Despite the huge growth of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) fiction over the last few years, YA and middle grade books with trans main characters remain sorely lacking. Even more noteworthy, the most visible of those books, such as Lisa Williamson’s The Art of Being Normal, are written by cisgender authors [someone whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex]. This isn’t a new phenomenon – throughout history, “cis people’s narratives of trans people have been told, consumed, and prioritised above our actual experiences,” says Vee Signorelli, founder of GayYA.org. That’s not to say that cisgender authors can’t write great trans characters. But “prioritising books by trans authors ensures that our stories about our own lives and experiences are finally heard,” Signorelli says.
In a nutshell: trans voices need to be the loudest on trans issues. Trans authors live the experiences of their characters every day.
So, in the interests of celebrating some of the trans YA and middle grade books by trans authors (including non-binary authors) out there, I’m excited to bring you this list. Please keep in mind that many of these books are published through small presses, so they likely won’t be available in physical bookshops. If any of them catch your eye, however, you should consider doing the authors a huge favour and ordering their books for your local bookshop or library. Not only will it get those books in front of the trans tweens and teens who need them, but it will help show publishers that there is a big market for books by trans authors and thus, hopefully, encourage them to publish more.
Also, a quick note: in my blurbs below, I’m following the pronouns used in the Goodreads description of each book.
1. One in Every Crowd by Ivan Coyote
An anthology of more than forty stories, One in Every Crowd blends humour and heartbreak to relate the struggles of LGBT middle and high schoolers. In particular, its trans characters struggle with everything from deciding which label best fits them to choosing which bathrooms to use.
2. A + E 4ever by I merey
Let’s get right to it: this graphic novel is about two a) artistic, b) music-loving, c) Jewish, and d) genderqueer friends who consider becoming something more. From that line alone, I think it’s safe to say that we all desperately need this book.
3. First Spring Grass Fire by Rae Spoon
As their father’s schizophrenia tears away at their parents’ marriage, Rae begins to realise that they don’t fit into the gender binary as neatly as they thought they did. Complete with themes of music and religion, First Spring Grass Fire is an honest, hopeful coming-of-age novel.
4. The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon
TIME TRAVELLING QUEER PEOPLE. THIS BOOK HAS TIME TRAVELLING QUEER PEOPLE. Okay, but seriously – what more could a person want? The Unintentional Time Traveler follows Jack, who participates in an experimental trial to cure his epilepsy and ends up displaced in time, caught in the body of a girl named Jacqueline.
5. Hello, Cruel World by Kate Bornstein
Part memoir, part gender theory, and part humorous advice, Hello, Cruel World offers alternatives to suicide for queer youth struggling to be themselves. As one Goodreads reviewer puts it, “This book is basically the “how-to” manual for the ‘It Gets Better’ project.”
6. Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz
Set in a futuristic world that takes cues from our own, Lizard Radio follows Kivali, whose nonconformist guardian thrusts her into a camp where teens are forced to choose who they are (boy or girl, leader or follower) in order to become adults. An examination of binaries of all kinds (but especially the gender binary), it is absolutely worth investing in the hardback now!
7. Roving Pack by Sassafras Lowrey
Roving Pack explores the world of queer homeless youth, a demographic that is often left behind even as the LGBT community makes strides. As Click, a trans kid, navigates throughout Portland, ze struggles not only with being genderqueer in a world that tries to force people into binaries but also with finding a place in the transgender community. An edgy and often painfully honest upper YA novel.
8. I Know Very Well How I Got My Name by Elliott DeLine
I Know Very Well How I Got My Name is not an easy read. Though it chronicles Dean’s journey from childhood to adolescence, the novel focuses above all on Dean’s relationship with Amy, the girl who teaches him about gender, sex, and love, and who becomes his best friend and first crush – before things become toxic. Trigger warnings for rape and bullying.
9. George by Alex Gino (middle grade)
My excitement for George, which is by all indications an incredible and necessary middle grade novel, knows no bounds. It tells the story of a girl who wants to play Charlotte in her class’s rendition of Charlotte’s Web. But when her teacher refuses, calling her a boy, she devises a plan not only to get the part, but to make everyone understand who she is along the way.
10. If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
If I Was Your Girl takes a familiar YA trope – a teen with a secret moves to a new town – and turns it into a powerful examination of life post-transition. Having just started at a new school, Amanda quickly finds herself with a group of close friends and with a mutual attraction to a boy, Grant. But as Grant’s and her relationship becomes more intimate, she fears that coming out to him will ruin everything. Look for it in June 2016.
And do catch up with our Guardian children’s books live Twittter chat on gender indentity and trans identity in books with authors T Cooper @RealTCooper, Lilsa Williamson @lisa_letters, Juno Dawson @junodawson, Robin Talley @robin_talley, Raziel Reid @razielreid and Alex Gino @lxgino. It really was a fabulous event, we lived blogged it so all those who missed it can check it out!
One more thing: LGBT lit fest
We wanted to tell you about a fab LGBT lit and history festival going on at the Museum of London on Sunday 7 February 2017 run by Schools Out UK! They’ll be loads for teens and families with guests including Juno Dawson (formerly known as James), Stuart Milk, Ros Asquith and Bonnie Greer. Find out more here. The event is free and families/teenagers welcome but you need to pre-book.