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The post The Queer Kids Are All Right, a guest post by James Sie appeared first on Teen Librarian Toolbox.
Many schools and libraries host fiction-focused book clubs, but it’s important to keep young info-lovers in mind, too. If a nonfiction book club seems like a good fit for the children at your school, why not give it a try. Here are some tips for getting started.
An excellent and fun read for any kid or adult foodie.
PREMIUM
Too Shy to Say Hi
Despite its good intentions, this slightly muddled attempt to introduce shyness and social anxiety to preschoolers fails to merge its light rhyming text with the topic.
PREMIUM
Between the Lines
This is a quick read that will leave those who pick it up wanting more. Middle and high schoolers who enjoy poetry, art, or comics in the vein of The Far Side will be enchanted.
PREMIUM
A Brief History of Underpants
Humorous illustrations and bouncy text keep the pages turning quickly in this lightweight history, but selectors should be aware of the abovementioned stereotypical language.
PREMIUM
Dear Miss Metropolitan
The realism and true crime element, along with its deep understanding of Black girlhood, are likely to appeal to many older teen readers and fans of Emma Donoghue’s Room and Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones.
Despite its brevity, this book is sure to appeal to young readers and is a great contribution to sports history as well as Hawaiian history. A good addition to most children’s nonfiction collections.
PREMIUM
Four Faces of the Moon
A great supplement to the animated film, although readers need not be familiar with the movie to appreciate this book. A solid addition to library shelves.
An informative, well-illustrated book about animal adaptations that have sparked human technology.
PREMIUM
The Other Black Girl
A debut novel that provides a look at what it can be like to face insurmountable obstacles in the workplace and a narrative that continues to build to a satisfactory and surprising conclusion. A good choice for general purchase.
PREMIUM
Be Your Own Best Friend FOREVER!
Readers of all backgrounds will cherish and celebrate the relatable, affirming messages that burst from these pages.
PREMIUM
We Listen to Our Bodies
This storybook introduction to learning about physical and emotional awareness will fill a need in preschool classrooms and libraries serving preschool families.
PREMIUM
Even and Odd
A cozy mystery for unicorn and magic lovers. Firoth and its denizens will delight fantasy fans, and the light suspense peppered with humor is sure to keep young readers engrossed until the happy ending. Purchase where easy fantasy is in demand.
An engaging book that will leave readers spouting facts about beavers. Students will have a new appreciation for these innovative builders and their significant impact on the landscape and ecosystems of North America.
PREMIUM
Jay’s Gay Agenda
A sweet celebration of finding love in all its forms. Recommended for fans of Phil Stamper and Leah Johnson.
PREMIUM
Class Clown Fish
A fin-tastic graphic reader with plenty of laughs, along with solid insights into feelings, friends, and personal initiative.
PREMIUM
Tremendous Things
Nielsen presents a realistic teen experience with raw emotions. A heartwarming addition for collections looking for titles with fewer than 200 pages.
Perkins connects with readers who daydream, validating that act as a way to see the world and learn of its many interlocking pieces, and makes imaginative mental musings into a story, and an artform. Pure fun.
PREMIUM
The Ones We’re Meant to Find
A first purchase for library collections. He grafts deep moral and ethical questions to a page-turning premise, making this sci-fi standalone an excellent book club selection.
This creative presentation of a little-known historic event introduces young readers to the topic of marriage equality. A good choice to foster diversity and inclusion.
PREMIUM
Glitter Gets Everywhere
A touching story of grief and change; a strong realistic fiction purchase.
An excellent nonfiction pairing where titles like R.J. Palacio’s Wonder, Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s Fish in a Tree, and Sharon M. Draper’s Out of My Mind are popular.
Younger teens and tweens will be inspired by this timely collection of young female activists who are bringing climate change to the forefront. Nonfiction collections serving younger teens would benefit from this title.
A good selection to add depth to a WWII collection. Previous knowledge of the subject will be a necessity to fully understand this title.
PREMIUM
The Day the Rain Moved In
A surreal tale, this may not have enough teeth to ensnare the attention span of more literal-minded young readers.
