The Greatest Superpower--"If she can stand up for her truth, I can stand up for mine . . . I hope."

Title: The Greatest Superpower

Author: Alex Sanchez


LGBTQ+ Representation: The main character's father is a transwoman. Supporting characters are gay and gender-fluid.


Content Warnings: Bullying and homophobia. Inferred child abuse. A past suicide attempt is mentioned.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Jorge and his twin brother Cesar are shocked when their parents announce their divorce and are even more shocked when they find out the reason: their father has always felt like a woman and is now going to start living as a woman. Cesar vows to never speak to his father again, while Jorge struggles to accept his dad as Norma. Will Jorge's friends (and the cute new girl!) be able to accept Norma?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I was so excited to see a new book by Alex Sanchez that I bought this book immediately instead of shelving it (book seller perks). I am not disappointed by my purchase; the story is adorable. 

Lily and Dunkin--"Words have the power to change the world. Use them carefully."

Title: Lily and Dunkin

Author: Donna Gephart


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character is a trans girl.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Lily knows she is a girl and wishes her father would stop calling her Tim and the bullies at school would leave her alone. Will she able to finally start hormone blockers? Dunkin is new in town and desperate to fit in, so why should it matter if he skips his bipolar medications occasionally if he becomes a better basketball player? Lily and Dunkin become friends despite the obstacles life throws at them.


What I think (contains spoilers): I checked out this book from the library and even before I finished reading it, I wanted to buy it for myself and said:

Cis folks: "What can we do to help the trans community?"

Yesterday was Trans Day of Visibility, and last month I participated (or read, mostly) a Twitter discussion in which trans folks gave advice to to their cis peers. Here's the original Tweet with my reply:

You'll have to wait in suspense for the gherkin part. 😉

So here, in their own (edited for clarity and brevity) words, is a list of advice from transgender people.

Do I support/endorse/agree with every single part of this list? Who cares? This is not the time or place as a cis-woman to insert my opinions. This list is directly from trans people. LISTEN TO (read) what they have to say with open minds.

CLICK HERE for the list.

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity--"Stay away from online comments sections for anything having to do with gender nonconformity"

Title: Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity

Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Jess has been estranged from her father since he left her mother (for her mom's best friend!) and was not supportive of Jess's transition from male to female. Now Jess's dad is getting remarried, and Jess decides to drive cross-country with her friend Chunk to crash her dad's wedding--and force her dad to accept her as the girl she knows she is. Along the way, Jess and Chunk learn more about themselves and their friendship.


What I think: Road trip books are so fun because real road trips (in my experiences) are boring, and book road trips always become extended metaphors for becoming mature. Seriously, who hasn't gone on a road trip that you've secretly wanted to be like Perfect Summer? (Probably none of you, but I've never outgrown my love of that particular SVH story.)

The 57 Bus--"I am not a thug, gangster, hoodlum, nor monster." OR "He's a sixteen-year-old kid and sixteen-year-old kids are kind of dumb."

Title: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives

Author:  Dashka Slater


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Sasha is an agender nonbinary teenager who attends a private school for academically gifted students. Richard attends Oakland High School, is turning his life around, and is determined to graduate. One day they are both on the bus, and Richard is joking around with a lighter and sets Sasha's skirt on fire. Sasha spends months in the hospital, and Richard is arrested, charged as an adult, and could face life in prison if convicted.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): When I was a teenager, I watched the movie Twelve Angry Men, a story of jurors serving on a murder trial. A lot of damning evidence is presented at the trial, and eleven of the jurors want to immediately come to a guilty verdict. But one juror decides that they need to reexamine the evidence, and in the process, they discover enough reasonable doubt that each juror eventually changes his vote to not guilty.

Girl Mans Up--"I don't feel like I'm something I shouldn't be. Only other people make me feel like there's something wrong with me."

Title: Girl Mans Up

Author: M-E Girard


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer):  Pen is not trying to be a boy; she is being herself: a boyish-looking girl who likes gaming (and girls). Pen's old-world-Portuguese parents want her to show respect by acting "like a girl." Pen's friend Colby wants her to prove her loyalty by doing whatever he says, even if it means getting him out of some trouble and getting herself into questionable situations. Luckily, Pen's brother Johnny is on her side.


What I think (with lots and LOTS of spoilers): I discussed terrible YA parents in the second half of the review of Better Nate Than Ever (and I think I'm going to pull the parent stuff out and make it its own post one of these days), and if there were an award for the worst parents in YA books, Pen's parents would take the top prize. They are terrible.

