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Life Changing LGBTQIA2s+ Kidlit Mentorships Now Open!
An absolutely wonderful opportunity has arrived for LGBTQIA2s+ kidlit creators. Applications for the Queer Kidlit Mentorships is now open until June 15th. This opportunity is for both writers and illustrators! The amazing Jeanette Bradley has gathered 14 awesome Mentor volunteers for this event! You can apply here: https://queerkidlit.weebly.com/mentors-2022.html This event is brought to you by #QueerKidlit chat Wednesday nights on Twitter at 5:30pm PT/8:30pm ET and organized by Jeanette Bradley.
We have: Adib Khorram, Aida Salazar, AJ Irving, Alex Gino, Chris Tebbetts, Elizabeth Lilly, Jenn Reese, Kaylani Juanita, Keisha Morris, Lee Wind, Megan Dowd Lambert, Rebecca Kim Wells, Rob Sanders and Robin Stevenson! Bios for each of the mentors is here: https://queerkidlit.weebly.com/mentors-2022.html The artwork for our logo was created by the fabulous Anne Appert.
The mentorships are for pre-published writers and illustrators. There are no fees in applying to or receiving a Queer Kidlit mentorship. Sign up here before June 15th: https://queerkidlit.weebly.com/mentorships.html
If you were mentored in 2021 we ask that you don’t apply again until 2023 (if you applied and didn’t get a mentorship, please apply again). Queer Kidlit chats are run by @KatjaBookDragon, @KiannaShore, yours truly and various kidlit creatives!
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Upcoming Kidlit Events and Classes
I’ve been meaning for some time to update this blog with upcoming kidlit events. These events will mostly be focused on BIPOC, Disabled, LGBTQIA+ ect. resources. I will try to update this as much as possible, but only will post updates once or twice a month on the blog. I have added a resource tab on my website. You can also see the list of resources here: http://ngi.c96.myftpupload.com/kidlit-events-and-resources/
January
Author Mentor Match for MG- Adult novels: https://authormentormatch.com/ Jan 12-14
Windows and Mirrors Scholarship for New England SCBWI Annual Conference. Submission window Jan 1- 31st https://newengland.scbwi.org/new-england-scbwi-scholarships/nescbwi-windows-mirrors-scholarship/
DV Con – From the creators of #DVPit. This free conference is for self identifying marginalized book creators. Excellent conference! January 22 – 23 https://www.dvpit.com/register-2022
February
Annick Press Mentorship – The deadline for the first round of submissions is February 8, 2021
https://www.annickpress.com/Submission-Guidelines/Annick-Press-Mentorship-Program
May
Mastering Graphic Novels Live is happening in May 2022 for the Children’s Book Academy. There are scholarships for all of the big courses. Mira Reisberg rarely gets enough BIPOC applying. Sign up for the newsletter to be informed of scholarships and other events the CBA has to offer: https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/2022graphicnovels.html
Unannouced/Ongoing
The Queer Kidlit Chat Mentorship for LGBTQIA+ people will be happening again this year! There will be an announcement on #QueerKidlit chat when this happens.
A list of calls for submissions sorted by month: https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/calls-for-submissions.html
Year Round
Classes
OC Art Studios – Open Studio sessions where Larissa will critique illustration work (I highly recommend these). https://larissamarantz.com/oc-art-studios.html Larissa offers scholarships to her classes for Black and AAPI students.
Chats
Queer Kidlit Chat – On Twitter #Queerkidlit chat is Wednesday nights at 5:30pm PT/8:30pm ET. LGBTQIA+ people and allies welcome!
Kidlit Art Chat – On Twitter #KidlitArt chat is Thusday nights at 6:00pm PT/ 9:00pm ET. A fantastic chat for kidlit illustrators!
Other Websites:
The Brown Bookshelf – A website dedicated to create awareness for Black stories: https://thebrownbookshelf.com/
Editors of Color – A website to hire BIPOC editors. Search for an editor in a huge number of categories or post a job. BIPOC can join the database. https://editorsofcolor.com/
Diverse Picture Books – A list of picture books created by diverse authors/illustrators https://bookshop.org/shop/diversepicturebooks
Kidlit 411 – a website dedicated to kidlit. Events, classes and tons of resources: http://www.kidlit411.com/
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2020 New Titles – August 21
The Glowing by Tom Rimer
Nice guys often finish last, but sometimes last is all that’s left. Majestic Mount Greylock always cloaked the small berkshire town of Adams in its shadow…until now. Until the skies illuminated. Until the Glowing began. When Kamryn Coe, her disheveled teacher, and a group of geeks that’d put a comic convention to shame witness the destruction of their hometown, they must combat a land teeming with drooling alien hordes, while Kam faces the truth of her own birth and its connection to the catastrophe unfolding around her. Time travel, extraterrestrials, humanity’s end.
