There are so many great queer books out this week that I had to split the new releases into two: the adult titles on Tuesday, and the YA/children’s ones today. But before we jump into those, I wanted to talk about an important project you can help with.
Right now on TikTok, the Pass the Hat project started by Erin Hattamer is matching influencers with families in Gaza to help raise money to get them to safety. Creators are both asking their followers to donate and donating money earned from those videos through the creator fund. It’s been amazing to see how many people have been helped already. One place to start is this GoFundMe to get Shahd and her newborn baby to safety. This family has been matched to Sim Kern, a queer booktokker and author, who is holding giveaways for their book for those who donate. The project is encouraging people to continue to donate even if the border is closed, so that families can get out as quickly as possible once they reopen.
Now that you’ve donated and/or shared some of these fundraisers, let’s talk about books.
New LGBTQ YA and Children’s Books Out This Week
Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez (Gay YA Contemporary)
Mac is a gay teen whose father is not accepting, so he’s relieved to make a gay friend: Cammy. But it turns out that Cammy is also judgmental, and even cruel. Over the course of the summer, Mac makes two more gay friends, Flor and Mikey, which makes him rethink his friendship with Cammy. Prepare for a whole lot of slang in this one. Sandra Cisneros, the author of The House On Mango Street, says, “I’m 110 abso living for this #slay. Puro perra fierce. Thanks, mijo. #MamaLovesIt #ForReals”.
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste (Bisexual YA Fantasy)
This has been one of the most anticipated queer books of the year! I’ll quote myself, from the most anticipated LGBTQ releases of May: When Venus’s mother is killed, she teams up with the head of her coven, the Grand Witcher, to get revenge. It means brewing poisonous potions to control D.C.’s politicians, but Venus is willing to pay that price. She’s also taking care of her little sister, but her thirst for revenge might put them both in danger. This one has a bisexual main character, a nonbinary love interest, and an asexual side character (her sister).
Death’s Country by R. M. Romero (F/F/M Polyamorous Triad YA Fantasy)
Buckle up, because this premise has a lot going on. This is a queer, polyamorous, Latine YA retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in Miami…told in verse. Andres drowned in a river in São Paulo one year ago — but it didn’t stick. He made a deal with death, and now he has a new start. One day on the beach, he meets Renee and Liora. They hit it off and become a polyamorous triad, happy in their relationship, even if no one else understands it. When Liora is in a car accident and ends up in a coma, Renee has an idea: the two of them will descend into the underworld, find their girlfriend’s spirit, and reunite it with her body. Navigating the city of the dead is difficult enough, but there’s one other complication: Andres left a part of himself behind when he died, something he never wanted to see again, and it wants to reunite with him.
Queer History A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism by Robin Stevenson and illustrated by Vivian Rosas (LGBTQ Children’s Nonfiction)
Robin Stevenson has been writing queer kidlit and YA for more than a decade, from YA novels like Inferno to picture books and board books like Pride Puppy! to nonfiction like Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community. Her newest book is a guideline to the biggest events in queer history for a middle grade audience, organized in alphabetical order (P is for Pride) and illustrated throughout.
It’s Pride, Baby! by Allen R. Wells and Dia Valle (LGBTQ Picture Book)
I’m loving all the Pride picture books coming out recently. This one follows a queer Black family as they attend Pride in Washington, D.C., and includes lines like, “Take up this space / With your beautiful Black self.” It also spotlights queer Black icons like Marsha P. Johnson.
Don’t forget to also check out the adult LGBTQ books out this week! For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter and the New Release Index — you can even filter by queer books.
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