Welcome to the Wilco Iris Library!
We are proud to offer high quality LGBTQIA+ literature and banned/censored books for loan to Williamson County high school students.
We have three options for book delivery/pickup: 1) Books can be picked up in a discrete, no-contact, central location in Williamson County, 2) A Wilco Iris student leader can deliver your book to you at school, or 3) We are happy to ship the book to you free of charge.
Please browse our collection below (arranged in alphabetical order by title) and fill out the form to request a book.
*All trigger warnings listed below are potential triggers as suggested by other readers.
“A” Different Kind Of Superpower
by James A Lyons and Bradley Riches
Summary: How would you feel if one day your parents came into your room and told you that you had a superpower? Excited? Definitely. Powerful? Maybe.
In a world filled with extraordinary people, it is common for people to possess unique abilities that set them apart from everybody else. You might know them as superpowers. At nine years-old, Bradley is told by his parents that he has been gifted a superpower. He doesn’t know what the power is, or why he has been chosen to own it. To help understand, his parents present him with a bucket filled with all the different superpowers it could be, telling him to live for a day with each so that he can experience every single one, knowing that his real power will soon be revealed.
When Bradley discovers his true self, will he understand the importance of the power that he has been gifted?
Based on true events by Bradley Riches (Heartstopper), and expanded by James A Lyons (The Paper Boy), “”A”” Different Kind of Superpower helps to teach children, and those around them, that being unique is something to celebrate.
Trigger Warnings:
A Girlhood: Letter to My Transgender Daughter
by Carolyn Hays
Summary: Self-aware and intimate, A Girlhood asks us all to love better, not just for the sake of Hays’s child but for children everywhere enduring injustice and prejudice just as they begin to understand themselves. A Girlhood is a call to action, an ode to community, a plea for empathy, a hope for a better future. A Girlhood is a love letter to a child who has always known exactly who she is—and who is waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia; Homophobia; Religious bigotry; Violence; Hate crime; Ableism; Medical trauma; Pregnancy; Miscarriage; Grief; Sexual content
A Scatter of Light
by Malinda Lo
Summary: Aria Tang West was looking forward to a summer on Martha’s Vineyard with her best friends—one last round of sand and sun before college. But after a graduation party goes wrong, Aria’s parents exile her to California to stay with her grandmother, artist Joan West. Aria expects boredom, but what she finds is Steph Nichols, her grandmother’s gardener. Soon, Aria is second-guessing who she is and what she wants to be, and a summer that once seemed lost becomes unforgettable—for Aria, her family, and the working-class queer community Steph introduces her to. It’s the kind of summer that changes a life forever.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia; Death; Medical Content; Moderate Sexual Content
ACE
by Angela Chen
Summary: An engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that’s obsessed with sexual attraction, and what we can all learn about desire and identity by using an ace lens to see the world.
Trigger Warnings: Acephobia/Arophobia; Ableism; Transphobia; Dysphoria; Racism; Racial slurs; Homophobia; Toxic relationship; Sexual assault/violence; Rape; Bullying; Religious bigotry; Medical content; Sexual content
All That’s Left in the World
by Erik J. Brown
Summary: When Andrew stumbles upon Jamie’s house, he’s injured, starved, and has nothing left to lose. A deadly pathogen has killed off most of the world’s population, including everyone both boys have ever loved. And if this new world has taught them anything, it’s to be scared of what other desperate people will do . . . so why does it seem so easy for them to trust each other?
Trigger Warnings: Death; Parent death; Child death; Animal death; Gun violence; Injury/injury detail; Blood; Gore; Murder; Violence; Grief; Suicidal thoughts; Homophobia; Racism; Pandemic/Epidemic; Medical content; Sexual content
Beating Heart Baby
by Lio Min
Summary: When artistic and sensitive Santi arrives at his new high school, everyone in the wildly talented marching band welcomes him with open arms. Everyone except for the prickly, proud musical prodigy Suwa, who doesn’t think Santi has what it takes to be in the band.
