author: Tanya Boteju


LGBTQ+ Representation: Lesbians, gay, drag queens, trans, gender non-binary, queer, questioning.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Seventeen-year-old Nima, is bored with small-town life in Bridgeton; plus, she's dealing with her mother abruptly leaving the family and a crush on her straight best friend. When Nima enters the mysterious "artsy" tent at the local festival, she befriends a drag queen and becomes a part of the drag scene in the neighboring town. Will Nima find love, overcome her awkwardness, keep her friends, and come to terms with her mother's decisions?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  Based on the cover, I expected a light-hearted, maybe silly, romp through drag culture, but this was definitely not the case with this book. However, even though it is not at all what I thought it would be, it's worth reading.

Like a Love Story--"Life was once sepia toned, one color, bland. Now it is a rainbow world of excitement and anticipation."

Title: Like a Love Story

Author: Abdi Nazemian


LGBTQ+ Representation: Several characters are gay.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): In 1989 New York City, Art is young, out, and proud, and protests with ACT UP to get the government to takes the AIDS crisis seriously. Reza just moved to New York, and he is shy and terrified of being outed. Judy, whose Uncle Stephen is dying of AIDS, dreams of being a fashion designer. Judy begins dating Reza, and her and Art's friendship suffers when Reza and Art fall for each other.


What I think: When I read The Porcupine of Truth, it opened up my eyes about how clueless of a child I was during the late 80s/early 90s AIDS crisis (obviously, the crisis wasn't limited to those years, but those were the years I learned about AIDS). Like a Love Story is now tied with Porcupine for my favorite AIDS-related YA book, and it also takes place during those childhood years of mine.

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World--"Is this what a crush felt like? A constant stomachache, a bubbly feeling in your fingertips?"

Title: Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

Author: Ashley Herring Blake


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Twelve-year-old Ivy and her family are displaced and devastated when a tornado destroys their home. Ivy is especially upset because she loses her notebook of secret drawings (some of which are of girls holding hands) and feels lost and ignored by her stressed-out parents. Meanwhile, Ivy becomes friends with and develops a crush on June, and then starts to receive mysterious notes from someone who has found her notebook.  Who's the keeper of Ivy's secrets?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): This book is adorable; I felt so warm and fuzzy after reading it. Ivy is a realistic seventh-grader who expresses her feelings through her art and is just figuring out her sexuality.  The tornado is terrifying to read about; the Indiana girl that I am has been through several tornadoes but never one that destroyed my home. I would have been so very upset had that happened to me when I was twelve.