YA is Too Late: Gay Characters in Middle Grade Fiction

I can’t remember when I learned what the word gay meant. I remember people snickering when Maria sings “I feel pretty and witty and gay!” in West Side Story and not getting the joke. I remember how “that’s so gay” was used as an insult in middle school and I repeated it, not fully understanding what it meant. Will & Grace came on the air just as I entered high school. That is likely when I started to understand what gay meant, though it was packaged in a bright, shiny, made-for-prime-time TV package.

There have been many TV shows, movies, and books since the explosion of Will & Grace that address LGBT issues and feature well-rounded characters instead of just stock characters. YA fiction in particular has been very good at addressing the need for more LGBT content. More Than Just Magic is doing a month long YA Pride series, so be sure to drop by and check out her recommendations (including my book Days That End in Y). Teenagers are famously preoccupied with love and relationships, so it’s only natural that questions of sexual identity and preference are explored in YA fiction. But the middle grade years (ages 9-12) are when kids are the most in need of answers, empathy, and someone to relate to. YA is too late. You need to reach children in their middle grade years, when it really counts.

So I wrote for them.

I knew many boys like Benji growing up. I babysat them, drove them to camp, sang in choir with them, sat next to them in school. Only they were not openly gay then. Some of them were too young to identify. They may have felt different, but couldn’t put their finger on why. They may have understood that it wasn’t safe for them to come out, and so they waited until they were much older and long gone from their hometowns to do so. Do these boys see themselves in fiction? I certainly had a hard time tracking them down.

It was always my intention to address Benji’s sexuality but it needed to be at the right time. I am thankful to Scholastic Canada for giving me three books to develop his character and bring him to a place where he can admit such a deeply personal and scary thing to his best friend. I hope that my readers who have grown to love Benji can accept him as well, and in turn, accept those in their lives who need all the love and support they can get.

I hope that when children read my series about Benji and Clarissa they learn something about empathy and bravery. I hope kids who are struggling with their own sexuality are inspired by Benji’s bravery and comforted by Clarissa’s acceptance. I hope it prepares kids to be open and compassionate when their own friends come out to them.

We still have a long way to go. Books featuring gay characters are among the most consistently banned or censored books in America. I recommend the following middle grade novels featuring positive gay characters or children questioning their sexuality. Please feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments:

Stitches by Glen Huser

Drama by Raina Telgemaier

See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Marco Impossible by Hannah Moscowitz

Pride is about love and acceptance- so go forth and spread the love!

Meet the FitzOsbornes, The Crawleys of YA: FitzOzbornes in Exile Review

Downton Abbey fans you need to be reading this series! The FitzOzbornes in Exile is the second in an unique YA trilogy about a group of young royals from a fictional island nation off the coast of France in the 1930s and early 1940s. Told in diary form from the perspective of sensitive and observant Princess Sophia, it has a distinctly Downtown-esque vibe and is the kind of YA adults of all ages can also (thoroughly) enjoy, which is why I included the series in my Top Ten Under-Sung Series post .I am so thankful for Shelf Elf, who loves this series and convinced me to read it.

Warning! This review contains some spoilers.

After narrowly escaping the bombing of their beloved home by Nazis, the FitzOsbornes are thrown into society life, Sophie and Veronica preparing for the first season in London. Sophie is thrilled at first, but the presence of Veronica’s would-be-assassin Rebecca, the arrival of orphaned Basque children, and trouble brewing in Europe keep her attentions divided.

Author Michelle Cooper seamlessly weaves the fabricated history of Montmaray with real historical events and people to the point where I found myself thinking wait, IS there such a place as Montmaray? Is my memory of world geography just that bad? But no, there are helpful notes in both books that clarify what is true and what is fictional. Veronica, a ferocious feminist and loyal subject and one of my favourite YA characters, is forever immersed in history and politics and I found myself enjoying her political debates with Simon Chester, illegitimate son of the King and her chief rival. I don’t normally go in for heated political debates about Spanish history and communism versus fascism  but Cooper imbues her characters with such passion and clarity of speech that one can’t help but be equally fascinated.

