What a fun book, I read it in one day! This book, set in Michigan, is a story about an openly gay high school student and his best friends. Sky deals with an awful high school bully, a racist and homophobic school wide e-mail scandal, the stress of having a secret huge crush, and upcoming PROM. During the stress of finishing Senior year, he realizes that friends are the family you get to choose. Sky learns you should fight for those friendships, because through it all, they are the ones who have your back when you need it most.
Tag Archives: LGBTQ
Under Shifting Stars by Alexandra Latos
This novel is full of complex family dynamics within one household. Twins, Claire & Audrey, are very different – even their zodiac signs are different because they were born on totally different days; this has always allowed them to be individuals and not automatically seen as a duo. Within the past year, their family has lost a son and brother; they are all faced with tremendous grief and dealing with that grief in different ways. The twins no longer attend the same school because Audrey in not neuro-typical, but her main goal is to try to get back to the school her sister attends. Claire is desperately trying to figure out who she is and whether or not her body matches her gender identity. As the family attempts to deal individually, they begin to realize that the healing cannot happen unless they do it together.
I enjoyed the book; however the way that the author discussed all of the gender and sexual identity confusion made me feel like I was reading a textbook – terms blatantly defined rather than shown through development. I do feel many teens, and even adults, will easily relate to the emotions and feelings presented in this novel.
LGBTQ Service In the Armed Forces by Duchess Harris, JD, PHD
LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces by Duchess Harris, JD, PhD. looks at enlisted LGBTQ people and legislation that made their experience in the US military difficult. It also discusses how LGBTQ soldiers served during times of war but were often discharged for their gender identity or sexuality after the war. The book includes include a glossary, further readings, websites, source notes, sidebars, and an index. Period and modern photographs put faces to the historic characters and modern service members discussed in the text. LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces is appropriate for use in school curriculums and is aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.
LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces is part of a series which includes Being Transgender in America, Growing up LGBTQ, LGBTQ Discrimination in America, LGBTQ Rights and the Law, and LGBTQ Social Movements in America.
Hot Dog Girl by: Jennifer Dugan
Review Submitted by OHS Student, Aleena L.
Elouise (Lou) is a girl on a mission to win over an already taken guy and prevent the closing of the amusement park she works at. Lou works in a hot dog suit at the park and tries to make her way through life with similar humor. This is a book that reveals common teenage problems while also keeping things light and humorous.
There is nothing particularly great about the author’s writing style or the storyline she works with. It is a book that readers will enjoy, but not remember. Students who like teenage drama and humor will enjoy this book.
Vanilla by Billy Merrell
Vanilla by: Billy Merrell
The book Vanilla by Billy Merrell is beautifully written and have quickly become one of my favorites. The story follows two high school boys, Vanilla and Hunter, who have been in love since middle school. Their relationship is based first on friendship and later on romantic feelings. Although things have progressed physically over time, Hunter is ready for much more than Vanilla is ready to give. The two are struggling in their relationship for the first time; both are emotionally invested and have feeling of love for one another, but Vanilla continually backs away from sex any time the two discuss it or get close to trying – ultimately causing a rift between the two. Written in verse, Vanilla, will appeal to reluctant readers because of the lyrical nature and the unusual formatting, it makes for a very quick read. Ultimately, Vanilla allows readers to watch as the characters struggle with their own sense of self-discovery. Anyone looking to add diverse reads to their collection should consider Vanilla a must-have.
The Edge of the Light (Whidbey Island Saga # 4)
The Edge of the Light is the fourth and final (according to the jacket) book in the Whidbey Island Sage. If it is true that this is the last book in the series, then I encourage you NOT to read it, as it will leave you frustrated and feeling incomplete. The major plot threads are not resolved. The reader doesn’t have any inkling of what will happen to the main character, even though the author built intrigue with the storyline of an investigative journalist having tracked her down. The reader is left hanging, as if there were to be a fifth book. IF there is a fifth book, then I would encourage the reader to start with book one and continue through to the conclusion. It’s just that book four does not conclude the story.
This series will appeal to those who are familiar with western Washington state and the Puget Sound area. Set on Whidbey Island, the story centers on a group of teenaged friends facing a number of issues: A grandmother with nice real estate that is being exploited by her daughter while the grandson, Seth, tries to protect her; Seth’s girlfriend, Prynne, who he wants to stay with but is worried about her drug use; Derrick, a refugee from the war in Uganda who is trying to locate his sister, Rejoice; Jenn, who is experiencing romantic feelings towards her teammate Cynthia, but worrying how her Christian conservative mother will respond; and then there is a Becca. Becca can read people’s thoughts and tries to make sense of what they think and say. She tries to solve their problems without letting them know how much she actually knows.
The plot is full of the issues and challenges these teen friends experience: elder abuse, Alzheimer’s disease, drug use, lesbian relationships, and, of course, the paranormal abilities of Becca and her quest to keep this secret.
If a satisfactory conclusion wasn’t absent, this would be a fun read for YA mystery fans.
Three Truths and a Lie
A game of Three Truths and a Lie, played by four teenagers on a weekend getaway to a cabin in a remote area of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, reveals a terrible truth. This truth, where the sole female character, Mia, says she killed someone when she was 13, sets the reader on the path of suspense and horror.
The story is told in the first person perspective by Rob to an unknown person. Rob reflects on all that had happened. We know he survived, as he tells the story. Who else survived? Who was the killer? The reader may have many theories, but it isn’t until the final chapter, where there is a big and unexpected plot twist, that the real truth is revealed.
There is gore, sex, and a gay couple, so this book is best suited for high school aged readers.
Mirage
Mirage, a psychological thriller, is told in the first person narrative of Ryan Poitier Sharpe, a seventeen year old girl with an addiction to adrenalin. She spends her summer days parachuting from planes at her father’s skydiving center. Even though she has made over 250 jumps, she can’t seem to win the approval of her stoic Army veteran dad. She looks for greater thrills in the use of LSD and ends up in the hospital, suffering a near death experience.
After her brush with death, Ryan is not the same. She no longer craves the thrills. Her mental health deteriorates, her relationships falter, and her life is a mess.
This would be a better book if there wasn’t so many references to the term “crazy”, if there wasn’t so much culturally inappropriate stereotyping of her bi-racial background, and if her best friend’s sexual orientation wasn’t added into the plot in such an extraneous manner. I don’t see this novel flying off the shelves. The plot and characters are just too overworked.
Boy Robot
Boy Robot is a fast paced adventure story of boy who until the age of 18 was a human, and is now a robot built as a weapon. As he tries to escape the soldiers who are hunting him, he is helped by a human girl.
The novel discusses themes of humanity, and switches point of view in each chapter. Best suited for high school students due to recounts of violent upbringings, sexual assault, bullying, and the use of profanity, this novel will appeal to readers who enjoy action and sci-fi. Additionally, the lead character is gay, and another major character is transgender. Author Simon Curtis is a young gay performing artist, who dedicates the book to those lost in the July 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre.
The cliffhanger ending guarantees a sequel.