Breathless

 

Breathless by Jennifer Niven

Alfred A. Knopf, 9781524701963

Claudine’s pleasant, ordinary life is suddenly disrupted by the news:  her parents are divorcing, and instead of heading off on a long-planned road trip with her best friend, Claude will be spending the summer on a remote island off the coast of Georgia with her mom.  It’s a low-speed disaster…until Claudine meets Jeremiah “Miah” Crewe, the fascinating and enigmatic bad-boy trail guide.

The story is predictable, but pleasant:  the teens swear not to fall in love (but they do).  Claudine is certain her life will never recover (but it does).  The world seems like it will end (but it doesn’t).  There is sex on the page, quite a lot of expectation vs. reality about “first times”, and a few funny parts too, as well as some good discussions about consent and what women really want.  Ages 14 to adult.

Alcohol use, birth control, cussing, friendship, gender diversity, high school, kissing, on-page sex,  parents. 

Red

 

Red : a novel  by Annie Cardi

Union Square & Co, 9781454951308

Her grandparents insisted that Tess and her mom attend Grace Presbyterian Church as a condition of allowing them to move in, but Tess thought she experienced strength, community, and a connection with God there.  But when Tess becomes pregnant and opts for an abortion everything changes, and she is promptly cast out by the church and her own grandparents, labeled inwardly as well as publicly by the scarlet letter “A” spray-painted on her school locker.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was required reading in high school and college when I attended (back in the late Jurassic), and I participated in many classroom discussions about the story.  None of those ever mentioned statutory rape, grooming or sexual abuse, which I see now as a disservice both to the book and to the students.  This modern retelling clarifies the point, and in the process tells a graceful story of redemption, forgiveness, and love–but not for the abuser, just in case you were worried.  Although readers never see punishment meted out to the present-day incarnation of Arthur Dimmesdale, never doubt that the “Me Too” movement is coming for him, slowly and inexorably.  Extra gold stars for church-going people who are not all painted with the usual stereotypical brush. Recommended for ages 12 to adult.

Abortion, birth control, bullying, cussing (mild), friendship, high school, kissing, mental health, off-page intimacy, parents, pregnancy, rainbow+, religion, sexual assault, straight friends, teachers.

Camp Quiltbag

Camp Quiltbag by Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass

Algonquin Young Readers, 9781643752662

Abigail (she/her/hers) has had a rough year since coming out to her family and the classmates she thought were her friends. She’s excited to attend Camp Quiltbag, a summer camp for LGBTQ+ kiddos…but also, too embarrassed to tell Stacey and the other girls where she’s going. Kai (e/em/eir) has had an even rougher year, but e would rather stay home and practice parkour and hang out with friends e knows e can trust. The two make a pact to help each other, which seems like a great idea…until it sort of backfires.

This is a sweet summer story of crushes, queer identity exploration and friendship. Recommended for middle grader readers.

Bullying, diversity, friendship, gay friends, gender diversity, homophobia, kissing, neurodivergence, no sex, parents, rainbow+, religion, sports, Star Trek sex, straight friends, teachers.

Heartstopper

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (graphic novel)

Graphix, 9781338617436

Charlie is skinny and gay (he was outed last year, and then bullied as a result).  Nick is a big rugby player with a kind heart.  They become friends…and then more.  There is a lot of confusion as both boys try to sort out what labels they want to claim, and who they will allow to influence them.  Their affection grows stronger throughout the story, even when things go completely sideways.  Best of all: even when they doubt themselves they are both adorable.

Oseman’s art is friendly and accessible, depicting the emotions of characters beautifully.  Be ready to have volume 2 in the series ready to read, because the first book ends on a cliff hanger!  Highly recommended for ages 12 to adult.

bullying, cussing, cussing (mild), friendship, gay friends, gender diversity, graphic novel, high school, homophobia, kissing, mental health, off-page intimacy, parents, rainbow+, sports, Star Trek sex, straight friends

Gender Queer

 

Gender Queer : a memoir  by Maia Kobabe

Lion Forge, 9781549304002

In 5th grade, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, had the feeling that everybody else had access to information that e lacked — not an uncommon feeling for 5th graders. This feeling persisted through high school and college, and always seemed to center around gender identity. Maia doesn’t identify as female, but e doesn’t feel like a guy, either. What is e?