It is gratifying to see how Sophia matures, getting over a girlish crush on Simon and taking interest in a quiet young aspiring veterinarian, having her first piece of writing published. and coming to Veronica’s rescue in innumerable ways. Veronica is a formidable character but instead of standing in her shadow, Sophia is finally learning to stand apart while still loving and admiring her cousin. She learns a few hard lessons about love and marriage, and this book is particularly feminist in its approach to women’s issues and politics, but in a way that seems plausible. At the end of the book both Veronica and Sophie have amazing, character-defining moments that made me want to stand up and cheer. Alas I was reading in my office and despite working in publishing that sort of thing is generally frowned upon.

I am fascinated by how Sophia approaches and accepts her brother Toby’s preference for men, which feels progressive for the time and yet is a bit reserved in a way that seems natural. In fact she approached all matters of sex and relationships with this curious open-mindedness that is refreshing and distinctly contemporary.

The language is this book is period without feeling complex or too flowery and even in dire situations there is so much hope and humour in Sophia’s voice that you are laughing in life or death situations. How does the author do this? Genius, methinks. Veronica and Aunt Charlotte, who reminds me very much of the Dowager Countess, have some fantastic one-liners.

This book is heavier on the politics than the first, which makes sense as it leads into WWII, but it also features a number of assassination attempts, a few parties featuring some amazing dresses and jewels, a bit of mystery, and a cross-country train race that elevate the series even more. Fans of historical fiction,war novels, and books such as Code Name Verity, Anne of Green Gables or I Capture the Castle will eat this series up. I cannot wait to see what Cooper does in The FitzOsbornes at War. I have a feeling no matter what happens, I will be sobbing at the end.

Hey BBC, miniseries please?!

The FitzOsbornes in Exile is available now in paperback.

Dealing with Grief: See You at Harry’s Review

I’ve been reading a lot about grief in middle grade fiction these days. This is the first of two reviews that focus quite heavily on grief versus guilt, a concept one generally thinks of as too heavy for middle graders, but in the hands of a fantastic author is not only manageable  but important.  See You at Harry’s has a fantastic first chapter that captures Fern in a nutshell. I read one page in the bookstore and had to have it. Fern is reminiscing about her best day, which just so happens a day she is home with the flu and spends the entire time with her mom. It is the kind of scene that is slightly nostalgic without being unbelievably wise for a 12 year old.

Like many middle grade narrators, Fern feels invisible. Her father is always working on a crazy business scheme to put their little family diner on the map, her mother retreats to the office to meditate, older sister Sara is too cool for any sisterly bonding, and even big brother Holden, the person she is closest to, is keeping secrets. More often than not, she’s stuck looking after her baby brother Charlie, who may only be a toddler but is a lot to handle. Things get worse when she begins high school and discovers that Holden is in fact the target of a group of bullies. Thank goodness for Ran, her ultra-laid back friend (and possibly crush) who keeps telling her to relax. But then the unthinkable happens, and Fern would give anything to go back to the days before her family is forever changed.

There is a lot of emotion packed into this tight little book. The general plot reminded me a bit of Sara Ellis’ sublime novel The Baby Project (known as The Family Project in the US), though See You At Harry’s is for a slightly older audience. I appreciated the way Holden’s family deals with his homosexuality, which is accepting overall, but with some reservations. This felt very realistic. None of the characters are perfect or 100% likable all the time, but I thought this was a smart and accurate portrayal of a family in crisis. Fern is dealing with some pretty heavy guilt for a 12 year old, but she manages to come through the other side in the end.

This book felt very much like a before and after shot. Before the incident, the family is going along at a crazy pace, annoyed with each other, not always connecting, but not so dysfunctional that you worry about anyone. You especially get a sense of how irritated Fern is by her younger brother Charlie. I was definitely irritated. When the incident happens, as a reader you feel Fern’s guilt just as much as she does. This was a stroke of literary genius on the part of author Jo Knowles.