PREMIUM
48 Grasshopper Estates
This is a touching story about imagination and compassion that belongs in most collections, for read-alouds or for emerging readers.
PREMIUM
It Goes Like This
Fans of bands and bandom will love these queer college-age former pop stars reuniting for a benefit concert, personal reflection, and a hopeful future.
Suggested for quick snippets into contemporary Native actor and filmmaker lives and jobs.
PREMIUM
The Ivies
This compelling thriller will have teens asking whether sacrificing one’s morals to get into college is worth it.
An easy sell for sports fans and reluctant readers, as well as an effective history resource, this book is recommended for most elementary and middle school collections.
The consumable nature of this title, with its multiple invitations for readers to write and draw within the book, will make it hard for libraries to circulate this guide more than once.
PREMIUM
Saint Spotting
Useful for those wanting to understand church imagery or as an introduction to some of the stories of the early history of Christianity. For churches with stained glass windows or other art with this type of imagery, this would make an ideal book to have in the pews or church library for young people who might find saint spotting an interesting entry point to their visit.
PREMIUM
Realm Breaker
Aveyard creates a compelling world in this series starter. Recommended where the author’s previous books are popular.
PREMIUM
In the Ravenous Dark
A sexy romance for fantasy fans looking for a suspenseful plot set in a dark world. Hand to readers who enjoyed Strickland’s Beyond the Black Door.
A raw yet honest portrayal of a young person’s experience with depression, this is a must-read for both middle grade readers and the teachers, counselors, parents, and other adults who interact daily with youth undergoing similar experiences.
PREMIUM
Shipped
A high school romance that will capture readers’ hearts but leave them hanging at the end.
PREMIUM
What Will You Be?
Turning a common question of childhood into a substantive quest, this imaginative set of plans will have other children charting their own course through the stars.
PREMIUM
Call Across the Sea
This fourth book in the historical fiction series is a strong addition that can stand alone. Readers will be encouraged by Henny’s bravery and may even see themselves in her story.
A delightful and refreshing read about a middle grader with a trans parent; an excellent addition to all middle grade collections.
With a compassionate, strong heroine and a diverse cast, this is an exciting, important retelling of the Titanic tragedy.
PREMIUM
The Bad Muslim Discount
An #OwnVoices novel that will stay with readers long after they’re done.
PREMIUM
Fire with Fire
The plot will resonate with young teens though the language, violence, and characters skew older.
PREMIUM
A Chorus Rises
Morrow has woven another refreshing YA tale where young people can discover the roots and sources of their magical voices.
A first purchase for middle school and upper elementary collections, Oh’s powerful novel sheds light on the devastating effect racism can have on mental health, and tells a history often overlooked.
Those looking for more insight into Banksy’s identity and art best keep looking. Skip this one.
Readers will delight in Freda’s journey to keep her memories safe, as well as her subsequent understanding of what she has done, in a book that would be at home in all collections.
PREMIUM
Sisters of the Snake
A satisfying twin-switch tale with a vibrant setting, recommended for readers seeking high fantasy.
An accessible study of sleep that will keep curious readers engaged after the lights go out.
PREMIUM
Water Water
A beautiful and timeless love letter to the bay with nary a cell phone or computer to be found in its pages. Purchase as a wonderful addition for a lesson plan on the Great Lakes or for any reader who enjoys the wonder of nature and all that it holds.
This is a story that presents kids as true problem solvers. Its message will spark conversations at home and in the classroom, and its makerspace connection makes it an excellent STEM resource.
A great choice for young readers beginning to explore graphic novels, this is an essential purchase, ready to tickle children and adults alike.
PREMIUM
Germs Up Close
Full of close-up visuals, this informational picture book provides basic, introductory support for explorations in upper-elementary science units about germs, including the COVID-19 virus, and brightly promotes the necessary correlation between scientific knowledge and health safety.
This triumphant volume of “herstory” is a fantastic addition to graphic novel collections. Good for supplemental classroom content and bound to be enjoyed by adults and teens alike.
Children love the idea of living on their own independent of adults and this book celebrates that desire with a masterful blend of illustration and story.