TIME TO SAVE THE WORLD.
Buy the Book: https://shadowsparkpub.com/tomrimer
Tom’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/RimerTom
A Deceitful Evening by Vinisha Panwar
If your love turned out to be the most dangerous part of your life….What would you do to survive?
Three ladies, one guy and a gripping drama of dangerous romance. Here are the characters,
NEERJA – (A corporate employee: a loner, running away from her crazy past to find a new support system in a new city)
AARTI – (A police officer: self made personality with major difficulty in embracing emotions)
RAJESH – (A businessman: a mysterious guy, looking to expand his business in a new city with secrets buried in his heart)
AVNI – (A college girl: a vibrant soul and a free spirit)Neerja has moved to a new city for a fresh start. In the city, she has attracted someone’s eyes to build up a steamy romance. Being surrounded by two new personalities (Avni, her young vibrant flat mate and Aarti, her landlord who is a police officer), she ends up discovering a dangerous side of her new world. Everyone was living with a grave secret inside. With Rajesh, comes a drastic turn when secrets couldn’t hide anymore.
Once secrets were revealed, a normal event turned out to be a freakish display of life & death. Could Neerja’s love stand the test of time? Who will manage to survive in the end?
A mysterious short story, an extreme romantic delight with moments of life & death.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088VWYX4Y?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Vinisha’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/readersvalley
Lust in the Stacks by Natalie Falkenwrath
In this library, the books aren’t the only thing worth checking out… Alex has a job she likes, doing tech support at Cowling University, and a beautiful – if difficult – girlfriend, Jasmine. Life is good. That is until Alex’s boss reassigns her to work in the university’s saddest little library. Alex feels like she’s been banished to a stuffy, quiet hell. Then Alex meets Cait, a living definition of ‘sexy librarian.’ She’s hot, smart, and her accent is to die for. But Alex has a girlfriend she loves and a job to get done. When the library pushes back on the system updates Alex was sent to implement, Alex must work closely with Cait to find a solution. Can Alex stay professional and maintain her relationship with Jasmine while working side-by-side with the alluring librarian?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1952057000
Natalie’s Website: https://www.nataliefalkenwrath.com/
There is Gold and Steel by Darklord Swashbuckler
Two colonies orbit an ancient star. On Boskia, a young warrior named Darklord embarks on his first mission. Before he knows it, he is traveling to the sister world, Tharnia, a world ruled by women who have decided technology makes males obsolete. What he discovers about their world, and his own, may change the destiny of both, and, perhaps, save both.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083WN98LC
Darklord’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarklordSwashb1
What May Rise from the Ashes by Susanne Schmidt
Ofronia Mills is far too old to retire. She has spent all her life as a librarian, and when Grand-Director Lorn Van Shipplestorm threatens not only her job, but the integrity of the library itself, she has no choice but to act. Evading her boss and Tess Dingly, it-girl and reluctant librarian apprentice, Ofronia descends into the library’s forgotten fourth basement, which once housed the collection of magic books.
While Van Shipplestorm plots to bar the general populace from even entering the hallowed halls, Ofronia must decide what to do with what she finds. Will she entrust her fate to magic, although she once refused to learn anything about it? Or will she walk away quietly, like she has done all her life?Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Rise-Ashes-Susanne-Schmidt-ebook/dp/B08599K2LV/
Susanne’s Website: https://susanneschmidt.me/
Gravity's Heir by Sara Bond
“Legacy is nothing but history, if it doesn’t have a future.”
When her father threw her out, sacrificing his only living daughter for the good of his shipping conglomerate, Lena Lomasky swore she could make it on her own. But now she’s broke and desperate, and pride won’t fuel her spaceship. Her latest job is simple: carry a datastick of state secrets home to her father. The same man who cut her off without a cent. Whatever. She can do this. Pass the whiskey.
An ill-timed royal assassination ignites a war and Lena’s crew is blamed. When she thinks to use her cache of state secrets to save them, Lena discovers she’s actually smuggling the only known plans for her father’s invention: a gravity bomb that can vaporize entire cities.
