LGBTQA+ Themes

The need to collect diverse titles is important to keeping a well-stocked library. As such, we at the Hopewell Branch have decided to make browsing our Young Adult/Teen books a little easier for anyone looking for LGBTQA+ themes. Realizing there was not an easy way to browse for books containing these characters or issues, we decided to add a new sticker to make quick selection easier for our patrons.

If LGBTQA+ books are what you are looking for, there are also numerous infographics online though sites like Epic Reads and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) to help readers find just what they are looking for. Genres in our collection include, but are not limited to, science fiction, contemporary fiction, magical realism, romance, and memoirs. We are lucky to live in a time where there are constantly new stories being told, and new avenues in which we may walk a mile in another’s shoes! So, even if you do not identify on the LGBTQA+ spectrum, picking one of these titles as your next read would be a fun way to diversify your reading experience. Also, they are really good books! So, whether this is your first “Gay YA” or you are already a longtime fan, come in and pick one up today! Here are some helpful guides to help you navigate your way through:

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Proxy by Alex London

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan

I Am J by Cris Beam

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Ash by Malinda Lo

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

Hard Love by Ellen Wittinger

Rainbow boys by Alex Sanchez

Some of my personal favorites:

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Hopewell Branch Library also hosts a Teen LGBTQA+ book club Fridays at 3:00 p.m. All are welcome!

—Amanda Jacobsen, YA Librarian Hopewell Branch