PREMIUM
Kyle’s Little Sister
With endearing characters and compelling drama, this title will serve as a balm for middle graders navigating friendship issues. Fans of Varian Johnson’s Twins and works by Raina Telgemeier and Victoria Jamieson will be enchanted.
PREMIUM
Edmund the Elephant Who Forgot
A fun addition for larger collections and certain to invite raucous read-alouds.
A beautiful book on making art out of observations. Whether employed to invite children and adults into writing or as a nurturing read-aloud, this is recommended for all collections.
PREMIUM
Take Me Home Tonight
A fun romp for readers who love theater and don’t mind suspending their disbelief.
In sharing a deeply personal journey, Kaye underscores that transitioning is “an ongoing, lifelong process of embracing change.” Her story will resonate with comics fans, especially those who are transitioning or care about someone who is.
A masterpiece intertwining painful teen realities involving injustices based on race, ethnicity, class, and gender with trauma and healing within loving, supportive families.
A strong debut destined to become a classic. Recommended for classrooms and libraries of all types, particularly where Zanib Mian’s “Planet Omar” series flies off the shelves.
Because of the dual nature of the text that is understandable by various young readers and the literally out of this world photography, this makes a great addition to elementary school space nonfiction collections.
A sweet, slice-of-life series debut. Readers will love Jo Jo and want to be her friend.
PREMIUM
When Lola Visits
With a smooth flow of new vocabulary and a universal nod to the meaning of family, this will be a storytime favorite.
A truly delightful story about a charming and engaging teen navigating freshman year.
McGrane’s silly and spooky tale uses poignant moments about found families to touch readers’ hearts between bouts of laughter.
PREMIUM
Day-Old Child
An established poem about God and children gets new life with a gender neutral makeover and delightfully inclusive illustrations.
PREMIUM
The Other Side of Luck
A wonderful addition to a fantasy collection. Perfect for students who enjoy multicultural, timeless adventure stories.
PREMIUM
Angel & Hannah
A realistic love story for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo or James Baldwin. A good general purchase for high schools.
PREMIUM
The Thingity-Jig
A celebration of inventiveness, in both contraption and language, this book is a lovely addition to larger collections.
Wednesday is funny and charming and sure to win over readers, especially fans of Ramona Quimby, Marty McGuire, and Clementine. A promising start to a new early chapter book series.
PREMIUM
Space Adventure
These visually appealing story launchers are endlessly reusable and will become well-loved pieces in any teacher or librarian’s arsenal.
While teachers in this book come off as stereotypically clueless, the book should have wide appeal as a thoughtful treatment of sexism and white privilege for tweens.
PREMIUM
Jonathan and the Giant Eagle
A head scratcher, both hard to read for its stumbling cadences and, being obscure rather than ambiguous, likely to be passed over rather than engaged with.
PREMIUM
Jukebox
An exhilarating though uneven jumble of intriguing concepts, this graphic novel has many elements, musical and interpersonal, that may pique the interest of readers, especially fans of Chanani’s. An additional purchase for larger collections.
A recommended purchase to round out the series that can also be enjoyed as a stand alone. Young readers will be happily caught up in the duo’s latest mystery.
Regardless of children’s knowledge of Bowie, the message of an outsider who finds his way will resonate and delight. Recommended for all collections.
This tween-focused tale is best suited to die-hard DC completists who won’t mind seeing a classic character stripped of his dark backstory and complex motivations.
A feat of the graphic medicine genre, capturing the intersection of personal experience of illness with the technical aspects of medical treatment. A superb addition that emotionally mature readers will find compelling.
Highly recommended for readers young and old, this work is breathtaking and simply beautiful.
PREMIUM
I Wish You Knew
Estrella and her classmates’ experiences are all too common and children will relate, if not for themselves, for others, to this compassionate recommended purchase.
An exciting new series for fans of “Captain Underpants” or “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”
A good read-aloud conservation story sure to entertain students dipping their toes into aquatic environmentalism.
Children who need this book will understand the subtext, and as no community is safe from domestic abuse, the hopeful message will encourage those experiencing similar situations to talk. For every collection.
A generous reminder of the values of understanding, self-confidence, and support for what others personally need as a comfort during trying times.
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