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From: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults & Children" <pubyac@prairienet.org>

To: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults & Children" <pubyac@prairienet.org>

Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 12:41:08 CDT

Subject: PUBYAC digest 150

PUBYAC Digest 150

Topics covered in this issue include:

1) RE: Job opening - Branch Manager

by Andrea Voss <avoss@snap.lib.ca.us>

2) Re: Best books for babies & toddlers responses

by "Dawn Imada" <dawnimada@hotmail.com>

3) FW: Gay/Lesbian Theme booklist

by Zaklina Gallagher <zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz>

4) Gay/Lesbian Booklist Response - Long

by Zaklina Gallagher <zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz>

5) FW: Gay/Lesbian Booklist

by Zaklina Gallagher <zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Andrea Voss <avoss@snap.lib.ca.us>

To: "'Andrea Voss'" <avoss@snap.lib.ca.us>,

"'pubyac@prairienet.org'"

<pubyac@prairienet.org>

Subject: RE: Job opening - Branch Manager

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Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 12:35:16 CDT

Contact information:

Andrea Voss

Branch Manager of Outreach Services

707 421-6324

avoss@snap.lib.ca.us

 

If any of you are ready to make the leap from working with children to

dealing with problems, you might want to consider applying for our Branch

Manager position in Solano County near San Francisco.

Solano County Library is a forward thinking system. We recently passed a

balot measure to stabilize funding; weather is great and location central

to San Francisco, Sacramento, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, etc.

The current vacancy is to manage the JFK Library in downtown Vallejo.

If you are interested, please contact me.

------------------------------

From: "Dawn Imada" <dawnimada@hotmail.com>

To: pubyac@prairienet.org

Subject: Re: Best books for babies & toddlers responses

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Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 12:36:43 CDT

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I'm late in responding.

Here are some other www pages from the SJPL (Calif.) www site:

AGES BIRTH TO ONE

http://www.sjpl.lib.ca.us/Kids/bklists/birth.htm

AGES ONE TO TWO

http://www.sjpl.lib.ca.us/Kids/bklists/onetwo.htm

AGES TWO TO THREE

http://www.sjpl.lib.ca.us/Kids/bklists/twothree.htm

AGES THREE TO FOUR

http://www.sjpl.lib.ca.us/Kids/bklists/threefour.htm

AGES FOUR TO FIVE

http://www.sjpl.lib.ca.us/Kids/bklists/fourfive.htm

Dawn Imada

Young Adult Librarian

San Jose Public Library

dawnimada@hotmail.com

dawn.imada@ci.sj.ca.us

___________________________________________________

 

----Original Message Follows----

From: Julia Aker <jaker@japl.lib.in.us>

Reply-To: pubyac@prairienet.org

To: pubyac@prairienet.org

Subject: Best books for babies & toddlers responses

Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 11:09:11 CDT

Unfortunately we received more requests for the responses than actual

responses. Here is what we did receive:

Lisa Falk, Children's Librarian III, Children's Services, LAPL,

213-228-7488:

Here is a link to the L.A. Kids Read area of our website - booklists of

board books, concept books, wordless books, puzzle, game and guessing books,

poetry rhymes, songs & folklore and wonderful picture books to read aloud to

babies and toddlers:

http://www.lapl.org/kidsweb/booklist/read2mela-0p.html

(L.A. Kids Read is a program that educates parents about reading aloud to

very young children.)

You might also want to order ALA's "Born to Read - How to Raise a Reader"

brochure - that also features an excellent booklist, along with tips & hints

for reading aloud to the very young!

 

 

SHELLIE COCKING, OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES, San Francisco PL:

Try our booklist for toddlers http://206.14.7.53/edc/toddlers.htm

 

Julia Aker, Director 812-522-3412 x223 (voice)

Jackson Co. Public Library 812-522-5456 (fax)

303 W. Second St. http://www.seymour.org/MainLib/

Seymour, IN 47274-2147

 

________________________________________________________________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

From: Zaklina Gallagher <zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz>

To: "'PUBYAC'" <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>

Subject: FW: Gay/Lesbian Theme booklist

MIME-Version: 1.0

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charset="iso-8859-1"

Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 12:38:10 CDT

With Thanks to Shawna Hellenius for this as well!