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia; Homophobia: Deadnaming; Panic attack/disorders; Death of a parent; Child abuse; Dysphoria; Abandonment: Emotinal abuse: Outing; Sexual content
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family
by Amy Ellis Nutt
Summary: The inspiring true story of a transgender girl, her identical twin brother, and an ordinary American family’s extraordinary journey to understand, nurture, and celebrate the uniqueness in us all, from the Pulitzer Prize–winning science reporter for The Washington Post
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia; Bullying; Outing; Deadnaming; Homophobia; Religious bigotry; Dysphoria; Body shaming; Medical content; Panic attacks/disorders; Self harm; Suicidal thoughts
Birthday
by Meredith Russo
Summary: Two kids, Morgan and Eric, are bonded for life after being born on the same day at the same time. We meet them once a year on their shared birthday as they grow and change: as Eric figures out who he is and how he fits into the world, and as Morgan makes the difficult choice to live as her true self. Over the years, they will drift apart, come together, fight, make up, and break up—and ultimately, realize how inextricably they are a part of each other.
Trigger Warnings: Suicide Attempt, Homophobia, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Death of a Parent
Cemetery Boys
by Aiden Thomas
Summary: When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
Trigger Warnings: Death; Death of parent; Death of child; Animal death; Animal cruelty; Muder; Kidnapping; Grief; Homophobia; Transphobia; Outing; Deadnaming; Dysphoria; Racism; Police brutality; Xenophobia; Religious bigotry; Violence; Child abuse; Abandonment; Self harm; Gore; Blood; Body horror; Torture; Injury/injury detail; Fire/fire injury; Gun violence; Drug use; Alcohol Use; Addiction; Medical content
Circe
by Madeline Miller
Summary: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Trigger Warnings: Rape; Sexual assault; Preganacy; Violence; War; Slavery; Death; Child death; Parent death; Blood; Boday horror; Gore; Animal death; Animal cruelty; Murder; Torture; Injury/injury detail; Grief; Emotional abuse; Child abuse; Domestic abuse; Misogyny; Abandonment; Confinement; Incest; Pedophilia; Cannibalism; Alcohol; Sexual content
Concrete Rose
by Angie Thomas
Summary: If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Trigger Warnings: Gun violence; Death; Murder; Violence; Blood; Death of parent; Death of child; Mass/school shootings; Racism; Racial slurs; Hate crime; Police brutality; Grief; Pregnancy; Abortion; Toxic relationship/friendship; Medical content; Drug use; Addiction; Sexual content
Dress Codes for Small Towns
by Courtney C. Stevens
Summary: Always considered “one of the guys,” Billie doesn’t want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. So she keeps her conflicting feelings to herself, for fear of ruining the group dynamic. Except it’s not just about keeping the peace, it’s about understanding love on her terms—this thing that has always been defined as a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it’s not that simple.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia; Religious bigotry; Bullying; Injury/injury detail; Fire/fire injury; Body horror; Death; Medical Content; Death of parent; Cancer; Toxic relationship; Panic attacks/disorders; Sexual content
Everything Is Beautiful, and I Am Not Afraid
by Yao Xiao
Summary: This one-of-a-kind graphic novel explores the poetics of searching for connection, belonging, and identity through the fictional life of a young, queer immigrant. Inspired by the creator’s own experiences as a queer, China-born illustrator living in the United States, Everything Is Beautiful, and I’m Not Afraid has an undeniable memoir quality to its recollection and thought-provoking accounts of what it’s like to navigate the complexities of seeking belonging—mentally and geographically.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia; Mental Illness; Racism; Biphobia; Fatphobia; Xenophobia; Body Shaming
Felix Ever After
by Kacen Callender
Summary: Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia; Deadnaming; Dysphoria; Bullying; Homophobia; Outing; Abandonment; Racism; Hate crime; Drug use; Alcohol use; Body shaming; Emotional abuse; Toxic friendship/relationship; Religious bigotry; Medical content; Sexual content
Flamer
by Mike Curato
Summary: It’s the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone’s going through changes—but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can’t stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, Bullying Suicidal Thoughts; Suicide attempt; Body Shaming: fatphobia; Racism; racial slurs; Self-harm; Religious bigotry; Sexual content: Violence; Hate crime; Mental Illness; Blood
Future Hopes
by Lauren James
Summary: Skyscraper farms. Insects for dinner. Guerilla gardening. Nine authors pose ingenious and thought-provoking solutions to the climate crisis in this anthology of climate fiction. Rooted in real-world science and technology, the stories offer a roadmap for a future where our planet can thrive. From a rewilding project with unexpected consequences to a rebellion against augmented reality, these wide-ranging stories will leave the reader feeling a little less powerless in the fight to save planet Earth.
