Would you be surprised to find that everyone on the Highlights Foundation Team is a big reader? Once in a while we like to let you know what we’re reading! This month’s list of TBR titles comes from Program Assistant Emily Rosenthal. Thanks, Emily, for the great list of books about Queer Love! From Emily: This Valentine’s Day, we at the Highlights Foundation are celebrating queer love in all its forms! Join me, your friendly neighborhood Program Assistant, as I share books that take us from first crushes to the trials and tribulations of dating to familial, self, and community love. These books represent the strength, joy, and life-saving nature of queer love!

How Mom Met Mama
Written by C. Rowen MacCarald
Illustrated by Georgia Stylou
Published by Reycraft Books

This picture book puts a fantastical bedtime story spin on the story of how a girl’s moms met. Centering love (and mermaids and dragons and pirates), How Mom Met Mama is relatable not just because of the love story that unfurls, but because of how true the “yes and-ing” of bedtime stories feels.

My Rainbow Written by Trinity Neal and DeShanna Neal Illustrated by Art Twink Published by Kokila My Rainbow exemplifies just how much parental support means to trans children. Inspired by the real-life experiences of mother-daughter duo DeShanna and Trinity Neal, Mom lovingly creates a rainbow wig for her transgender daughter Trinity. Through this action, we come to see Trinity’s joy in expressing herself, her mother’s love and pride in her daughter, and get insight into the experiences of an autistic child. It’s a beautifully crafted story at the intersection of multiple identities and grounded in familial love.

Love of the Half-Eaten Peach
Written by Lee Wind
Illustrated by Jieting Chen
Published by Reycraft Books

This book takes us to ancient China for a retelling of the folktale that inspired the use of the expression “love of the half-eaten peach” to describe romantic love between two men in Chinese. Not only does this book bring an ancient tale to modern audiences in an accessible way, it beautifully shows that WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE. Jieting Chen’s illustrations are both delicate and dynamically composed, making the story feel epic.

Love, Violet
Written by Charlotte Sullivan Wild
Illustrated by Charlene Chua
Published by Farrar, Strauss and Giroux (BYR)

This Stonewall Book Award Winner is exactly what I wish I’d had when I was a kid. Violet has a crush on Mira. But she gets shy whenever she tries to tell Mira how she feels. This beautifully illustrated book perfectly encapsulates the feelings of a first crush. And how delightful it is to see a little girl’s crush on another girl go recognized as such. Not only a perfect Valentine’s Day read, but a feel good story for whenever we need love in our lives.

Marley’s Pride
Written by Joëlle Retener
Illustrated by DeAnn Wiley
Published by Barefoot Books

Marley’s Zaza is getting an award at Pride! But as much as Marley wants to see them receive their award, they’re anxious about how loud and crowded Pride is. It’s wonderful to see a sensitive depiction of the very real concerns that those of us with anxiety and sensory issues face when deciding whether or not to attend in-person Pride events. Just as wonderful is getting to see Pride portrayed as being about community and care. And it is, of course, that community and care that makes Marley’s Pride so special. It’s easy to see why this book received a Stonewall Book Honor.

Molly’s Tuxedo
Written by Vicki Johnson
Illustrated by Gillian Reid
Published by Little Bee Books

It’s safe to say that all the books on this list are ones I wish I had as a child, but as someone who still regrets not having the courage to wear a tux in her yearbook photo, Molly’s Tuxedo brings me an extra special joy. Published in partnership with GLAAD, this picture book is all about finding the courage to express yourself. Johnson’s text and Reid’s illustrations craft a portrait of an adorable gender-nonconforming girl who just wants to be herself.

Worm Loves Worm
Written by J.J. Austrian
Illustrated by Mike Curato
Published by Balzer & Bray

Rounding out our picture book part of the list is Worm Loves Worm, which I very much see as a modern classic. Worm loves worm, so they’ve decided to get married! But their friends have some questions. Like who is wearing the dress? The message is simple: all that matters is that worm loves worm. Done with much humor and the wonderful theme that just because something has always been done one way, doesn’t mean it always has to be, Worm Loves Worm is a joy to read.

The Real Riley Mayes
By Rachel Elliott
Published by Balzer & Bray

This graphic novel tackles celebrity crushes, friendships, bullying, and all the questions a kid first realizing they’re gay might ask; and it does it with humor. Fifth grade sees Riley alone, having trouble making friends and drawing through all her classes. But there is hope! New kid Aaron seems to get her sense of humor and classmate Cate matches Riley’s creative instincts. Questions of identity and fitting in begin when Riley chooses her favorite comedian Joy Powers as the subject of an assignment to write a letter to someone she admires. I cannot understate how funny this book is (it was a Sid Fleishman Humor Award Honor book), while giving readers a character who gets to explore the messiness of self-discovery.

Melissa
By Alex Gino
Published by Scholastic

Melissa is a book that gives a trans girl her moment to shine. Struggling to be seen for the girl that she is, Melissa swaps roles in the school play, Charlotte’s Web, with her best friend. Along with its companion novels Rick and Green, Melissa offers a realistic, heartfelt understanding of transgender and queer children.

