Camryn Garrett (Author)
'An ode to first love, being seen, and finding your joy' - Buzzfeed
It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if Mahalia had a coming-out party? A love letter to romantic comedies, sweet sixteen blowouts, Black joy, and queer pride.
Mahalia Harris wants.
She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend, Naomi.
She wants the super-cute new girl Siobhan to like her back.
She wants a break from worrying-about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it.
Then inspiration strikes: It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a coming-out party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms.
The idea lights a fire beneath her, and soon Mahalia is scrimping and saving, taking on extra hours at her afterschool job, trying on dresses, and awkwardly flirting with Siobhan, all in preparation for the coming out of her dreams. But it's not long before she's buried in a mountain of bills, unfinished schoolwork, and enough drama to make her English lit teacher blush. With all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia's party be over before it's even begun?
A novel about finding yourself, falling in love, and celebrating what makes you you.
---
"Camryn Garrett writes with wholehearted sincerity-sharp edged truth braided with irrepressible joy. Mahalia's story lives, breathes and glows. I'm in love with it every day of the week!" -Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda
"A perfect ode to romantic comedies, wrapped in a dazzling rainbow dress." -Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl
Calum McSwiggan (Author)
'I want what the straight kids have. Even just for a couple of days . . .'
Seventeen-year-old Max might be out and proud but he's usually too busy checking his nail polish to check his privilege.
So when he says he wishes he could have the 'easy' life straight kids enjoy, Max gets more than he bargained for. He wakes up to find his wish has come true - not only have his feelings for boys vanished, so has his lifelong best friend Dean.
With his world turned upside down and relationships in tatters, can Max find his way back to the life he took for granted, and maybe even win the heart of the guy he thought could never be his . . . ?
George M. Johnson (Author)
This powerful YA memoir-manifesto follows journalist and LGBTQ+ activist George M. Johnson as they explore their childhood, adolescence, and college years, growing up under the duality of being black and queer. From memories of getting their teeth kicked out by bullies at age five to their loving relationship with their grandmother, to their first sexual experience, the stories wrestle with triumph and tragedy and cover topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, inequality, consent, and Black joy.
PRAISE FOR ALL BOYS AREN'T BLUE
An exuberant, unapologetic memoir infused with a deep but cleareyed love for its subjects. The New York Times
An empowering read . . . All Boys Aren't Blue is an unflinching testimony that carves out space for Black queer kids to be seen. Huffington Post
Powerful . . . All Boys Aren't Blue is a game changer. Bitch Magazine
All Boys Aren't Blue is a balm and testimony to young readers as allies in the fight for equality. Publishers Weekly
Tucker Shaw (Author)
It's 1990 in New York City.
Adam is falling in love for the first time. Ben is leaving home for the last.
Drawn by the city's irresistible energy, the boys are swept up into the queer scene, where the potential for life and love seems limitless.
But as the shadows of prejudice gather, Ben and Adam discover how their newfound community is facing the looming threat of AIDS, which will touch their lives more closely than they ever could have imagined.
Heartbreaking yet hopeful, When You Call My Name tells the story of the moments that break our hearts and the people who make us whole - and shows how together we burn brightest in times of darkness.
Emily Danforth (Author)
The night Cameron Post's parents died, her first emotion was relief. Relief they would never know that hours earlier, she'd been kissing a girl.
Now living with her conservative Aunt in small-town Montana, hiding her sexuality and blending in becomes second nature to Cameron until she begins an intense friendship with the beautiful Coley Taylor.
Desperate to 'correct' her niece, Cameron's Aunt takes drastic action.
Now Cameron must battle with the cost of being her true-self even if she's not completely sure who that is.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.
Becky Albertalli (Author)
Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better.
Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is - and what he's looking for. But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated. Because, for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal . . .
It's a holy freaking huge awesome deal.
Saundra Mitchell (Author)
,
Matthew Sklar (Author)
,
Chad Beguelin (Author)
,
Bob Martin (Author)
The novel of the laugh-out-loud high school musical coming to Netflix in December 2020, directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, James Corden and Ariana DeBose.
They just wanted to dance. They didn't mean to start a revolution...
Emma knows better than anyone that Edgewater, Indiana, is not a great place to be gay. But she's had enough of high school homophobia and really wants to take her girlfriend - the popular, closeted It Girl Alyssa- to prom. How big a deal could that really be?
But when their classmates find out, the backlash exceeds Emma's worst nightmares.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, Barry and Dee Dee are Broadway stars of yesteryear. When their new show bombs, they need some good publicity - fast. So when they happen to hear about Emma's plight, they decide to step in and create a prom for everyone.
Suddenly, Edgewater is the centre of a national news story. As the drama queens of New York take over the sleepy town, chaos ensues and the glare of the spotlight is brighter than anyone could have guessed.
But all Emma and Alyssa want is to dance together. Is that too much to ask?
The perfect read for fans of Mean Girls, Dear Evan Hansen and Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda!
Kevin van Whye (Author)
Two boys. Two bands. Two worlds colliding.
Nate Hargraves - stage-shy singer-songwriter - is totally stoked for his cousin's wedding in South Africa, an all-expenses paid trip of a lifetime. Until he finds out his sleazeball ex-boyfriend is also on the guest list.
Jai Patel - hot-as-hell high school rock-god - has troubles too. His band's lead singer has quit, just weeks before the gig that was meant to be their big break.
When Nate saves the day by agreeing to sing with Jai's band, Jai volunteers to be Nate's plus-one to the wedding, and the stage is set for a summer of music, self-discovery, and simmering romantic tension. What could possibly go wrong...?