Trigger Warnings:
Gender Queer
by Maia Kobabe
Summary: In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.
Trigger Warnings: Dysphoria, Blood (menstrual); Medical Trauma; Sexual Content; Transphobia; Body Horror; Homophobia; Deadnaming; Vomit; Panic Attacks; Body Shaming; Outing; Acephobia: Misogyny
Good Boy
by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Summary: Good Boy is a universal account of a remarkable story: showing how a young boy became a middle-aged woman—accompanied at seven crucial moments of growth and transformation by seven memorable dogs. “Everything I know about love,” she writes, “I learned from dogs.” Their love enables us pull off what seem like impossible feats: to find our way home when we are lost, to live our lives with humor and courage, and above all, to best become our true selves.
Trigger Warnings: Animal death; Cancer; Death of parent; Transphobia; Dysphoria; Suicidal thoughts; Self harm; Toxic relationship; Medical content; Sexual content
Green Rising
by Lauren James
Summary: Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester is the millionaire daughter of an oil tycoon and the face of the family business. Theo comes from a long line of fishermen, but his parents are struggling to make ends meet.
On the face of it, the three have very little in common. Yet when Hester and Theo join Gabrielle and legions of other teenagers around the world in developing the strange new “Greenfingers” power, it becomes clear that to use their ability for good, they’ll need to learn to work together. But in a time of widespread corruption and greed, there are plenty of profit-hungry organizations who want to use the Greenfingers for their own ends. And not everyone would like to see the Earth saved…
Trigger Warnings: Emotional abuse; Violence: medical Trauma; Body Horror; Animal Death; Pandemic; Sexism; Classism; Gaslighting
Heartstopper: Volume 1
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?
Trigger Warnings: Emotionally abusive relationship; One incident non-consensual kiss; Brief Reference to past homophobia, past homophobic slur, and past bullying; Eating Disorder; Self-Harm
Heartstopper: Volume 2
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie’s gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn’t.
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family … and himself.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, including slur; Reference to past bullying
Heartstopper: Volume 3
by Alice Oseman
Summary: In this volume we’ll see the Heartstopper gang go on a school trip to Paris! Not only are Nick and Charlie navigating a new city, but also telling more people about their relationship AND learning more about the challenges each other are facing in private…
Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem… rather close…?
Trigger Warnings: Eating disorder, discussion, behavior, one incidence of passing out; Brief reference to past self harm and past bullying; Homophobia: Past transphobia
Heartstopper: Volume 4
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Charlie’s beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you.
Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.
Trigger Warnings: Extensive discussions and portrayals of mental illness; Anorexia; Self-Harm, Psychiatric Ward; OCD; Therapy; Past References to trauma, bullying; Anxiety; Biphobia; Depression; Homophobia; Mentioned Transphobia
Heartstopper: Volume 5
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Nick and Charlie are in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s. He wants to take their relationship to the next level… but can he find the confidence he needs?
And with Nick going off to uni next year, is everything about to change?
Trigger Warnings: Eating Disorder, Mental Illness, Sexual Content, Self Harm, Bullying, Dysphoria, Panic Attacks, Body horror, Acephobia
I Have Something to Tell You
by Chasten Buttigieg
Summary: Growing up, Chasten Glezman Buttigieg didn’t always fit in. He felt different from his father and brothers, who loved to hunt and go camping, and out of place in the rural, conservative small town where he lived. Back then, blending in was more important than feeling seen.
So, when Chasten realized he was gay, he kept that part of himself hidden away for a long, painful time. With incredible bravery, and the support of his loved ones, Chasten eventually came out—and when he did, he learned that being true to himself was the most rewarding journey of all.
Finding acceptance and self-love can seem like a tremendous challenge, but it’s never impossible. With honesty, courage, and warmth, Chasten relays his experience of growing up in America and embracing his identity, while inspiring young people across the country to do the same.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia; Domestic Abuse; Sexual Assault
I Was Born for This
by Alice Oseman
Summary: For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world.
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.
Trigger Warnings: Violence (mentions of blood and injury); Anxiety; Panic attacks; Smoking; Discussions of sexual coercion of a minor (16 y/o by an adult in their 30s); Discussions of surgery; Discussions of drug use (cannabis); Biphobia; One brief incident transphobia; Abandonment
If I Was Your Girl
by Meredith Russo
Summary: Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school. Like anyone else, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret, and she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.