See You at Harry’s is ideal for readers who enjoy a contemporary story with a dash of romance and tragedy, a la The Romeo and Juliet Code, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen, or Walk Two Moons.

See You at Harry’s is published by Candlewick available now from Random House in Canada.

The Power of Pink: Pink Shirt Day CONTEST

Are you wearing pink today?

Pink Shirt Day is a great anti-bullying initiative inspired by the actions a group of grade nine students who decided to show their solidarity for a student who was being picked on because of a fashion choice. This kind of harassment is sadly not unusual, but the massive student response is. I am a big fan of student run, grass-roots initiatives like this one.

When I was writing Words That Start With B I knew I wanted to give my character Benji a strong friend (Clarissa) and support group (Mattie and Michael) to help him deal with his own bullies. My hope is that children will see themselves in my characters- whether they are the bully, the bullied, or a bystander- and recognize that things can get better, they are not alone, and most of all, that anyone, anywhere can affect change. And wouldn’t you know it? The cover is pink! Spooky!

To support Pink Shirt Day and anti-bullying awareness, I am donating a COMPLETE set of my books, including Words That Start With B, Love is a Four-Letter Word, and the brand new Days That End in Y.  Tweet, share, or like this post to enter!

Contest open to Canadians only

Waiting on Wednesday: Days That End in Y

My third book, the final in the Clarissa and Benji series, Days That End in Y is available in three weeks! I can barely contain my excitement. I’ve already received my author copies from Scholastic Canada, look how pretty:

Doesn’t the blue make you think of summer? Doesn’t Clarissa look just ever-so slightly more mature and angsty? Aren’t you so excited to find out what happens before she starts high school?

Also, look how nice all three books look together. Don’t you want all three for your bookshelf?:

In honour of Waiting on Wednesday I’d love for you to add Days That End in Y to your Goodreads shelf, 50 Book Pledge bookshelf, pre-order online at Amazon, Indigo, or at your local bookstore. Also, stay tuned for some giveaways, when you could win a brand-spanking new copy of Days That End in Y OR the whole trilogy! i still can’t believe that I wrote a trilogy, but there they are, three books with my name on them!

Somebody pinch me!

Painfully Honest: (You) Set Me on Fire Review

In this hard-hitting, dark exploration of  toxic relationships Tamaki nails the experience of first year university- the good and the bad- with teens gone a little crazy on freedom and alcohol.

Allison has good parents, great potential, but a dark past. When she enters her first year at university she is bewildered, unimpressed, and disconnected from the hyper-social, highly intoxicated atmosphere of residence. But then she meets Shar. Beautiful, irrepressible, and ultimately dangerous, Shar is everything Allison has ever wanted. But as the year spirals out of control and Shar’s charms start to wear off, Allison wonders if it will ever be possible to gain control of her life.

Two things really struck me about this book. First, what a talent we have in Mariko Tamaki. Having read  the graphic novel Skim, created with her cousin Jillian Tamaki, I knew I would be in good hands, but her first person narrative blew me away. Allison is an angry, wounded person and an excellent observer. I didn’t always agree with her, but I believed her, with one exception. I never really bought why Allison was drawn to Shar. I understand the allure of the aloof, beautiful, enigmatic friend, but not enough time was spent developing their relationship or describing Shar’s intoxicating qualities for me to 100% believe that Allison would be as devoted to her as she was.

This brings me to the other thing I loved about this book, which was the theme of toxic friendships. Every girl I know has had one female friend in their life who was toxic.  Maybe she was the queen bee of your group of friends, or someone you knew forever so you tolerated her behaviour because of your shared history. Whatever the reason these friends are usually fun, exciting and make you feel special and indestructible one moment and then are completely dismissive or cruel the next. She is the kind of friend who helps you get ready for a date and then flirts with the object of your affection in front of you to see if ‘he’s good enough for you.’ While Allison and Shar’s relationship has romantic overtones (at least on one side), I would argue their relationship is more an example of toxic girl friendships than a romantic relationship gone awry.

