Have you ever read a book and found that you needed to keep your computer close at hand because you just had to keep looking up all of the people, places, and things that were referenced in it? But not like looking up words in a dictionary, just trying to understand an item in context–no, I’m talking about enjoying a book so much that you want to learn even more about all of the things your favorite characters love and hate, use and destroy, sell and covet. You want to literally walk in their shoes as they trot around the globe and learn about all of the places they frequent or vacation to. You want to learn more about that 18th century philosopher that inspired their own passions, or the 21st century rock musician that gets them dancing in the kitchen while they’re cooking pasta for a hot date.
A few months ago, I wrote a guide to finding YA with LGBTQ characters and themes. Today, I decided to put my own advice to work and create a list of graphic novels that feature gay, lesbian, or transgender characters.
The portrayal of potentially sensitive topics is made all the more sensitive by the visual nature of graphic novels. Because of this, I’ve divided the list up into two age groups. The books recommended for older teens feature more nudity, language, dark themes, and visual depictions of sexuality than the books suggested for the younger group–but, of course, every title is a little different and every reader has the right to decide what’s best for him or her.
Note: Manga has a rich and complicated history of putting out stories with queer characters. Because I’m not particularly familiar with manga, and because there are so many varieties of approaches to issues of gender and sexuality in the manga universe, I’ve left manga titles out of this list. The only exception is Wandering Son, which I included because it’s a 2012 Top Ten Great Graphic Novel!
For middle schoolers and younger teens
Wandering Son by Shimura Takako, translated by Matt Thorn (2012 Great Graphic Novels Top Ten)
Two students struggling with their gender identity become friends and confidantes in this manga series. The first volume is part of this year’s Best of the Best, so be sure to check it out if you’re doing the challenge!
Good morning, Hub readers!
Last week we asked which book that refers to another book was your favorite, and you chose–by a wide margin!–the Newbery Award-winning When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. John Green’s Paper Towns came in second and Gae Polisner’s The Pull of Gravity was in third. You can see detailed results for all of our previous polls in the Polls Archive. Thanks to all of you who voted!
This week, we’d like to know who your favorite animal or pet is in YA lit. Choose from the list below, or leave a comment if we’ve omitted a creature you think deserves a mention.
Which animal or pet is your favorite?
- Hedwig (Harry Potter series by JK Rowling) (51%, 42 Votes)
- Manchee (Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness) (22%, 18 Votes)
- Mogget (Abhorsen series by Garth Nix) (16%, 13 Votes)
- Dove (Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater) (11%, 9 Votes)
- Runner Bean (Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo) (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 82
Loading ...Not signed up for YALSA’s 2012 Best of the Best Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since April 1 counts, so sign up now!
Well… I hope you are doing better than I am with the reading challenge. There’s no time like spring for being busy. I’ve managed two measly books, and I am starting on my third. I find myself at this time of the year constantly saying, “as soon as I finish X things will slow down, and I can get some reading done.” The only problem is once I finish X some other X or Y takes its place.
I have to say that I really liked Zahra’s Paradise. If it wasn’t on your list of things that you were going to read for the challenge; make room for it. It’s a graphic novel, so it’s one you can knock out in no time. The other one that I read, actually re-read, was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Fantastic! Again! I really love this book. I might read it a third time after the challenge.
Maybe as soon as I’m done writing this I’ll have time to go get some reading done. Oh yeah, I’ve got to fold that load of towels in the dryer. Oh well. Maybe next week.
If you’ve finished the challenge by reading 25 books, fill out the following form to let us know. (The information you provide is what we’ll use to send you your Challenge Finisher badge, contact you about your reader’s response, and notify you if you win our grand prize drawing, so pick an email address you actually use!) Do not fill out this form until you have completed the challenge by reading 25 titles.
– Joel Bruns currently reading Nothing by Janne Taller and Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
Ever since I started saving my allowance to buy all the Beatles albums on cassette tape (only to rebuy them all on CD a couple years later–blast!), I’ve been an avid completist. When I get into a new band, director, or author, I always try to listen to/watch/read as much of their work as possible. Part of this is just my general list mania (man does it feel good to check things off a list), but if an artist is any good, it is also incredibly rewarding to see the interconnections between their different works, and most of the time even books or movies that aren’t great in and of themselves can hold a lot more meaning for me if I know the rest of the author or director’s work.
With that in mind, I’m going to kick off what may turn out to be a series of posts (depending on how much time I have to read and reread) on reading the complete works of some of my favorite YA authors.
One caveat: a lot of YA writers write for other audiences or they write ridiculous numbers of short stories for various collections. I’m not a complete masochist, so the rules I’ve set for myself are that I only have to read officially YA published works, and short stories only if they are in a collection of the author’s own work (i.e., Margo Lanagan’s Red/Black/White books are fine, but I’m not going to worry about reading all the stories she’s published in SF anthologies).
So now on to my first victim: Laurie Halse Anderson. Anderson has written a largish series of middle grade novels called Vet Volunteers, as well as a bunch of picture books, but her YA output amounts to eight novels. When I started this project, I had only read two of these, Speak (1999) and Wintergirls (2009), both of which I considered (and still consider) to be among the best YA books around. I started by rereading those two books and then proceeded in a completely chaotic manner, based on which books happened to be at my library: {Catalyst (2002), Twisted (2007), Prom (2005), Chains (2008), Forge (2010), and Fever, 1793 (2000).
Anderson has been heavily awarded: every one of her YA novels except Prom has been on its year’s Best Books/Best Fiction for Young Adults list. In 2009, she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award, which was a pretty impressive accomplishment: due to the award’s structure (only books five years old or older can be cited) only her first three books were eligible, and the committee chose to cite all three. She also has a Printz Honor, a pair of National Book Award finalist medals, and a Scott O’Dell Award.