But when she meets sweet, easygoing Grant, Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she realizes just how much she is losing by guarding her heart. She finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself, including her past. But Amanda’s terrified that once she tells him the truth, he won’t be able to see past it.
Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It’s that at her old school, she used to be Andrew. Will the truth cost Amanda her new life, and her new love?
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia; Homophobia; Suicide; Suicide attempt; Suicidal thoughts; Self harm; Bullying; Sexual assault/violence; Rape; Emotional abuse; Outing; Deadnaming; Dysphoria; Hate crime; Religious BIgotry; Drug Use; Alcohol Use; Medical content; Sexual content
If We Were Villains
by ML Rio
Summary: As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.
Trigger Warnings: Murder; Death; Violence
Infinity Kings
by Adam Silvera
Summary: After the ultimate betrayal, Emil must rise up as a leader to stop his brother before he becomes too powerful. Even if that means pushing away Ness and Wyatt as they compete for his heart so he can focus on the war.
Brighton has a legion of followers at his command, but when he learns about an ancient scythe that can kill the unkillable, that’s all he will need to become unstoppable against Emil and other rising threats.
Meanwhile, Maribelle aligns with her greatest enemy to resurrect her lost love, and Ness infiltrates political circles to stop Iron from ruling the country, but both missions lead to tragedies that will change everyone’s lives forever.
As the Infinity Son and the Infinity Reaper go to war, who will be crowned the Infinity King?
Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty/Death, Violence, Medical Content, Alcohol, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Confinement, Fire
Light from Uncommon Stars
by Ryka Aoki
Summary: Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.
When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka’s ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She’s found her final candidate.
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia; Sexual assault/violence; Child abuse; Racism; Dysphoria; Rape; Deadnaming; Homophobia; Physical abuse; Racism; Racial slurs; Emotional abuse; Outing; Domestic abuse; Self harm, Bullying; Violence; Body shaming; Xenophobia; Suicidal thoughts; Misogyny; Murder; War; Abandonment; Hate crime; Panic attacks/disorders; Death; Toxic friendship/relationship; Pedophilia; Alcohol use; Drug use; Gun violence; Sexual content
Loveless
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.
Trigger Warnings: Internalized aphobia; Verbal aphobia; Frank discussion of sex and masturbation; Two brief incidents of exclusionary attitudes; References to past emotionally abusive relationships and bullying; Experimentation
Nick and Charlie
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Solitaire #1.5
Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple – that they’re inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question – they’re ‘Nick and Charlie’, for God’s sake!
But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever…
Trigger Warnings: Brief mention of disordered eating; alcohol use (underage); anxiety; depression; OCD; Self- harm (past)
Once & Future
by A.R.Capetta and Cory McCarthy
Summary: When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.
Trigger Warnings: Death; Genocide; War; Confinement; Violence; Suicide attempt; Injury/injury detail; Murder; Blood; Death of a parent; Animal death; Animal cruelty; Torture; Rape; Pregnancy; Sexual content
Peter Darling
by Austin Chant
Summary: The Lost Boys say that Peter Pan went back to England because of Wendy Darling, but Wendy is just an old life he left behind. Neverland is his real home. So when Peter returns to it after ten years in the real world, he’s surprised to find a Neverland that no longer seems to need him.
The only person who truly missed Peter is Captain James Hook, who is delighted to have his old rival back. But when a new war ignites between the Lost Boys and Hook’s pirates, the ensuing bloodshed becomes all too real – and Peter’s rivalry with Hook starts to blur into something far more complicated, sensual, and deadly.
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia; Homophobia; Deadnaming; Dysphoria; Violence; War; Injury/injury details; Death; Blood; Gore; Murder; Greif; Emotional abuse; Child abuse; Child death; Suicidal thoughts; Sexual content
Radio Silence
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Frances has been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she’s unafraid to be herself.
