YA LGBT Books discussion

This thread is for nominations for the YA LGBT book that you would like to see the group read in September 2012.

Anything we haven't already read is welcome. Please post a link to the book, copy the blurb, and give us a few words about why you think this would be a good choice.

Books that lost a previous vote are more than welcome to be nominated again, and authors are allowed to nominate their own books if they feel moved to do so.

Nominations are closed - POLL is now up here

When fifteen year old Jake Allister learns the new neighbor in his apartment complex is an elderly man from Germany named Mr. Wagner, he fears the worst. The guy's old enough to have survived World War II, and to Jake's young mind, that makes him suspect. Because Mr. Wagner isn't Jewish, Jake assumes the man must have been part of the Nazi regime who tortured and killed millions before he was born.

Jake isn't religious, by any stretch of the imagination, and neither is his mother. He had to learn about the Holocaust at school; now he distrusts anything German, including Mr. Wagner. Then he sees the old man watching him and his boyfriend Thad make out in the parking lot. Jake just knows the guy is a Nazi.

But when he finally gets invited into Mr. Wagner's apartment, Jake discovers Jews weren't the only ones who suffered during the Holocaust. For the first time, he begins to grasp the scope of the tragedy that unfurled during the war ... and what it meant to be Jewish -- or gay -- in Nazi Germany.

Oh yeah, this is one I've been looking at. It would be good to have a push to read it - thanks.

Here's another book I've had on my TBR list : by Andrew Smith,.

Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for being “deformed” – he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents.

When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.

Any other candidates this month that people might want to read??

I would like to nominate

This was such an inspirational book and probably one of my favorites:
Growing up isn't easy. Many young people endure bullying that makes them feel they have nowhere to turn--especially LGBT kids and teens who often hide their sexuality for fear of being bullied. Without openly gay mentors, they don't know what the future may hold. After a number of suicides by LGBT students who were bullied in school, syndicated columnist Dan Savage uploaded a video to YouTube with his partner, Terry Miller, to inspire hope for LGBT youth. The video launched the 'It Gets Better Project', initiating a worldwide phenomenon. This is a collection of expanded essays and new material from celebrities and everyday people who have posted videos of encouragement, as well as new contributors. We can show LGBT youth the happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will have if they can get through their teen years. "It Gets Better" reminds teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone--and it WILL get better.

Thanks Rachel, it sounds inspiring.

Here are some I'd like to nominate:



It seemed like a simple job-guide Josh and Sarah to Bow Ridge to live with their aunt until they reached their 18th birthday. It was want their aunt Rebecca wanted, and the best choice Calico Ramsey thought he could make. But someone wants them dead, which makes no sense to Calico. Neither do the feelings aroused by the nearness of the handsome young man from Chicago-feelings that seem to be returned, and nothing in his past has prepared him for either.



What do you do when you accidentally destroy your history teacher's prized collection of historical artifacts? If you're teenaged delinquents, Aston and Grant, this is more than just a rhetorical question. They've made a huge mistake, one that might cost them everything. Adding to their misery, their history teacher's name is Merlin. Yes, that Merlin, and the answer to their dilemma is deceptively simple according to the old wizard. You go back in time to replace the items you destroyed! Aston and Grant find themselves in ancient Egypt, where their first task is to find and retrieve "The Eye of Ra," a golden amulet owned by none other than King Tut, the boy king of Egypt. Neither of them is all that versed in history, so they have to play it cool and learn as they go. It's not just the amulet that's causing them trouble, either. They soon become friends with Tut, and find that they want to help him out. Surrounded by enemies, needing to survive in a primitive world, Aston and Grant quickly learn one basic truth. History isn't dead when you're living it.



Lords of Arcadia: Act One Kane Vess may be gay, but he is also extraordinarily ordinary a crushing weight in Athens, Iowa, where a person 's worth is measured by his uniqueness. But when he meets the school 's newest student, Kane 's ordinariness seems to evaporate. He is desperate to get to know the mysterious stranger and that leads him into danger. Hawk is an exile from his homeland, an otherworldly traveler with impossible abilities and a changeling bodyguard. He 's generally disappointed in Earth, which seems common except for Kane. But while Hawk and Kane explore their mutual interest, the forces that made Hawk an exile are busy tracking him down. Kane 's newfound feelings pull him into Hawk 's shadowy fantasy world, where he learns he needs to grow up fast. Kane 's life may now be extraordinary, but if he isn t careful it could cost him everyone he holds dear including Hawk.

(I haven't read the last one, but I've just started it and a lot of people seem to love it.)

I loved Lords of Arcadia

Lords is good, but it is part of a trilogy and it does end on a cliffhanger, so be aware.

Nominations are closed - POLL is now up here