Lena must decide: continue on and hope her father can design a defense to save millions of lives, or leverage the plans to save the only people who really matter.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084HLKVNJ/
Sara’s Website: https://www.saratbond.com/
Porphyry & Blood by Peter Sandham
1462.
The Republic of Venice.
Nine years on from surviving the fall of Constantinople, Anna Notaras now lives an empty life of luxury on the lagoon.
But the Ottoman empire has not ceased its relentless expansion and now Sultan Mehmed plans the conquest of Italy – and to stable his horses in St Peter’s Basilica.
When the Venetian Senate ask Anna to help stop her old Turk enemies, she quickly agrees. The mission seems simple: join an embassy to Wallachia to cement an alliance. But there is nothing straight forward about the ruler Anna is to meet: Vlad Dracula.
Moreover, Anna’s status among her fellow Byzantine refugees is built upon a lie, and not everyone among her travelling party has Anna’s best interests at heart.
Worse still, Anna’s embassy is not the only group heading for Dracula. A Turk army is closing in, intent on placing Vlad’s brother on the Wallachian throne.
Caught in a bloody web of intrigue, Anna will need the same wit and courage that allowed her to survive Constantinople if she is to return from her mission alive.
Recommended for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Dorothy Dunnett and Michael Jecks.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Porphyry-Blood-Novels-Peter-Sandham/dp/B088VRPRWQ
Peter’s Blog: http://porphyryand.blogspot.com/
Vampire Blood & Iron Bullets by Lily Luchesi
One vampire. One Fae. Countless assassins. Challenge accepted.
Energy vampires make excellent rock stars. Changelings make excellent actors. It’s been that way since time out of mind, and the best way to discover an actor is a changeling? Look at the awards they haven’t won.
Perry Gold is one of the most brilliant changeling actors out there, and one award has always eluded him. Until now. And now that’s he’s won it, he’s a wanted man on a hunter’s hit list. As a celebrity, he can’t run forever. He needs the type of protection only a vampire can provide.
If the world’s most successful special agent Angelica Cross can’t save him, no one can.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0848KTMN9
Lily’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilyLuchesi
Unholy bu Austin Valenzuela
Lord Jericho, the leader of the church of St. Damascus, trains students in the art of killing dragons and harnessing their magic.
Unholy tells the story of a boy named Isaac, a student of the church, as he is called to perform his final test of the year. For the last five years, Isaac has gone against the ways of the Lord and refused to sacrifice the sacred creatures his father had always taught him to love.
He doesn’t belong.
But when test day comes around, Isaac finally gives in to the pressure and sacrifices an innocent peach-colored dragon in front of the class.
Appalled with himself and bullied by the others for caring, Isaac seeks redemption by breaking Lord Jericho’s most important rule—never leave church grounds—and he stumbles into an adventure that will change his view of dragons forever.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Unholy-Gothic-Fantasy-Austin-Valenzuela-ebook/dp/B08DVDG7ZD/
Austin’s Website: https://www.austinvalenzuela.com/
Slumberland by Derra Nicole Sabo
How do you dream? Are your dreams in color or black ‘n white? Do they feel surreal or all too real?Well, I’d like to introduce you to my little slice of bittersweet. These subconscious woods hold every fear and my anxieties masked are as wolves. Nightmares that play on a loop for weeks, even months at a time. Symptoms of waking in cold sweats and shaking. The only moments of peace are found in the sporadically studded dreams that happen every now and again. These woods house every past demon as well as certain past versions of who I once was. This place is worse than death, yet it inspires. So……Before my alarm goes off, before I take the last train out of here, I take one last glance back, one last glance at all of the Polaroids, pinned to every tree branch, Polaroids of every dream and nightmare that have stolen my nights since ’95……These dreams…these woods…this place…it’s my upside-down. This is my Slumberland…
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Slumberland-Derra-Nicole-Sabo/dp/1949798585/
Derra’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/derra_nic
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Wednesday Updates – QueerKidlit
I’ve been feeling better since my endoscopic sinus surgery last Monday. It’s been an experience. Right now I’m rinsing out my sinuses every hour (I know TMI, but I promise I’m not sharing photos). If you want to know what it’s like, it’s basically like having a sinus infection, or a head cold. It would be a bit worse though if I hadn’t recovered so quickly from the anesthetic.
I was really worried about the surgery before I got it. It wasn’t bad, and I hope to never have to do this again. Enough about my nose and on to creative and book stuff.
Creative Goals:
All of my creative goals have gone out the door with this surgery. I have been so busy doing nothing lately. Recovering is just so exhausting!