Back on March 26, 2011 at 9:38am I posted one of my favorite quotes on Facebook (because that’s what you do nowadays, right?):
How hard is the road to Babylon?
As hard as grief or greed.
What do I ask for when I get there?
Only for what you need.
If you travel in need and travel light
You can get there by candle-light.
–Deep Secret, Diana Wynne Jones, 1934-2011
Diana Wynne Jones, from her official website
I remember reading the news on her official website after hearing it from a friend: “I am sorry to have to report the desperately sad news that Diana Wynne Jones died on 26th March, 2011. She enjoyed a mini-remission late last year … but this year the cancer developed, and she sickened again. I am sure all Diana’s fans will want to extend their sympathies to her family.” I have no qualms about admitting I immediately found myself in tears—especially not here, since I bet I’m not the only one. After all, why not? One of my all-time favorite writers, whose books had been formative and affirming at a point when I desperately needed them (don’t we all, during our teen and young adult years?) was gone.
But no, I remember thinking, not really gone.
Here is a list of fun and informative tweets from some of your favorite people in YA Lit:
- If you love the #hungergames, you’ll love these books! Enter for a chance to win a dystopian prize pack! http://bit.ly/IcTSMm #FridayReads - @this_is_teen (this is teen)
- Become a fan of #breathlessreads on Facebook to follow this week’s Breathless Fall 2012 reveals!https://www.facebook.com/breathlessreads - @PenguinTeen (PenguinTeen)
- Cover Reveal x2: UNDER MY HAT: TALES FROM THE CAULDRON http://nblo.gs/wORkK - @dpeterfreund (Diana Peterfreund - For Darkness Shows the Stars)
- Check out the EXCLUSIVE book trailer for @rebeccaASerle‘s #WhenYouWereMine! http://ow.ly/avJWK - @hollywoodcrush (MTV Hollywood Crush)
- “But I Read Divergent a YEAR ago!”: Your Guide to Remembering Stuff Before You Read Insurgent. http://bit.ly/IS1qlV - @VeronicaRoth (Veronica Roth - Insurgent)
- Meet the 19%, the rapidly expanding eReader & tablet readership. INFOGRAPHIC: http://mbist.ro/KaBgcZ - @GalleyCat (GalleyCat)
- I’m having a contest for my ONE galley of Carnival of Souls. Data is over here: http://melissa-writing.livejournal.com read more…
Gail Carriger (headshot by Robert Andruszko)
I recently fell in love with the writings of Gail Carriger. I can’t even recall how I discovered her. Perhaps it was through reference to her web site (“Hail the Victorious Parasol“), well-loved by fans (and now me!). For the steampunk uninitiated (or newly initiated), her web site is a great way to get into the whole steampunk “vibe.” Regardless of how it happened, I’m just glad that I did discover her. Many of you may already be familiar with her extremely popular steampunk series, The Parasol Protectorate. Though technically an adult series due to some mature sexual content, the series could also be appropriate for older teens. In that series, readers meet heroine Alexia Tarabotti, a woman armed with a silver-plated parasol worthy of taking on any vampires or werewolves. And there are vampires, werewolves, and ghosts aplenty in Carriger’s version of Victorian England.
Soulless, vol. 1
This series may also have popped on many radars since Yen Press recently released a manga version of the first book in the series, entitled Soulless. (Incidentally, the manga stays very faithful to the original novel–also titled Soulless–the artwork is terrific, and Soulless Volume 2 is scheduled for release in November 2012!)
New YA series from Carriger!
In even more exciting news, Carriger is set to release her first book in a new series for young adults! The series is called The Finishing School Series, and the first of four books will be called Etiquette & Espionage (due out in late 2012/early 2013). In Carrigers own words, from her web site:
You might think you already know this story:
An artificially intelligent ship travels through space; its mission: to find a new, habitable planet where its population can settle. The inhabitants, all teenagers, have been nurtured all their lives by the ship, but now it’s time for them to prepare to be on their own. In a surveillance-free, simulated natural environment, they will create their own society and learn how to survive. But some are out to sabotage and control, and meanwhile, the ship has been keeping secrets from them….
This sounds like a book you could have read last week, but you probably haven’t, unless you came across a stray copy in your used bookstore or the back shelves of your library. 
It’s Earthseed by Pamela Sargent, and it was originally published in 1983, when some of the major themes of science fiction were still working their way into teen literature.
You might think you know where this is going: okay, there’s going to be bullying and the beginnings of war and everyone is going to recreate Lord of the Flies, right? Or maybe the AI is going to start taking control of everything again, in a more sinister, dystopian way?
Earthseed flirts with these familiar tropes, but this tale is leading somewhere more complicated, in part because Sargent is a master of the plot twist. When I re-read this book, I had only a dim, haunting memory of it from middle school; I saw the first twist coming, but several others were genuinely shocking.
On Monday night tens of thousands of people across our country gave and received books–lots of books. I was lucky enough to be counted among their number and had a great experience. Seeing the reactions on people’s faces is, as the commercial says, “priceless.” In my little corner of the world, I handed out 20 copies of The Hunger Games to unsuspecting townsfolk both young and old. From the local martial arts school to the McDonald’s drive thru window, spanning three counties in two states, the book prevailed. People were surprised (“Wow”), thrilled (“OMG *fan girl squeal*”), suspicious (“What’s the catch?”) and grateful. The best stories are of those teens who said things like, “The library copies are always out, and I don’t have the money to buy my own.” That’s why we did this!
So how did this all come about? read more…
