Diversity in MG Lit #48 May and June 2024

I hope everyone is having a good pride month. In todays roundup the final four books all have queer content.

Breaking Into Sunlight by John Cochran, Algonquin Young Reader, 2024 One in eight young people in the US live with a parent who has a substance abuse problem. This story tackles what happens when Reece’s dad overdoses and his mother leaves him. Spending the summer in a grubby trailer park far from home, he explores the local river with new friends who understand his struggles all too well. This is Cochran’s debut novel.

Whisper of Curses by J. Elle, Bloomsbury, 2024 In this follow up to A Taste of Magic, Young witch Kyana Turner tackles a magical curse, a mishap in the spirit world and a disappearing portal all set in a remote wilderness summer camp version of wizard school.

Upstaged by Robin Easter, LittleBrown Ink, 2024 Looking for a sweet summer romance? Upstaged is a graphic novel with all the fun of summer theater camp. A diverse cast of characters tackle a production of Ella with the main character Ash, tackling a friends to sweethearts crush and his new role as stage manager.

The New Girl by Cassandra Calin, Scholastic graphix, 2024. I love a good immigration story; this one is a graphic novel about a girl who moves from Romania to Canada.  The art is appealing and the story line is refreshingly honest about periods and girl crushes and forging friendships among kids who speak different languages. There’s a glossary at the back and the story reflects the author’s own experience.

Asking for a Friend by Ronnie Riley, Scholastic Press, 2024 In addition to being a queer friendship story, Asking for a Friend delves into the topic of social anxiety and navigating all the ups and downs of a friendship group.

The Queen’s English: the young readers LGBTQIA+ dictionary of lingo and colloquial phrases by Chloe O. Davis, S&S, 2024 Here’s a handy resource to words and phrases often used in the queer context. It’s very straightforward language in a visually appealing format and will be a great reference for both schools and families.