If I Was Your Girl--"Pro-tip: read the author's notes FIRST"

Title: If I Was Your Girl

Author: Meredith Russo

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Amanda moves in with her estranged father to attend a new school for her senior year of high school, and everything seems to be going well for her so far.  She meets a new group of girlfriends and even begins dating Grant. But Amanda has a secret: she is a transgender female and knows that if anyone finds out the truth about her past, her newfound happiness could be over.


What I think: Sometimes I am a brat and flip ahead in the pages of the book to see what's going to happen later in the story.  I sometimes spoil major plot points or even the whole ending for myself when I do this, so I nearly always regret it (but I can't stop doing it because, well, I have no idea).  But anyway, with this book, I actually did not regret flipping through towards the end.

When the Moon Was Ours--"The blue whirled in on itself like the curves of a nautilus shell"

Title: When the Moon Was Ours

Author: Anna-Marie McLemore

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer):  Best friends Miel and Sam are known as the strange ones in their town. Miel's wrist grows roses, and Sam paints moons to hang in the trees.  Miel lives with Aracely, the town curandera, and Sam pollinates the pumpkins in the Bonner's pumpkin field.  When the beautiful, yet evil Bonner sisters want to use Miel's roses to enhance their powers, they discover a secret about Sam that they threaten to reveal to the whole town.

What I think (in 250 words or fewer): McLemore is Mexican-American who describes her writings as magical realism. She blends elements of folk and fairy tale and culture in her stories.  Miel appears out of a water tower when she is five, Aracely cures the townspeople of "love sickness," and Sam is a bacha posh who wants to remain a boy.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children--"I know this is a radical idea, but people should get to be who they want to be"

Title: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children

Author: Kirstin Cronn-Mills

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Gabe, a senior in high school, knows he is really a boy even though was born with a girl's body.  When he begins hosting a radio show on the public radio station, he attracts a following, even a couple of girls who are interested in him.  But when some school bullies find out that Gabe is "Liz" in their high school, they threaten and become violent towards Gabe, his friends, and his family.


What I think:  I really liked all of the music references in this story, and disagree with a colleague of mine who claims that Gabe knowing all this music is unrealistic.  When I was in high school, I didn't listen to any music that was made after the 1980s, and I'm sure there are still high school students who like to listen to "vintage" music.  I even collected vinyl albums for a time.

Freakboy--"Everyone feels like a freak until they make up their mind they're not"

Title: Freakboy

Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Brendan is a typical high school boy, but lately he's noticed he is not just attracted to his girlfriend, Vanessa; sometimes, he wants to be a girl like her.  Is he a freak?  Vanessa is confused because Brendan is moody lately.  Why doesn't he trust her enough to tell her his secrets?  Angel is a trans female volunteer at the LGBTQ teen center who really wants to help Brendan.  Will she get through to him?

What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I really enjoyed this book!  I don't know why I hesitate to read books written in verse instead of prose--my subconscious must believe that verse equals "difficult-to-understand-epic-poem-that-I-must-analyze-as-English-teacher," but that has not been my experience with modern books written in verse.  It's quite the opposite, in fact: books written in verse are often easier to understand, contain more vivid characters, and are faster reads than traditional prose.

Alex as Well--"More about untreated mental illness than intersex or trans"

Title: Alex as Well

Author: Alyssa Brugman

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Alex, who was raised as a boy, always knew that she was really a girl.  Even as she lives as a girl, the "boy Alex" still lives inside her--it's like she is two people at once.  Alex struggles to live authentically as she deals with her mentally unstable mother and non-confrontational father. When she enrolls in a new school and contacts a solicitor to help her change her birth certificate, Alex discovers something startling.

What I think (in 400 words or fewer):  This book was . . . unsettling.  Alex identifies as a girl and the "boy" Alex talks to her in her head, like another personality.  Every time Alex does something particularly masculine, or rude and vulgar, she blames "boy Alex."  Alex refers to her male part as her "noodle" and mentions that it is smaller than average.

The Other Boy--"Not that traumatic of a read"

Title: The Other Boy

Author: M. G. Hennessey with cool artwork by Sfé R.Monster


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Shane is a regular twelve-year-old boy: Josh is his best friend, graphic novels are his hobby, Madeline is his crush, and baseball is his favorite sport.  However, Shane has not told anyone at his new school his secret: he was born a biological female, although Shane has always lived as the boy he knows he truly is. When one of his baseball teammates finds out and tells the whole school Shane's secret, Shane experiences bullying.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I was nervous when I started reading this book because it is the one that mirrors my life the most out of the transgender-themed books I've reviewed so far.  Shane is a transgender boy who is completely stealth at school and a star on his baseball team.  He hasn't told anyone about his past, including his best friend, Josh.  Shane's father is not quite as understanding as Shane's mother, and I thought that would be a major conflict, but it was resolved pretty quickly.