Countdown to Pride: 5 Great YA Titles for Pride Month
Countdown to Pride: 5 Great YA Titles for Pride Month
With Pride Month coming up in June, it’s a great time to add some new books to your To Be Read pile. Pride Month is about coming together to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and the freedom of expression. This is something that YA literature has been grounded in for a long time. When the two come together, something really magical happens.
Pride is represented in YA literature in a few different ways. Some authors who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community write about their own experiences in nonfiction works with the goal of helping young adults with their own journeys. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson is a great example; you can read my review here! Other works are novels written by LGBTQIA+ authors or allies that showcase queer characters. Sometimes these characters’ identities are the crux of the story, and sometimes not, just like in the real world. Below you’ll find five great picks that tell a variety of stories that help educate and celebrate Pride.
1. Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve (304 pages)
Image via Goodreads
Dean knows he’s transgender. He’s seen enough videos and read through plenty of posts and comment sections to have come to this realization about himself. But being cast as Romeo in the school play makes this way more complicated than it already is. Dean’s classmates have always known him as a tomboy lesbian, but that will change when he decides to come out as trans. Dean’s girlfriend Zoe and best friend Ronnie are his biggest supporters and their plan to go to college in New York City keeps him optimistic. But the bullying and transphobia that are sure to come during his senior year cast doubt and uncertainty over the decisions he knows he needs to make before he leaves.
Why You Should Read It
As an English teacher, I like to rag on Romeo and Juliet. I think the characters make some pretty stupid decisions, yet so many people hold this story up to be some paradigm of perfect love. They completely miss the point that Shakespeare was trying to satirize this idea. That said, using the play as a backdrop and plot device to help Dean explore his identity is really inventive. When he’s cast as Romeo before he comes out, that’s already something really interesting. A lesbian playing Romeo isn’t something you see regularly in high schools. But what’s really great about this novel is the way we watch Dean balance making decisions for himself but always leaning on his friends for support. It’s really powerful to see these relationships. We’re also allowed to sit in Dean’s uncertainty and confusion while other novels sometimes solve these dilemmas more quickly, something that would be disingenuous in this case.
Pride Factor
4/5 Brookie Stars
2. Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (352 pages)
Image from Goodreads.com
Hani is quite popular and has never really faced any sort of social discomfort. But when she comes out to her close friends as bisexual, they immediately tell her she must be lying since she’s only ever had boyfriends. In a panic, she tells her friends she’s actually dating a girl – Ishu – someone her friends absolutely hate. Ishu is the opposite of Hani– she keeps her head down and is only focused on academics. But Ishu agrees to play along if Hani will help her gain some social status.
Why You Should Read It
As the title suggests, this story leans heavily on the “fake dating” trope. But this story is a refreshing addition to the subgenre. Hani and Ishu are both really charming and we can easily understand how they came to be the people we are when we meet them. When they do inevitably start to have feelings for each other, it’s believable. Their relationship is further complicated by their sexuality and race and we as readers get to explore those hurdles.
Pride Factor
5/5 Brookie Stars
3. Love Somebody by Rachel Roasek (368 pages)
Image via Goodreads.com
Sam is charming and everyone gravitates toward her. Ros is brilliant but typically by herself. And Christian, the star soccer player, is endearing but he’s a terrible communicator, which is probably why he and Sam broke up. But they’ve managed to transition to being best friends, something almost unheard of in high school relationships.
When Christian first lays eyes on Ros, he’s smitten. His poor communication skills make for a disastrous first interaction, so Christian asks Sam for some advice. Things go well for a bit, but as Ros starts to suspect something else is going on, and as Sam starts to get to know Ros a bit better, circumstances start to get incredibly complicated.
Why You Should Read It
How fun is this story?! While you can see the love triangle coming from a mile away, you’ll really enjoy watching it form, shift, and sometimes break. The trope is sort of common, but the complexity of identities makes the story refreshing. The characters are heartfelt and sweet, even when they’re being a bit messy. I found all of this to be very genuine. If you’re looking for a story with some Pride representation that’s pretty fun, this is a good pick!
Pride Factor
4/5 Brookie Stars
4. Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee (320 pages)
Image via Goodreads.com
Theo and Gabi both feel stuck in their own way. Theo cannot wait to get out of school, out of his parents’ Asian American cafe, and out of Vermont altogether. Gabi is trapped in the closet and stuck playing soccer instead of dancing, but he is excited to take over his parents’ Puerto Rican bakery after graduation. But when a new fusion restaurant opens up in town to roaring success, both boys’ dreams start to cloud. Theo and Gabi, business rivals by nature, come together with a plan to help save their parents’ businesses in order to keep their future plans alive. What could possibly go wrong?
Why You Should Read It
Theo and Gabi are so enjoyable to spend time with! Their circumstances are not ideal, though not horribly dire if you’re looking for something that’s not too heavy. Each is characterized individually and comes with his own complex family circumstances; the intersectionality of sexuality and race is important to both but in different ways. If you want a heartfelt, moderately light, enemies-to-lovers story full of food puns, add this to your list!
Pride Factor
4/5 Brookie Stars
5. Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters (392 pages)
Image via Goodreads.com
The summer between senior year and college is made for epic plans, and Isaac is certainly trying to match that expectation. His main goal is to get two tickets to Legends Con for his best friend Diego and himself and they both plan to attend their first Teen Pride event. But the day tickets for Legends Con go on sale, Isaac runs into Davi, his old crush, and gets decidedly distracted, thereby missing his window of opportunity to buy tickets before they sell out. Diego is angry and tells Isaac he has to make it up to him by hanging out with Diego’s gamer friends. And for a socially anxious person like Isaac, that doesn’t sound great. With Davi back in the mix, things start to get complicated. And when Diego finds out why Isaac missed out on the Legends Con tickets, things get even more complex.
Why You Should Read It
Like many of these picks, this one is a lot of fun to read. I really like the way that fandom is celebrated rather than maligned. Isaac and Diego are happy to be part of their fandoms rather than ostracized for it. The complex relationships in this book are really intriguing, particularly because Isaac, Diego, and Davi are all really enjoyable to spend time with. As a teacher of high school seniors, the time after graduation just really does it for me. It’s such an interesting time period for us to spend with characters as they get ready to head out into an unfamiliar world. The characters in this story are not only dealing with the usual uncertainties but are also still trying to figure out who they are.
Pride Factor
4/5 Brookie Stars
Celebrating Pride with YA Literature
Pride is all about celebration, and ultimately, that’s what these picks do. While the characters in each story do grapple with the complexities of their individual identities, the stories are uplifting in the end. So during the month of June, remember to support the LGBTQIA+ community in any way you can. You can donate to a local or trusted fund, purchase goods from a business owned by a member of the community, or you can read stories by and/or about members of the community. If you’re looking for a few more titles, check out my reviews of these other selected titles that also represent the LGBTQIA+ community below!
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
Rachel Gomes is a 30-something high school English teacher who lives with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband and their son. Rachel is a voracious reader who loves to learn and has her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. She’s happiest listening to podcasts and talking to friends about the latest news in nerd culture.
Favourite book: Don’t make me choose between A Song of Ice and Fire and Harry Potter
Favourite brunch spot: The Farmer’s Table