In the Key of Us
By Mariama J Lockington
Published by Farrar, Strauss and Giroux (BYR)

This 2023 Stonewall Book Award winner tells the story of Andi and Zora, the only two Black girls at a music camp. Dealing with grief, mental health, and racism, the two girls find themselves pulled towards each other. A moving story about first queer love and at a classic place for it to happen: camp.

The Deep & Dark Blue
By Niki Smith
Published by Little Brown, Ink

After a coup, two twins take on new identities and hide in the Communion of Blue, an order of women who quite literally spin threads into reality. While Hawke wants to go back to his old life, Grayce realizes she wants to stay where she can finally live as a girl. Smith’s worldbuilding beautifully includes trans identities, making this a great pick for modern readers who love classic fantasy (and sibling relationships).

King & the Dragon Flies
By Kacen Callender
Published by Scholastic

After his brother passes away, King believes he has turned into a dragonfly. While grappling with this grief, King finds his former best friend Sandy and the two begin an adventure that leads to King grappling with his identity and the reality of his brother’s death. This National Book Award winner tackles difficult topics like racism, child abuse, and hate crimes that culminate in learning there is no right way to be yourself.

Almost Flying
By Jake Maia Arlow
Published by Dial Books

Step-sibling bonding leads to realizations about queer identity in this Stonewall Honor Book. Despite so many of us not being the only LGBTQ people in our immediate families, there are still few books with queer siblings. Future step-sisters Dalia and Alexa end up on an amusement park road trip, along with Alexa’s girlfriend and Dalia’s new friend Rani. As the two bond, Dalia comes to realize that her feelings for Rani might be romantic.

Cheer Up: Love & Pom Poms
Written by Crystal Frasier
Illustrated by Val Wise & Oscar O. Jupiter
Published by Oni Press

Ex-best friends end up on the cheer squad together; one is Beatrice, a trans girl who has immense pressure to be perfect so her parents will support her transition and the other is Annie, an antisocial lesbian who’s only there to bulk up her college apps. This tender story deals with rekindling friendship (and then some), being supported by your team, micro (and macro) aggressions, and the weight of expectations. This GLAAD Media Award winner is the perfect book to brighten your day.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth By Andrew Joseph White Published by Peachtree Teen I’m a big horror reader and the amount of queer horror coming out has been fantastic to see! This Stonewall Honor Book is among my recent favorites for its character voice, trans 4 trans romance, and for the way it portrays love and survival. The story takes place in a version of Victorian England where some people can commune with spirits and follows autistic trans boy Silas Bell as he is sent to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium- a place that is meant to cure him of “Veil sickness,“ a diagnosis very much like that of “hysteria” in our world. This book unflinchingly depicts patriarchal violence against trans people, women, and disabled people. But it very much belongs on this list for the strength and power of its protagonist.

The Passing Playbook
By Isaac Fitzsimons
Published by Dial Books

Isaac Fitzsimons’ contemporary sports romance is about Spencer, a trans boy who is stealth (passing as cis) at his new school. He’s got great friends, is an amazing athlete, and has a budding romance with one of his teammates. But an anti-trans law threatens to bench him from playing on the boy’s soccer team. A timely story given the anti-trans legislation swarming the country, The Passing Playbook handles this topic with the gravity it deserves, anchoring it in trans love, joy, and hope.

 

The Princess & the Grilled Cheese Sandwich
By Deya Muniz
Published by Little, Brown Ink

Deya Muniz’s shoujo-inspired rom-com is certain to put a smile on your face. It’s a classic case of hidden identities (as Lady Camembert disguises herself as Lord Camembert) with a sapphic twist. This book is plain old fun. I still laugh over all of the characters’ cheese names and the inclusion of a Nintendo Switch in a fairy tale land. Pure queer joy and pure queer love depicted in luscious illustrations.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club
By Malinda Lo
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers

Malinda Lo’s National Book Award winner is set in 1950s San Francisco and the titular Telegraph Club is a lesbian bar where protagonist Lily Hu gets be involved in San Francisco’s lesbian scene. But it’s the 50s at the height of McCarthyism and Lily is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. A detailed historical coming-of-age story, Telegraph Club does not fall into the trap of historical “realism” meaning queer experiences are all trauma. This butch/femme romance (and how wonderful it is to see a butch woman be so admired and desired!) brings vibrant lesbian community to the forefront.

When the Angels Left the Old Country
By Sacha Lamb
Published by Levine Querido

An angel and a demon are Torah study partners in this queer immigrant fairytale based in Jewish mythology. Sacha Lamb weaves a rich historical fantasy where Uriel and Little Ash (angel and demon respectively) go searching for a missing emigrant to America. They end up meeting other humans in need of help. Another well-researched historical novel that effortlessly weaves queerness into its fantasy story.

Venom & Vow
By Anna-Marie McLemore & Elliott McLemore
Published by Feiwel & Friends

So many of us grew up on fantasy stories filled with crossdressing and hidden identities, but Venom & Vow takes all those tropes and gives us an explicitly queer story featuring a trans prince and a bigender assassin/lady. Political intrigue and fantastic world building are sure to draw in high fantasy fans. This is a story about claiming our identities and our power. Not only that, but it affords its queer characters all the fun (and complications) of messy relationships, something that brings great depth to this fantasy realm.