There is a lot of controversy over this book, including attacks by politicians, school boards, and parents upset about certain sexual situations and images. Significantly, many of these would-be censors say that they have not read the entire book, and are reacting only to a few select pages and images. Maia’s story is 239 pages long, and taking a few pages out of context destroys the entire purpose of the book: to tell about eir entire journey.  

bullying, cussing (mild), diversity, friendship, gay friends, gender diversity, graphic novel, high school, homophobia, kissing, mental health, non-fiction, on-page sex,  parents, rainbow+

Fourth Wing

Fourth Wing  by Rebecca Yarros

Red Tower Books, 9781649374042

Violet Sorrengail is small, brittle, and well-prepared for the quiet life of a scribe.  But after the death of her father, Violet’s mom orders her to change her plans and pass the stringent ordeal to become a dragon rider instead–or die trying. Almost every other cadet in the Quadrant will try to get her to fail (with a few notable exceptions), and a dragon who finds her unsuitable will simply incinerate her.  

This book was originally marketed for adult audiences, but teen readers have run away giggling with it.  The characters are young adults in their 20’s dealing with teen issues, most especially the task to to define themselves as separate from their parents. Non-binary gender expression and sexual diversity is presented as normal. The on-page, window-shattering sex scenes do not seem to alarm younger readers but might concern their elders.

Action, adventure, magic, intrigue, loyalty and betrayal keep the pages turning.  Recommended for ages 14 to adult.

Bullying, cussing, death, dragons, friendship, gender diversity, kissing, magic, off-page intimacy, on-page sex,  parents, straight friends, teachers.

We Need to Talk About Vaginas

We Need to Talk About Vaginas : an important book about vulvas, periods, puberty, and sex!  by Dr. Allison K. Rogers

St. Martin’s Press  9781684492848

A gynecologist explains, examines, and answers questions about female bodies and the changes experienced in the transition from childhood to adulthood.  Topics (in addition to those called out in the title) include: public hair, ovaries, cramps, hymens, masturbation, sexually transmitted diseases, gender identity, and the history of flying vaginas!  The narration is honest and straightforward, using correct medical vocabulary. The illustrations show a variety of differently colored and shaped bodies.  Recommended for age 8 and up.

Birth control, diversity, gender diversity, graphic novel, masturbation, mental health, non-fiction, on-page sex,  parents, pregnancy, rainbow+, sexual assault, teachers

Different for Boys

Different for Boys  by Patrick Ness, illustrations by Tea Bendix

Walker Books, 2023  978-1-5362-2889-2

Anthony (Ant) Stevenson has a lot of questions about sex, but most especially, “at what point is a person not a virgin anymore?”  Is it when they >redacted<?  Or when they’ve >redacted< with >redacted<?  Or >entire sentence redacted<?  

Ant wants to know more…about himself, and about his friends, and about, well, everything.  But it’s hard to learn things when so much is >redacted< – and that’s how this book is written, with big black boxes (which the characters all comment on) obscuring some text the reader will intuit and some that isn’t quite so obvious, even with pictures to help.

Short, quiet, powerful, poetic, and real.  Sex on the page, but it’s >redacted<, of course. Highly recommended for ages 14 to adult.

cussing, friendship, gay friends, high school, homophobia, kissing, masturbation, on-page sex,  parents, rainbow+, redactions, sports, straight friends, teachers

How Not to Fall in Love

 

How Not to Fall in Love  by Jacqueine Firkins

Clarion Books, 9780358467144

After years of watching Bridezillas parade through her mom’s wedding shop, Harper is pretty convinced that “love” is something invented to sell stuff.  She wants nothing to do with it.  This is exactly opposite to the feelings of her neighbor and best friend, Theo, who falls in love on each first date.  The two offer to trade tips:  Theo will help Harper ace the ACT vocabulary test, and Harper will teach Theo how to avoid falling in love.  The vocabulary part goes well.  The rest…not so much.

Predictable but sweet boy-next-door romance made MUCH BETTER because the characters–including supporting characters–engage in honest, heartfelt conversations about self-care, birth control, and what they want (or think they want) from relationships.  Sweet and tactful sexual situations on the page.  

Birth control, friendship, high school, kissing, mental health, neurodivergence, off-page intimacy, on-page sex,  parents, rainbow+, Star Trek sex, straight friends

Plan A

 

Plan A by Deb Caletti

Labyrinth Road, 9780593485545

16-year old Ivy is strong, independent, opinionated…and pregnant.  She has plans and hopes and dreams for her future, and that future does not involve a child originating from sexual assault.  

Unfortunately for Ivy, she lives in contemporary Texas, which has some of the most restrictive women’s health laws in the country.  Ivy doesn’t realize that she is pregnant until she has passed the 6-week mark, after which an abortion is illegal in her home state.  Fortunately for Ivy, she is not alone:  her mother, grandmother, and a host of other women (and men) are willing to prioritize her choices, and so begins what Ivy and her adorable boyfriend Lorenzo call their “abortion road trip love story.”  