I’m so glad Tamaki went there- not a lot of YA writers do, or at least not with such authenticity and grit. I sometimes wonder if YA readers can relate to the endless romantic relationships they are fed through contemporary YA fiction, but I know for a fact that a lot of teen readers could benefit from reading about toxic friendships. Sometimes you need to read about something before you can identify it in your own life. (You) Set Me On Fire could go a long way in enlightening some girls  on the subject of bad girl friendships.

This was an uncomfortable but addictive read. I found myself cringing inwardly at many moments and wanting to tell the protagonist that she would get through the upheaval of first year. Reading this book brought back the darker moments of my own first year at University. Though my experience was rather tame and overall very positive, there were days and weeks I don’t care to recall, and is too Tamaki’s credit that she made me re-live them through Allison’s visceral narrative.The overall metaphor of being burned (romantically and literally) felt a bit forced, and the story was strong enough that it didn’t require an overarching metaphor to pull it all together.

Fans of older literary YA, such as Why We Broke Up, Speak, and Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone will appreciate this harsh but unforgettable narrative.

(You) Set Me on Fire is available now from Razorbill Canada

All That Jazz: The Diviners Review

I never know what to expect when I pick up a Libba Bray novel, other than YA genius. Where content or style is concerned, there is very little in common between the Gemma Doyle trilogy, Going Bovine, Beauty Queens, and The Diviners. Bray has the ability to slip between styles like no other YA author. Although I loved Beauty Queens (read more about this weird and wonderful feminist novel here), the historical/magical world of Gemma Doyle is what captured my heart the most. Until I read her latest offering, The Diviners.

1920s New York City is buzzing with life, opportunity, and murder. A serial killer has struck, a mysterious man calling himself Naughty Jack, modeling his murders after an unusual scripture. We are introduced to a strange brew of characters, including the charming and devious Evie, a wannabe flapper with a strange gift for clairvoyance; handsome numbers-runner Memphis who will go to great lengths to protect his younger brother; Sam, a wise-cracking but handsome pickpocket; Theta, a glamourous but aloof follies girl running from her past, and many more.

I don’t know a single person who could walk by that cover and not be intrigued. It’s dark, gorgeous, mysterious, and evocative- just like the novel. Someone give that book designer an award! Bray fully immerses the reader into her world, not just painting a vivid portrait of NYC but also giving us glimpses inside the heads and lives of Naughty Jack’s victims. I don’t read much adult historical fiction or high fantasy because I don’t like getting bogged down in details, but Bray manages to be detailed without straying too far from the plot, which unfolds at the perfect pace. There were a few moments in the beginning in which the story felt unwieldy, as if there were too many disparate strains for Bray to effectively keep control of, but any concerns I had mostly dissipated by the end of the novel.

This book is mostly about Evie, a bratty, fame-hungry and self-centered social climber, who I found extremely annoying for the first 80 pages or so. I had some difficulty swallowing her constant stream of jazz-era slang, which may be in character, but I found distracting. Not enough that I wanted to put the book down, but even at the end, after she witnesses some horrible things and truly comes into her own as a far more palatable person, I still found Evie irritating. She was the most “stock-y” of the characters in this novel and I found myself wishing Bray would focus on some of the more interesting characters (Mable, Jericho, Theta).

What I appreciate the most in this novel is Bray’s ability to conclude what is clearly book one of a series in a satisfying way but still introduce enough questions that the reader is desperate for book two. I call these kind of books door-openers (instead of cliff hangers). A cliff hanger is such an easy way to entice a reader, but Bray is too smart for that. The major plot comes to a (seeming) conclusion, but some of the secondary characters (Memphis and Jericho) for example are set up to have bigger story-lines in book two. I ,for one, look forward to hearing more about the mysterious Jericho and his Frankenstein-ish past.

