“This is what I want: I want to grab my brother’s hand and run back through time, losing years like coats falling from our shoulders.”
Noah and his twin sister, Jude, have always been incredibly close. When they were 13, Noah was a bit isolated, drawing constantly, and trying to make sense of his feelings for the boy next door. Jude, on the other hand, wore red-red lipstick and enjoyed jumping off of cliffs. She usually did the talking for the two of them.
Jude, and her twin brother, Noah, are now 16 and barley speaking. Something has happened that has changed both of them in different yet equally devastating ways. Things begin to change when two new people enter into Jude’s life: a charmingly complicated guy and a unpredictably mysterious mentor.
Chapters alternate between Noah telling the story of their early years and Jude telling their present day story. What we as readers quickly discover is that each of them only has half of the story that shaped them and pushed them apart. Now they must find a way to combine their halves so that they can reunite and remake their world.
“A story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal told from different points in time, and in separate voices, by artist, Jude, and her twin brother, Noah.”
Nelson, J. (2014). I’ll give you the sun. New York, NY: Dial Books. ISBN: 9780803734968; Hardcover; $17.99.
Kristin Lattimer is the captain of her high school track team where she’s a hurdler and a damn good one at that. With a full college scholarship in her pocket, a homecoming queen crown on her head, and a boyfriend whom she loves deeply by her side, she feels like her life is really coming together.
When Kristin and her boyfriend make the decision to have sex for the first time, the perfect moment she was expecting turns out to be anything but. The romance was there but the experience was physically painful. After a trip to an OB-GYN, Kristin discovers that she is intersex which means that while she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes and boy “parts.” If her making sense of this new reality wasn’t enough, Kristin’s diagnosis is leaked to the whole school. The life she once thought was coming together is now quickly coming apart.
Written sensitively and honestly, this realistic fiction novel tells the story of a teen struggling to determine whether they identify as Male, Female, or None of the Above.
“Kristen discovers that she is intersex and possesses male chromosomes, a diagnosis that is leaked to the whole school, throwing Kristin's entire identity into question.”
Gregorio, I. W. (2015). None of the above. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray. ISBN: 9780062335319; Hardcover; $17.99.
Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen
by Arin Andrews
Arin Andrews was born feeling trapped inside of his own body. Entering into this world as a female, he struggled with his gender from a very young age, well before he ever even knew the word "transgender" or what it meant. His childhood was largely spent with his mom putting him in dresses, applying makeup, and entering him into lots of beauty pageants to try and curb his camo cargo shorts wearing, rough and tumble ways. Years later, when he came out as trans to his mom, she, like him not too long before that fateful moment on a highway off-ramp, was confused. Her confusion and concern lead to education and understanding as she became one of Arin's biggest supporters as he began his physical transition as a high school junior. What led Arin to undergoing gender reassignment then? How did the anger and humiliation of getting kicked-out of his private school impact his life? How did the internet, community resources, and magazine articles impact his journey? What types of physical and mental changes did he experience through all of this? This is Arin Andrews's incredible story.
Some Assembly Required is a frank and thoughtful coming-of-age story, written in a conversational tone, about family, friends, and love. Arin's memoir leaves no topic untouched in an attempt to breakdown barriers and help readers get as complete of a picture of one person's journey to self-acceptance as possible. If you've ever had questions you were too afraid or too embarrassed to ask about what it means to be transgender, this book is for you. If you know someone who identifies as transgender and want to know how to best support them, this book is for you. If you're simply looking for a poignant and brave story of one teen's journey into adulthood, this book is for you.
“The author details what led him to undergo gender reassignment surgery as a high school junior, sharing the challenges he faced as a girl, the changes he experienced once his transition began, and his relationship with a transgender woman.”
Andrews, A. (2014). Some assembly required: The not-so-secret life of a transgender teen. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781481416764; Paperback; $12.99.