This book is serious and funny, timeless and timely.  It will absolutely be banned and challenged, and should absolutely be available for any reader who wants it–because these choices are important, and stories about these choices are possibly even more important. Highly recommended for ages 14 to adult.

Abortion, birth control, bullying, cussing, diversity, friendship, high school, kissing, parents, pregnancy, rainbow+, religion, sexual assault (on-page), Star Trek sex

 

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 9781328778239

At first, Mara can’t believe it: her friend Hannah has accused Mara’s beloved twin of rape. Mara is torn between her loving family and her knowledge of her friend’s truthfulness…and her own hidden truth.

The fallout from Hannah’s accusation initially overshadows the sexual trauma Mara herself secretly endured a few years ago. Later, the two incidents seem to balance in awfulness, because as Mara–and everyone else–knows, people don’t believe girls. However, as Mara – and the author – point out, even when bad acts go unpunished, girls will survive and learn to hope and love and go on.

Gentle, powerful, and awesome. This book not only outlines the need for empowerment, but even shows on the page how consent between people works. Highly recommended for ages 12 to adult.

Bullying, cussing, diversity, friendship, gay friends, gender diversity, high school, homophobia, kissing, mental health, neurodivergence, off-page intimacy, parents, rainbow+, sexual assault, sexual situations, straight friends, teachers.

Nigeria Jones

Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi
Harper Collins Publishers, 9780062888846

16-year-old Nigeria Jones was raised to be a warrior princess, fight against White Supremacy and support the Movement headed by her father, the famous Black separatist Kofi Sankofa. Without her mom’s support, Nigeria questions her own place in her father’s vision, especially when she begins to explore the world on her own and discovers that people don’t always sort into tidy categories.

The narration is instantly engaging, and although the astute reader will predict some of her revelations, Nigeria’s journey is a compelling page-turner. The on-page sex scene is poetic rather than specific. Recommended for ages 12 to adult.

Abortion, bullying, cussing (mild), death, diversity, friendship, gay friends, high school, homophobia, kissing, mental health, on-page sex, parents, pregnancy, racism, teachers.

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy

 

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks (graphic novel)

First Second, 9781250838728

Alix loves playing hockey so much that she is willing to put up with bullying from the team captain. But after one snide comment too many, Alix’s temper snaps and she punches Lindsay in the face in front of the whole team. Now her recommendation to hockey camp is in jeopardy, her mom is mad, and Alix doesn’t know what to do. Then, she sees “gay drama boy” Ezra (he’s really bi, not gay, this is important) being bullied (by Lindsay’s boyfriend, because real life does work that way) but responding in a healthier way.

So, Alix does what any other other socially awkward, probably spectrum-y person would do: she asks Ezra to teach her to chill out. The resulting friends-to-lovers story is sweet in all the possible ways. Heaps of emotional growth for everyone–except Lindsay, of course. Evocative drawings by the author and plenty of Canadian references. Alix and Ezra hold hands, kiss, and spend a night together in the front seat of a broken-down pickup truck–any sexual activity beyond that is tactfully off-page. Recommended for ages 12 to adult, especially readers who love the stage, hockey games, or both.

Bullying, diversity, friendship, gay friends, graphic novel, high school, homophobia, kissing, mental health, neurodivergence, off-page intimacy, rainbow+, sports, Star Trek sex, straight friends.

Jack of Hearts (and other parts)

 

Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L.C. Rosen

Jack’s reputation as a slut is only partially deserved. He’s unapologetically gay, and he enjoys sex. He doesn’t want to be in a relationship because he’s having fun going to parties, meeting up with hot people, having (safe) sex with them, and writing a teen sex advice column. But then an anonymous fan becomes a stalker, and things aren’t fun anymore.

Despite multiple starred reviews in industry journals, this book was banned (and then reinstated) in the Kent, WA school district, and also banned in school libraries and classrooms in Maryland, Tennessee, Wisconsin and elsewhere. The advice column includes (very) frank discussions of sex and sexual situations with body parts named and referenced, written by the author in consultation with professional sex educators, and all of the questions (except two which were included to drive the plot) were sourced from actual teens. The writing is fun, empowering, and refreshingly honest. Although I have little in common with these privileged NYC teens I love them with all my heart and absolutely recommend this book for ages 14 to adult.

Bullying, condoms, cussing, diversity, friendship, gay friends, gender diversity, high school, homophobia, kissing, masturbation, mental health, on-page sex, parents, rainbow+, safe sex, sexual assault, straight friends, teachers.