Fans of Bray (of which there are legions), The Name of the Star (Maureen Johnson), Strings Attached (Judy Blundell) and YA lovers of all ages will gobble this up. Anyone who enjoys books set in New York or during the jazz era will also appreciate the sense of time and place in the novel. The moody atmosphere and supernatural content screams fall, making The Diviners a truly satisfying post-Halloween read.

The Diviners is available now from Little Brown.

 

Girl Crushing on Raina Telgemeier: DRAMA Review

I have a mad girl crush on Raina Telgemeier*. Her work is fresh, funny, sweet, and relevant. She is a master of her craft and has created a name for herself middle grade graphic novels for girls that feel just as rich, resonant, and fun as traditional novels. I gushed on and on about her semi-memoir Smile, and begged for a reading copy of Drama, which given it’s school musical connection, could not be more perfect for me.

When her school chooses a big, glossy, golden age musical for their annual production, set designer Callie has big dreams (a canon that really fires, a magnolia tree featuring leaves that actually fall to the stage at a key romantic moment) which given her lack of carpentry skills and minimal budget is proving more than a little challenging. Throw in her long-time crush, two new cute AND talented brothers, and a friend who is interested in something more, and Callie has more drama than she can handle.

There is lots to love here. What better backdrop for middle school drama than a production of a school musical? I admit to being slightly biased, having used similar settings for Love is a Four-Letter Word. As a retired theatre rat I loved all the musical theatre references and funny social dramas that arise from the close communal process of “putting on a show.” I loved that the book is more about the stage crew- those unsung heroes- than the cast. Disaster strikes during the show, creating a lot of opportunties for characters to shine and plenty of fist-pumping moments for the reader.

Everyone is here- the diva lead actress, suave male lead, quirky funny boy who just happens to be gay, the shy member of stage crew who really just wants a chance to sing- the list goes on and on. Telgemeier plays with these tropes so no one feels two-dimensional or too much like a stock character. I especially appreciated how she handled Justin coming out to Callie in a funny, honest, and casual discussion, just between friends. Although it’s an important (and rare scene in MG fiction), it was understated and not in the least a capital I “Issue”.

Telgemeier writes the kind of fun, relatable middle grade fiction that inspires devotion and gushing among her young (and slightly older) fans. I have warm bookstore memories of girls (both non-readers and voracious readers) who would RUN to the bookshelves, grab a copy of Smile, and hug it closely while explaining to their friends just why they HAD to read it NOW. Let’s hope Telgemeier can keep knocking them out of the park!

Here is the adorable book trailer for DRAMA: 

Drama is available in hardcover and paperback from Scholastic Canada in early September.

*Seriously. I think we could be really great friends. I imagine Raina, Jenny Han, Kirsten Miller and I hanging out at a cool diner on a rainy Saturday afternoon drinking milkshakes and talking about books and our mutual crushes on John Green, like the best writing group EVER. Then Kit Pearson drops by to give us advice and you pretty much have my dream afternoon.

Infectious Reading: The Way We Fall Review

Although it often gets mentioned with dystopian or paranormal fiction, there is nothing speculative or sci-fi about this book other than the fact that the source of the disease is mysterious and there are 2 more books to come which may prove to be more dystopian. This is a “what if” story set firmly in reality.

Kaelyn lives on a small island off the coast of Nova Scotia where a strange virus seems to have taken hold of the human population. Soon the entire island is under quarantine, communication with the mainland is down, and people start dying at an alarming rate. Kaelyn’s father, a microbiologist, spends every waking hour at the hospital, her brother is obsessed with finding a way off the island, and Kaelyn is left feeling helpless. Not one to sit around and wait, Kaelyn connects with Tessa, the aloof new girlfriend of her best friend, Leo, and Gav, a cute guy from school dedicated to delivering food safely to the residents. Among chaos and death, Kaelyn finds friendship, hope, maybe even love, but how long can it last?