Currently Reading:
I dread this one most of all. I really don’t — just that it’s a long list of books. I finished Parachutes by Kelly Lang and The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding.
Parachutes by Kelly Lang is about two girls Dani who is Filipina American and Claire who is Chinese. Early on it’s decided by Claire’s family to send her to America because Claire refuses to cheat on one of her exams. Claire’s family is rich, so it’s nothing for them to send her to the US. Claire does not like this turn of events. Claire ends up living with Dani’s family. Unlike Claire Dani is poor and is on a scholarship to attend school.
This book comes with a big CW for Rape & Rape culture. Both girls are thrown into bad situations. Claire ends up in some bad relationships. Dani’s teacher ends up putting her in a terrible situation. The way that the school deals with both situations is disappointing to say the least. This story is very hard to read at times.
Though it is a hard read, I really liked the characters in the story. Both Claire and Dani were strong female characters. They had big personalities. There were a few times I disagreed with the character’s actions, but there was never a doubt of my mind that the characters involved felt like real people.
The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding is just a whole lot of fun! It was the perfect novel to follow up Parachutes. The story is about 17 year old Abby who has applied for an internship at her favorite fashion boutique. Abby is fat and is a fashion blogger and is just too fabulous (if I have any criticism of this book it’s that Abby is too fabulous). Abby is gay and I love that the characters in this book are all supportive of her being gay. Abby gets the internship, but is surprised that she has to share it with Jordi who is an extraordinary photographer. There is a job at stake at the end of the internship, and Abby has all kinds of doubt about the future.
Abby has a fantastic summer of eating burgers with a guy named Jax. She does not get to spend as much time with her friends as she’d like, especially her best friend. She also has a mom who is a blogger and a health food celebrity. Abby struggles with her relationship with her mother because her mother is all about eating low carb foods and the whole Healthy Eating with Nora has taken over their family’s lives.
Abby soon finds herself falling for Jordi Perez. This begins a wonderful sweet romance. Is this romance too good to be true?
I highly recommend the audiobook for this story. Abby is just so adorable, and hearing Cassandra Morris reading this story really brings Abby to life!
I’m currently reading We Use to be Friends by Amy Spalding and The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed. I’ll be talking more about them next week!
More Fun Stuff:
Please join me and Jeanette Bradley for Queer Kidlit tonight at 5:30pm PT/8:30pm ET. The LGBTQIA+ chat is every Wednesday night! All kidlit LGBTQIA+ and allies welcome. This is meant as a fun chat for all involved. Please be respectful of pronouns!
We will be talking about what you’d like to see in books, LGBTQIA+ book recs and censorship of LGBTQIA+ books! I hope to see you there!
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Announcing #QueerKidlit
I want to invite you all to a new Twitter chat! The chat is called #QueerKidlit and will be Wednesday nights 5:30pm PT/ 8:30pm ET. It’s hosted by Jenette Bradley (@jeanettebradly) and myself (@daniduck). The very first event will be Wednesday August 12th! All LGBTQIA+ people and allies welcome! This event is for both kidlit writers and illustrators.
There are lots of things we are working out about this chat. Please come with ideas for things you’d like to see!
Logo art by Jeanette Bradley.
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Rainbow Connection Robin Stevenson — Plus a Winner!
While writing this intro for Robin Stevenson I can’t help but hear the song, “Rainbow Connection” in my head. It’s not just because I’m listening to the song while I’m writing. Robin just gives me all the warm feeling I get when I hear the song.
I wish that I had Robin’s books when I was a kid. I also wish that my parents and the world would have been supportive in me reading such books. It’s wonderful knowing that not alone in this world. I love that feeling and I know that Robin’s books will help our and future generations feel this way as well!
Robin’s Website: https://robinstevenson.com/
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Photo of Robin Stevenson Hello! Hope you are all doing okay and finding support and ways to cope during this strange pandemic spring. Despite having lots of time due to cancelled tours, launches and events, I’ve been finding writing rather difficult lately…so I was glad to get an email from Dani asking me if I would share something about why I love writing about LGBTQ+ characters and themes in my books.
