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(WestSide Books, Dec 2011; Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Feb 2012)
Lesbian and Gay Books for Teens
It’s important for teens to find validation and examples of themselves in books–most especially when those teens are marginalized or facing something like homophobia, as gay/lesbian teens do. There are so few children’s and YA books that give positive models of lesbian/gay characters–especially when you look at how many books are published every year. So it’s wonderful to find some resources.
Check out The Rainbow List GLBTQ (Gay Lesbian Bi Trans Queer) Books for Children and Teens, put out by the American Library Association. They come up with a new list every year.
And check out Lee Wind’s blog, I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I Read? for tons of reviews of gay/lesbian books for children and teens.
I have a few reviews of great lesbian/gay fiction for teens you can see on my site, but nothing as extensive as Lee’s.
Do you know any great books with lesbian/gay characters for children or teens? Let me know! Picture books, middle grade, and YA–I’m interested in them all. I think they’re all important.
February 21st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Cheryl, I’ve got a list of my favorites with links to books I’ve reviewed on my blog. Not an extensive resource, but hey. Something, right?
Also, following the link on the Rainbow List blog, I’ve become a subscriber to Queer YA: Fiction for LGTBQ Teens, another book review blog.
February 22nd, 2009 at 1:59 am
Lisa, that’s fantastic; thank yo ufor sharing them!
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Thanks for the shout-out Cheryl! I’m thrilled that more and more of us are talking about the great books that are OUT there with Gay (GLBTQ) Characters! thanks for all you do,
Namaste,
Lee
March 4th, 2009 at 7:16 am
You’re very welcome, Lee. I’m so glad there are more great lesbian/gay books out there, too, for teens.