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8 Young Adult Books with Trans and Nonbinary Representation & 3 Book GIVEAWAY // #ReadYourWorld Book Jam 2024

Read Your World Celebrates Multicultural Children’s Book Day is thrilled to present our #ReadYourWorld Book Jam 2024 series in conjunction with The Children’s Book Council.

Please welcome Tash McAdam with their list of 8 young adult books with Trans and Nonbinary Representation. Their book is No One Left But You.

We are giving away 3 copies to No One Left But You. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

 

8 Young Adult Books with Trans and Nonbinary Representation

No One Left But You by Tash McAdam

This book is a love letter to the young people I work with, with a murder thrown in to keep things interesting. It’s a messy, emo, poetic ode to teen self-discovery that I wish had existed when I was seventeen, and I truly hope it finds the kids who need it. [young adult, ages 13 and up]

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

A super fun romp of a murder mystery, with a trans lead attempting to prove to his family that he can wield the traditionally masculine brujo magic. It has a gay romance woven throughout, but the major tone is adventurous with the wanna-be brujo Yadriel (and a lovable cast) racing to defeat death and save the day. Imbued with rich sensory detail and poetic descriptions, this one is a must-read for me! [young adult, ages 13 and up]

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this post-apocalyptic ‘primal scream’ of a novel about a trans boy who is literally turned into a monstrous killing machine, but I was constantly surprised. It was a wild ride from start to finish, and I appreciated the nuanced characters and chaotic vibe. A rich and personal investigation of humanity and evil, with some truly gruesome body horror that had me squirming in the best way. [young adult, ages 13 and up]

The Witch King by H.E Edgemon

I’m not a big reader of fae stories, but I knew I had to check out this duology after I saw the cover, and I am so glad I did. This book is a character-driven delight about fighting corruption and building community, told by an extremely sarcastic witch who makes very poor choices (I love him). The Witch King struck so many chords deep in me and will stick with me for a long time. [young adult, ages 13 and up]

Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot

Sweet Charlie is just a poor medium doing his best to avoid the most annoying of the ghosts that haunt York, but when his spectral friends start disappearing it’s clear something is Afoot! This is such a British gem, starring gay teens (one trans) falling for each other while foiling a ghastly plot to (what else) destroy the world. It’s sweet, wholesome, and charming, and is perfect to curl up with. [young adult, ages 13 and up]

Power Surge by Sara Codair

This book deserves so much more love than it ever got! It was ahead of the curve on trans-folk-having-adventures and was the first own voices non-binary protagonist I ever read. Codair does an amazing job weaving magic and mental health rep, internal and external stakes, and the action descriptions are *chef’s kiss*. [young adult, ages 13 and up]

All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

Ok I am a sucker for an apocalypse story (this is very nearly an apocalypse list! Sorry not sorry!) But there are not nearly enough queer ones. This is such a classic end-of-the-world tale, struggling with grief and illness, dehydration, and predatory folk taking advantage, but it’s also a sweet gay romance! I read it for the survival vibes, but the love story really landed with this one. [young adult, ages 13 and up]

Proxy by Alex London

This is my only sci-fi entry on this list. Proxy is set in a future where the rich hire the poor to take their punishments as proxies. Syd, the protagonist, is not only a poor proxy for the world’s most troublesome teen, but he’s also queer. So when he finds out he’s also potentially the savior of the human race, it’s kind of a big deal. Cue exciting adventures and many a battle. Proxy does a lot of cool stuff with technology, and I also really, really appreciated the approach London took to romance here. No spoilers on that front though! [young adult, ages 13 and up]

No One Left But You 3 Book GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away 3 copies of No One Left But You to three winners. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tash is a Welsh-Canadian author, activist, and educator. Their publications include No One Left But You (Soho Teen), The Psionics (Nine Star Press), and the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections Blood Sport and Sink or Swim (Orca Books). They are also featured in multiple anthologies. Tash is a recipient of the Shoot for the Moon fund for trans writers, and a founding mentor with the Gender Generations Project.

When they’re not writing or reading you can probably find Tash in a lake, lying on the carpet thinking about monsters, or getting a new tattoo. They enjoy regular cups of tea, existential philosophy, and sharp objects. To learn more about Tash, please check out their website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

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