Trigger Warnings: Anxiety; Animal death; Emotionally abusive parent; Online harassment; Underage drinking; mental Illness
Red, White, & Royal Blue
by Casey McQuiston
Summary: As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
Trigger Warnings: Outing; Homophobia; Biphobia; Panic attacks/disorders; Death of parent; Cancer; Car accident; Grief; Alcohol use; Drug use; Addiction; Racism; Racial slurs; Colonization; Classism; Xenophobia; Emotional abuse; Sexual assault; Pedophilia; Rape; Stalking; Bullying; Hate crime; Religious bigotry; Gun violence; Sexual content
Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda
by Becky Albtertalli
Summary: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia; Outing; Bullying; Hate crime; Fatphobia; Racism; Ableism; Religious bigotry; Toxic friendship; Gaslighting; Alcohol use; Sexual content
Solitaire
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Solitaire #1.0
In case you’re wondering, this is not a love story.
My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now.
Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.
Trigger Warnings: References to suicide and suicide attempts; Suicical ideation; Self-harm; Depression; Eating Disorders; OCD; Narrator has implied undiagnosed depression; Brief incidents of homophobia; Unchallenged misogny and ableism
The Complete Maus
by Art Spiegelman
Summary: The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust” (The New York Times).
Trigger Warnings: Antisemitism; Suicide; Death; Genocide; War; Violence; Murder; Child Death; Hate Crime; Racism; Torture; Grief; Death of a Parent; Confinement; Physical Abuse; Xenophobia; Police Brutality; Blood; Medical Content; Religious Bigotry; Fire; Kidnapping; Self-Harm
The Family Outing
by Jessi Hempel
Summary: By the time Jessi reached adulthood, everyone in her family had come out: Jessi as gay, her sister as bisexual, her father as gay, her brother as transgender, and her mother as a survivor of a traumatic experience with an alleged serial killer. Yet coming out was just the beginning, starting a chain reaction of other personal revelations and reckonings that caused each of them to question their place in the world in new and ultimately liberating ways.
Trigger Warnings: Suicide Attempt; Self harm; Homophobia; Biphobia; Transphobia; Cancer; Murder; Death; Infertility; Miscarriage; Gun violence; Sexual assault; Sexual content
The First to Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
Summary: Death-Cast #0
It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?
Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever—one of them receives a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together…even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.
Trigger Warnings: Gun Violence; Domestic Violence; Assault; Homophobia; Medical Intervention/Surgery; Death of Parent; Grief: Sexual Content; Murder; Physical Abuse; Injury Detail: Alcoholism
The Giver
by Lois Lowery
Summary: At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.
Trigger Warnings: Child Death, Death, Suicide, War
The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood
Summary: Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now…
Trigger Warnings: Cheating; Death; Family Separation; Forced Pregnancy; Hanging; Oppressive Government; Prostitution; Rape; Sexism
The Heartbreak Bakery
by A.R. Capetta
Summary: Syd (no pronouns, please) has always dealt with big, hard-to-talk-about things by baking. Being dumped is no different, except now Syd is baking at the Proud Muffin, a queer bakery and community space in Austin. And everyone who eats Syd’s breakup brownies . . . breaks up. Even Vin and Alec, who own the Proud Muffin. And their breakup might take the bakery down with it. Being dumped is one thing; causing ripples of queer heartbreak through the community is another. But the cute bike delivery person, Harley (he or they, check the pronoun pin, it’s probably on the messenger bag), believes Syd about the magic baking. And Harley believes Syd’s magical baking can fix things, too—one recipe at a time.
Trigger Warnings: Dysphoria; Transphobia; Homophobia; Biphobia; Toxic relationship; Fatphobia; Alcohol use; Sexual content
The House in the Cerulean Sea
by T.J. Klune
Summary: Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
Trigger Warnings: Abuse (mentioned), Anxiety, Child Abuse (Back Story); Bigotry; Body Shaming, Bullying; Fatphobia, Homophobia; Microaggressions; Violence (against Children)
The Lesbian’s Guide to Catholic School
by Sonora Reyes
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way.
After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don’t fall in love. Granted, she’s never been great at any of those things, but that’s a problem for Future Yami.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia (including Outing and Religious Bigotry); Racism; Suicide; Bullying
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
by Lauren James
Summary: Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.
Trigger Warnings: Death of parent; Death; emotional abuse; Panic attacks; grief; Violence; Murder; Gaslighting; Confinement; Abandonment; Stalking; Gore; Adult/minor relationship; Mental Illness; Vomit; Injury; medical content
The Quiet at the End of the World
by Lauren James
Summary: Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.
Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice…
Trigger Warnings: Infertility
The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker
by Lauren James
Summary: When Harriet Stoker dies after falling from a balcony in a long-abandoned building, she discovers a group of ghosts, each with a special power.
Felix, Kasper, Rima and Leah welcome Harriet into their world, eager to make friends with the new arrival after decades alone. Yet Harriet is more interested in unleashing her own power, even if it means destroying everyone around her. But when all of eternity is at stake, the afterlife can be a dangerous place to make an enemy.
Trigger Warnings: Death; Body horror; Injury/injury detail; Violence; Animal cruelty/death; Emotional abuse; Domestic abuse; Mental illness; Suicide; Torture
The Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
Summary: Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath.
Trigger Warnings: Death; Child death; Parent death; War; Genocide; Violence; Self harm; Blood; Body horror; Murder; Suicidal thoughts; Suicide; Grief; Gore; Injury/injury detail; Rape; Sexual assault/violence; Pedophilia; Incest; Cannibalism; Misogyny; Slavery; Animal cruelty; Animal death; Sexism; Homophobia; Transphobia; Outing; Kidnapping; Torure; Trafficking; Physical abuse; Emotional abuse; Child abuse; Domestic abuse; Pregnancy; Abandonment; Alcohol; Medical content; Sexual content
They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
Summary: Death-Cast #1
On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
Trigger Warnings: Animal death; Blood; Child Death: Death: Drowning; gang Violence; Grief; Gun Violence; homophobia; Mental illness; Panic attacks; Suicide (past, parental); Suicidal ideation
They Called Us Enemy
by George Takei
Summary: In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten “”relocation centers,”” hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.
They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.
Trigger Warnings: Racism (including slurs); War/Violence; Hate Crime
This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids
by Dannielle Owens-Reid and Kristin Russo
Summary: Written in an accessible Q&A format, here, finally, is the go-to resource for parents hoping to understand and communicate with their gay child. Through their LGBTQ-oriented site, the authors are uniquely experienced to answer parents’ many questions and share insight and guidance on both emotional and practical topics. Filled with real-life experiences from gay kids and parents, this is the book gay kids want their parents to read.
Trigger Warnings:
This Winter
by Alice Oseman
Summary: Solitaire #0.5
A short story, based on characters from Solitaire.
I used to think that difficult was better than boring, but I know better now …
I’m not going to think about the past few months, about Charlie and me, and all of the sad. I’m going to block it all out. Just for today.
Trigger Warnings: Very frank and frequent discussions of mental illness; Eating disorder; References to past self-harm; References to time spent at a psychiatric ward; ignorant views regarding mental illness; ableism; Attempted suicide (mentioned)
Two Boys Kissing
by David Levithan
Summary: New York Times bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia; Transphobia; Death; Suicide; Suicide attempt; Suicidal thoughts; Hate crime; Outing; Bullying; Violence; Self harm; Eating Disorder; Pedophilia; Sexual content
Under the Whispering Door
by T. J. Klune
Summary: Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.
Trigger Warnings: Death; Suicide; Suicidal attempt; Suicide thoughts; Self harm; Racism; Violence; Murder; Death of child; Death of parent; Animal death; Grief; Panic attacks/disorders; Car accident; Injury/injury details; Medical trauma; Terminal illness; Sexual content
Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
Summary: As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe’s outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold — the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.
In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.
Trigger Warnings: Death of parent; Miscarriage; Car Accident; Bullying; Grief; Abandonment; Pregnancy; Blood; Ableism; Cancer; Bullying
Welcome to St. Hell
by Lewis Hancox
Summary: Lewis has a few things to say to his younger teen self. He knows she hates her body. He knows she’s confused about who to snog. He knows she’s really a he and will ultimately realize this… but she’s going to go through a whole lot of mess (some of it funny, some of it not funny at all) to get to that point. Lewis is trying to tell her this… but she’s refusing to listen.
Trigger Warnings: Eating Disorder; Transphobia; Dysphoria; deadnaming; Bullying; Homophobia; Outing; Body Shaming; Medical Content; Vomit; Fatphobia: Alcohol; Mental Illness; Toxic Friendship; Suicidal Ideation
What If It’s Us
by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli
Summary: Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia; Racism; Hate crime; Panic attacks/disorders; Alcohol use; Medical Content; Sexual content