YA that is good (and also probably queer) Public

Created and curated by Ell

Okay, so YA often gets a bad rap, and that makes me sad. While I've read some disappointing YA to be sure, there's a lot of good YA out there that is also still just good writing that anyone can and should read!

Some of the things you'll find in these books: - Interesting, complex plots and characters! - Challenging moral grey area and complex villains! - Healthy and open portrayals of things like sex, sexuality, gender, and relationships! - Adults who are neither conspicuously absent or clueless lumps getting in the way of things! - Adults who have healthy and even respectful relationships with the main characters!

So if you've shied away from YA in the past, give these a try, hopefully you'll find something you like.

Or if you're looking for books for your kids to read that assumes they're human beings with agency and the ability to …

  1. Minor Mage by 

    No rating

    Oliver was a very minor mage. His familiar reminded him of this several times a day.

    He only knew three …

  2. Bitterblue by 

    No rating

    Eighteen-year-old Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, realizes her heavy responsibility and the futility of relying on advisors who surround her with …

  3. An Unkindness of Ghosts by 

    4 stars

    "Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She's used …

  4. Graceling by ,

    No rating

    In a world where some people are born with extreme and often feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption …

  5. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by 

    5 stars

    Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her …

  6. Fire: a novel by ,

    No rating

    It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords …

  7. Raybearer by 

    No rating

    Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you've sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy? …

  8. Winterkeep by 

    No rating

    Four years after Bitterblue left off, a new land has been discovered to the east: Torla; and the closest nation …

  9. A Deadly Education

    4 stars

    A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) …

  10. The Last Graduate by 

    4 stars

    Return to the Scholomance - and face an even deadlier graduation - in the stunning sequel to the ground-breaking, Sunday …

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