Pride The Celebration and the Struggle - Cover Over the last few years, I seem to have become known for writing LGBTQ+ books. My first non-fiction book, PRIDE: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-celebrating-diversity-and-community/), came out in 2016 and was a Stonewall Honor book. Many of my novels include LGBTQ+ characters and several, including INFERNO (https://robinstevenson.com/books/inferno/) and UNDER THREAT (https://robinstevenson.com/books/under-threat-2/), have been selected for the ALA Rainbow List. My board book PRIDE COLORS (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-colors/) is currently a Lambda Literary Award finalist, my picture book GHOST’S JOURNEY: A REFUGEE STORY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/ghosts-journey-a-refugee-story/) tells the story of two gay men and their cat, and this spring I launched a second, expanded edition of my original Pride book: It is called PRIDE: THE CELEBRATION AND THE STRUGGLE (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-the-celebration-and-the-struggle/).
(I was also going to launch my latest– and very queer– YA novel, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE (https://robinstevenson.com/books/when-you-get-the-chance/) , co-written with Tom Ryan, but due to the pandemic it will now be delayed until spring 2021).
So…why LGBTQ+ books? Well, when I wrote my first novel fifteen years ago, I drew heavily on my own experiences and memories of being a queer teen. Of course, that was a long time ago—I was in high school in the 1980s. It wasn’t a great time for queer teens: we didn’t talk about LGBTQ+ identities, we didn’t have books about LGBTQ+ characters, and many of us didn’t even have the language that might have made it so much easier to talk about these subjects, to understand our own identities, and to find community.
So my first novel, OUT OF ORDER (https://robinstevenson.com/books/out-of-order/), came from that place and those memories. It is about a bisexual teen, Sophie, who is just beginning to figure out who she is and how she wants to be in the world. After it was published in 2007, I began hearing from readers who related so strongly to Sophie—and I began realizing how important this kind of representation was. The following year, my novel BIG GUY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/big-guy/) came out. It was about a gay teen boy, and again I received emails from readers to whom this novel really mattered. One young gay man told me that he read it over and over– and that it helped him to understand and accept himself.
Cover of When You Get the Chance And of course, it isn’t just important for LGBTQIA+ kids and teens to see LGBTQ+ characters in books: I think all children, parents and teachers need these books. For young people who don’t know a lot about LGBTQ+ people, books can help them learn, have empathy, and hopefully care more about issues of human rights. Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are still common, and they hurt people—and I think books can be an important part of working to change that.
Although I started out writing for teens, I have begun writing LGBTQ+ books for much younger kids as well. Things are getting better but when I visit schools and talk to students, I still meet many who are afraid that if they come out as gay, or bi, or lesbian, or trans, that their parents won’t support them, or will be angry or disappointed. So I think kids need to hear from the people that love them that it is okay for them to be themselves and to love who they love. Our teens and our older kids need to hear that, of course—but there is no age that is too young to begin giving your kids that message. So I wrote my board book, PRIDE COLORS (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-colors/), for the very youngest kids–babies and toddlers. I hope it gives parents an easy way to tell their children that it is okay for them to be who they are, love who they love, and that they will always be accepted and adored.
Cover of Pride Colors 
Cover of Ghost's Journey: A Refugee Story My picture book, GHOST’S JOURNEY: A REFUGEE STORY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/ghosts-journey-a-refugee-story/) , is for slightly older kids. It tells the story of two gay men, Rainer and Eka, who fled Indonesia and came to Canada as refugees—along with their cat, Ghost. It is based on a true story and the illustrations are created from Rainer’s photographs. I wrote it to raise awareness of the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people around the world, and my hope is that it can be used in classrooms as a gentle introduction to human rights issues. All my royalties from this book go to support LGBTQ+ refugees—I am hoping it will raise funds as well as awareness!
Writing about LGBTQ+ history and rights has strengthened my own connections to the queer community. It has led to so many conversations with queer young people, peers and elders; taught me more about my community’s past and its ongoing struggles; made me part of a wonderfully supportive group of queer writers; and connected me with other LGBTQ+ people around the world. And of course, all of that makes it even more likely that my future books will include LGBTQ+ characters…because my writing reflects the world I live in.
I am curious about the stories and books that will come out of this current period in our lives. How will the pandemic and all we are experiencing filter into our writing? For myself, I am returning to a long neglected and half written mystery novel this week and am hoping that the words will start to flow again…wish me luck! For those of you that are also finding writing challenging this spring, I hope you will be gentle with yourselves and do what you need to do to cope. The words will come eventually. They always do.———–
Follow Robin:
Website: https://robinstevenson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robin_stevenson
Books: https://robinstevenson.com/books/
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%
WINNER:
The winner of the $25 gift card is Tonnye Williams Fletcher!
a Rafflecopter giveaway -
I Wish You All The Best
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
“I Wish You All the Best” by Mason Deaver is a beautifully written story. This book was extra emotional for me so it was hard to write about. I can’t even imagine how Mason felt writing this story. This book is amazing. I need more stories like this in my life
I am bisexual and I really felt for Ben in this story. Their parents are much like my parents were when I was a teenager. I don’t know what would have happened if I had come out as (or even known that I was) bisexual in high school.