Kaelyn is an excellent narrator, and I appreciated the glimpses into her past when  life was ‘normal’ which helped to shape my perception of her character and her relationships. My favourite character is Tessa, mostly because at the moment she is a bit of a closed book who just happens to have won the heart of Kaelyn’s best friend and crush Leo, who seems to be a stand-up guy (we haven’t met him…yet).

It seems like every book is part of a series (usually a trilogy) these days and there is nothing more frustrating than a first book that does nothing but set the scene and builds up to the real action which takes place in book two. Crewe avoids this nicely and yet leaves the reader with a very effective cliff hanger. The plot, like the virus, moves quickly and while there isn’t a culminating climactic moment there is a series of events- some plausible, some surprising- that make the reader feel like the events in the book COULD happen, which is almost more satisfying than a completely over-the-top fabricated storyline.

The diary/letter format works well. I never really believed that Kaelyn would end up sending the letter to Leo, but by imagining a particular listener it does focus the narrative nicely. Crewe has an intimate, breezy style that compelled me to finish the book in two sittings. Teens, especially slightly more grown-up fans of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Moon Crash/The Last Survivors series, will eat this one up and clamor for The Lives We Lost, the next book in The Fallen World trilogy, due out next January.

The Way We Fall is available in hard cover from Disney Hyperion.

My Favourite Moments in Reading, 2011

I had so many wonderful moments in reading this year. In an attempt to give this list some restrictions and a sense of order, I’m trying to keep it to books I read in 2011 that also happened to be published in 2011 (or late 2010), with one exception.

So! My favourite moments in reading, 2011:

You can keep your vampires/werewolves/Dauntless pretty-boys, the male love interest that made me swoon this year was Murdoch in Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret. Tall! Bookish! Sweet! Glasses! Arty! Likes picnics at a quarry and submits himself to Value Village pillaging! Sign me up!

Discovering the Dark Library in Kenneth Oppel’s  This Dark Endeavour. What avid reader doesn’t appreciate a good library? This one does not disappoint. How can you NOT love a hidden library full of rare, magical- perhaps single edition!- leather-bound tomes?

Best opening sentence…Kit Pearson, for this doozy of an opening line in the sublime The Whole Truth: “After it happened, they were sent away.” Now THAT is a sentence that draws you in and keeps you up all night reading to find out what happened, who was sent away, and why. (The truth does not disappoint)

I laughed the hardest during Withering Tights. Squirrel room! Step-dancing Heathcliff! I can’t wait for more of the Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, coming in 2012′s A Midsummer Tights Dream!

I cried the hardest during the latest Dear Canada book, That Fatal Night: The Titanic Diary of Dorothy Wilton, proof that you CAN rework the Titanic story (especially if you’re Sarah Ellis).

I also cried when Batty discovers her musical talent in The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.

My new favourite middle grade heroine is Felicity from The Romeo and Juliet Code. I love her spirit, her plucky attitude, her disdain for all things not British…I can still vividly recall the scene in which she builds herself a throne of sand. Magic.

Inside Out and Back Again reminded me how much I love verse novels.

Libba Bray provided me with the most “Oh no she didn’t…” moments in the outrageous Beauty Queens.

The character I most wanted to hang out with was Min Green from Daniel Handler’s piece of angsty YA perfection, Why We Broke Up. Silent film stars? Bitter Sixteen parties? Can we be best friends, please? Actually, maybe it’s Al I want to be friends with…in any case, review coming soon!

Stay made me want to go out and eat everything Deb Caletti wrote about…fish and chips in a basket…chunky homemade spaghetti sauce…tea made with herbs brewed in the garden of a mysterious neighbour…

And last but not least, my favourite summer read- which wasn’t new this year but was new to me and I loved it so much I had to break my own “published in 2011 rule” and include it- The Summer Sherman Loved Me.

If you haven’t yet, check out these fantastic reads yourself and let me know what YOU think. Can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store!