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

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.

Into the River

Into the River  by Ted Dawe

Te Arepa Santos lives with his grandfather Ra, surrounded by cousins and aunts and uncles, descendants of a Maori woman who married a heroic Spanish pirate.  The day that Te Arepa encounters the giant eel in a haunted stream, his life changes.  Soon Te Arepa, like his piratical ancestor Diego Santos, will leave his family home and his traditions.  Soon, he is on his way to an exclusive boy's boarding school in Auckland.

Into the River was the first book ever to be banned in New Zealand, although that country has much stricter "decency standards" than we have here in America.  The book wasn't even banned when it was first published; actually, it spent two years picking up prestigious awards like the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year first.  Then it got rated "for mature readers ages 14+".  Then it was banned entirely: not available for sale to any reader in New Zealand at all (although sales of the international Kindle edition went up as readers circumvented the ban).

Why all the fuss?  That's what I wondered.  So I read it.

The story contains sexual situations--including naked body parts, masturbation and intercourse--on the page.  There is cussing, and drug use.  There is homosexuality, bullying, underage drinking, suicide, lawless behavior and rampant racism. 

My verdict:  the censors in New Zealand really need to get out more.

In other words, Into the River contains nothing we haven't seen in teen lit before.  Why this particular book bothered the outspoken members of Family First, I cannot say.  

Unfortunately for my feelings of unfettered righteousness, I did not love the book.  

Not because I object to sexual content in teen books (obviously) but rather because I thought that the main character had tremendous potential as a young Maori man entering Western society...and he quickly turned as mainstream as the bullies around him.  

Yawn.  

While the first half of the book raced along with the glory of Maori words footnoted on each page, the last half trudged inexorably towards the main character's expulsion from school.   

Buy this to diversify your collections, or to demonstrate the power of censorship (sales soared!), but if you want to read a great coming-of-age story of Maori New Zealand, you may have to write it yourself.

The Brides of Rollrock Island

The Brides of Rollrock Island  by Margo Lanagan

Misskaella Prout is ugly and outcast, unloved by her family, mocked by the women and rejected by the men of Rollrock Island. 

Though she has a magical talent to pull selkies from out of their seal-skins and into human shape, she does not stop with merely conjuring a lover for herself.  Instead, Misskaella also creates a deep and complex revenge against the island people by providing--for a price--a beautiful seal-wife for each man on the island.  Enchanted by the fey sea-wives, the men abandon their human families, mortgage their wealth, and deny that their lives are anything but wonderful.  The selkie women are helpless without their seal-skins...but when their sons steal back the coats, life on the island changes dramatically once again.

A complex and beautifully written story of hatred, love, magic, revenge, and eventually, redemption.  No cussing, minimal violence, and some on-page sexual situations between humans and selkies in (mostly) human form.  Highly recommended, ages 14 to adult.

Hooked

Hooked  by Catherine Greenman

Thea considers herself savvy and spunky, but she throws all that away when she starts dating Will, who "hooks" her with his good looks and charm.  Their love is strong, the sex is fantastic...and then, Thea gets pregnant.  The early-abortion plan (endorsed by parents, friends, and Will) is abandoned when Thea discovers that she loves her unborn child too much for abortion or adoption.  Plan #2 centers on everyone supporting Thea and baby Ian (and Will too), physically, emotionally and financially.  There is a bit of squeaking about this, but eventually, everyone falls in line because they love Thea and the baby is adorable.   Thea's plans for the future include spending more time with her formerly-estranged dad, making bundles of money by designing the latest crochet fashion merchendise, and eventually getting back together with Will.

Realistic?  Uh, no. 

Maybe that's how folks do things in The Big City, but in my small town, parents of unwed parents don't hand over $10,000 (each!) as starter money on top of the rent-controlled apartment they finance for the teens and little Ian.  Thea's narrative voice rescues this story from the round file:  she is spunky, and she stands up for the ideas and the people she values, including herself. 

Not a first purchase, but don't overlook this title if budgets can support it.  There is on-page (but not graphic) sex, minor cussing, and some underage drinking, but nowhere near as gratuitous as Gossip Girl and that ilk.  Ages 14 and up.

Don't Let Me Go

Don’t let me go  by J.H. Trumble

Nate and Adam believe their relationship is forever.  


Adam is graduating from high school and moving to New York to begin an acting career.  Nate has said he “needs to know who I am without you," but the year is much harder than he imagined without Adam.  


Last year they came out to their parents, the school, and the world.  Last year, Nate had Adam by his side.  Now, entering his senior year, he is not sure if he is strong enough alone.  His best friend Lucy is still there to help, and Danial, a new student from Pakistan, befriends him as well, especially when Nate Skypes Adam only to find a topless roommate cavorting around and kissing Adam.  

The plot moves back and forth across time from the present, to various times in the past.  This can be disconcerting for the reader, but in this case it works.  Slowly we are fed bits to understand Nate and Adam’s relationship, Danial’s almost too-perfect friendship, and Nate’s physical and sexual assault at the hands of some high school bullies.  Family relationships, friendships and even sexual activities are brought out through the ensuing court trial as the book skips back and forth in time.  For the reader, the story in bits and pieces is much easier to absorb, and better for deeply understanding relationships and the horror of the assault.  The focus is always the present though, and how Nate will cope this year, especially with Matthew, a gay student who is attracted to Nate, but is unwilling to take the step toward coming out.  


The almost too-perfect Danial nearly drags the story down, except we find that we are all cheering for him, and want a Danial in our schools.  

Recommended for readers ages 15 and up; graphic sexual situations; some violence.