YA Pride

@storyseekers event 10 : written by a Black author — Yesterday is History, by Kosoko Jackson.

"...just because we loved each other, doesn't mean we were meant to be together.

And just because you loved one, doesn't mean you can't love another."

a human being can get. There is something

about your body displacing water

in order to propel through space that makes you feel

Godtouched.

Why LGBTQ Children’s Books Aren’t Just for LGBTQ Families: a Guest Post by Mighty May Won’t Cry Today Co-Authors Kendra and Claire-Voe Ocampo

Today I’m delighted to welcome to the site Kendra and Claire-Voe Ocampo, the (married!) co-authors of Mighty May Won’t Cry Today, “a story about a determined girl who tries not to shed a tear on her first day of school, but with the help of her two moms learns why it’s OK for her (and adults!) to cry.” Here’s the info on the book, which is illustrated by Erica De Chavez and released on June 1!

Pr…

TPIJ Book Recommendations: “Ash” by Malinda Lo*

Representation: Lesbian

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. 

Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to read this post. If this is your first time seeing a post from us, here’s a little bit about us: YAPride.org is a website dedicated to supporting LGBTQIAP+ YA literature. We were started in 2011 by two teenagers who were passionate about representation.  We are now run primarily by a team of college students and young adults!

We have always believed that books can touch readers and change lives, often in unseen ways. For this Pride month, we want to make those experiences seen. We want to hear from teens like you about the LGBTQIAP+ YA books and authors that have touched your life. Our hope is to round-up some of these stories and feature them on our site during our month-long blogathon!

Interested in participating? Here’s some more information!

You can submit your story via this Google Form. We’ll ask you for an email as a way we can reach out to you if your story is selected! We’ll also ask you for “personal information,” which you can include as much or as little of as you would like. Some things you may choose to include are: first name (or whatever you would like to be called/identified by), last initial, age, State/Province/etc where you live. If you’d prefer to have your entry be completely anonymous, you can simply put N/A into the form. If you or a parent/guardian have further questions, feel free to email us at [email protected].

If you’re stuck on something to write about, here are some potential topics/questions to think about!

A book that changed your life– How did it help you see the world in a new way? What possibilities did it open up for you that had not been opened before? What would you tell the author if you could?

Seeing yourself on the page for the first time– What book was it? What was the experience of reading it like? How has the experience stuck with you since finishing it?

The first time you read a LGBTQIAP+ YA book– What book was it? What was the experience of reading it like? Where did you find it/get it from? Did someone recommend it to you?

Having a librarian or teacher who helps you find LGBTQIAP+ YA

Seeing LGBTQIAP+ YA in bookstores, libraries, and classrooms

A book you would recommend to other teens

Meeting your favorite author

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Going Off Script by Jen Wilde

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi || Book Review

POPSUGAR Reading Challenge | A book by a trans or nonbinary author

Synopsis | Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look? There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, she must reconsider what she’s been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster – and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also uncover the truth, and the answer to the question – How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?