I want to send a bunch of hug and love to everyone who comes out to their parents. If anyone lost their parents because they came out I will give you an extra special mom hug if you ask.
Story
This story starts with eighteen year old Ben coming out to their parents as nonbianary. Ben’s parents, who are very conservative in their values, kick Ben from the house. Ben leaves the house with just their socks and flimsy clothes in the freezing cold. Ben calls their sister who they haven’t seen in years. At a new school Ben meets Nathan. Nathan is nice to Ben despite the fact that Ben is withdrawn.
“I Wish You All the Best” is an absolutely beautiful journey from start to finish. Ben is devastated with losing their family and the life they’ve known since birth. Ben becomes depressed and needs the support of the the people around them.
The characters in this story feel real. Ben is such a strong character! Ben’s parents remind me of my own. Every character has a reason and a purpose in the story. There aren’t characters that fall flat. The story is realistic and can be sad at times. Even though there is a lot of sadness it’s overwhelmingly hopeful. This book is absolutely one of the best novels I’ve read.
I hate to give spoilers, but so many stories like this end in tragedy. If you are looking or needing a coming out or queer story that has a happy ending this is a great book to read! Just don’t forget to bring the tissues.
Buy The Book
Pick up I Wish You All the Best here: https://www.masondeaverwrites.com/buyiwyatb
Mason Deaver’s Website: https://www.masondeaverwrites.com/
More about I Wish You All the Best: https://www.masondeaverwrites.com/i-wish-you-all-the-best
Jacket Art by Sarah Maxwell: https://www.sarahmaxwellart.com/i-wish-you-all-the-best
Remember to ask your library to pick up a copy of this book. Also leave a good review for this book on Goodreads and Amazon!
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Odd One Out
Nic Stone’s, “Odd One Out” isn’t what I expected. Mostly unexpected because when Matthew Winner talked with Nic about her book on his podcast I missed the part about the book being divided into three point of views. It threw me off, but the story is put together so well! Once I realized this it was fantastic, though I do want to hear more from each character’s POV. I have heard there will be a sequel! If you want to hear Matthew Winner’s Children’s Book Podcast #508 with Nic Stone go here: http://www.matthewcwinner.com/single-post/Nic-Stone
Story
There are three main characters in this story. They are Courtney, Rae and Juniper. Courney is a basketball player and off season cheerleader. He starts off the story and it’s soon revealed that he compares all girls he dates to Juniper. Rae loves word puzzles and becomes a flyer with a bit of help from Courney. She’s had a boyfriend in the past and is most likely straight, but that doesn’t stop Juniper from crushing on her. Juniper is confident and loves music. She is determined to only give the charms of her bracelet (each representing an intimate act) to the right girl.
The story has all the elements of an average love triangle in this book, but this is not your average love triangle. In your average love triangle A likes B, and B likes C and sometimes C likes A or B. In this love triangle Courtney likes Juniper. Juniper likes Rae. But does C like B, or A? Could B like A even though B just likes girls? There is a lot of questions characters ask themselves about their sexuality. The answers to these questions aren’t as clear as they might appear at the beginning of the book. While lots of things are explained, none of the answers feel set in stone at the end.
There is so much that Nic packed into one book. All of the characters are dealing with lots of different life issues outside of romance. I feel like each character goes through a full journey of self discovery that’s intertwined and also independent of the other characters.
The characters are all fully developed in this book. There are side characters that may seem shallow at first, but all of the side characters feel real. Nic Stone does an amazing job making the teens in the book feel like real teens and their actions make sense. There were things in the book that made me scream at the book “DON’T DO THAT” and the characters don’t listen. Sex does happen. Bad things happen. “Odd One Out” is such a good read!
I am overwhelmed with how much I liked this book. I wish I had books like this when I was younger. It’s definitely one of my MUST READ books for everyone. If you’ll excuse me I’m going to go order “Dear Martin” from my library.
Buy the Book
Buy the Book: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101939567?aff=penguinrandom
Nic Stone’s Website: http://www.nicstone.info/
More about the book: https://www.getunderlined.com/books/534051/odd-one-out-by-nic-stone/
If you can’t afford to buy this book consider leaving a review or requesting your library buy this book!