-----Original Message-----

From: Shawna Hellenius [mailto:shellenius@yahoo.com]

Sent: Saturday, 20 May 2000 6:02am

To: zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz

Subject: Gay/Lesbian Theme booklist

 

Hi Zaklina,

I've been away so I only just saw your post to the

PUBYAC list. I'm an MLIS student and last term, I

completed a GLBT YA booklist as an assignment for my

YA course. I'm going to send you two lists. The

following is my annotated list. Like you, I requested

suggestions from several listservs -- the glbt

librarian list, the lezbrian list, and YALSA. I

compiled all of these suggestions into a list as well,

so I'll send this bibliography in a separate email.

I hope this didn't come too late!

Take care,

Shawna Hellenius

MLIS Student

University of British Columbia

Vancouver, BC

* * * * *

My intention while compiling the list below was to

bring together young adult fiction that is aimed

specifically toward an audience of youth who may be

questioning their own orientation or GLBT youth who

are seeking reflections of themselves in literature.

For that reason, I limited this list using two

specific criteria: (1) all fiction selected features a

lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered protagonist

through whom the point of view is established, and

(2)all of these stories are non-cautionary; no

character dies or becomes ill as a result of her or

his sexual orientation.

Young Adult Novels

Am I Blue: Coming Out From the Silence

Bauer, Marion Dane, editor

Harper, 1994

This exciting collection of short stories includes

authors M.E. Kerr, Francesca Lia Block, Lois Lowry and

others. They address important topics such as growing

up gay or lesbian, or having gay or lesbian parents.

The stories are both touching and humorous and address

serious subject matter with humour.

Baby Be-Bop

Block, Francesca Lia

Harper, 1995

16-year-old Dirk is afraid to reveal he's gay lest it

disappoint his Grandma Fifi. To cover his feelings for

other boys, Dirk styles his hair into a Mohawk, turns

punk and throws his emotions into the violent mosh

pit. When Dirk is visited by apparitions of his

ancestors, who tell him their life stories and

unconditionally accept Dirk's sexuality, he gains the

strength to tell his own story. A beautifully moving

post-modern fairy tale woven in Block's characteristic

lyrical voice.

Dare Truth or Promise

Boock, Paula

Longacre Press (New Zealand), 1998.

Willa and Louie could not be more different. But when

they meet working at Burger Giant, they are

immediately attracted to each other and fall

frantically in love. Their relationship feels like

destiny, though they face intolerance from peers and

parents. They endure a painful separation, but with

the help of Willa's tough bartender mother and an

accepting young priest, the girls find strength to

stay together.

My Father's Scar

Cart, Michael

Simon and Schuster, 1996

While in his college freshman year, Andy recollects

the isolation he felt as a teen and begins to come to

terms with the formative years of his adolescence. As

a teen, Andy is shy, overweight and can never please

his abusive, alcoholic father. When Andy confesses to

his parents that he has been in a relationship with

another boy, he suffers their intolerance and leaves

for university, never to return. At university, he

meets Stevenson, who eventually breaks through Andy's

hard outer shell and offers companionship.

Annie On My Mind

Garden, Nancy

Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1982

This lesbian teen romance novel has set the standard

for all others. During her freshman year at MIT, Liza

reflects on her high school relationship with Annie.

An unfortunate, yet maturing, incident forces Liza out

of the closet and results in the firing of a lesbian

couple who are both teachers at Liza's school. Moving

and believable, this is a well-written story about the

survival of love.

Good Moon Rising

Garden, Nancy

Farrar Straus Giroux, 1996

Jan returns from summer acting school excited to

audition for the lead role of the high school

production of The Crucible, but is shocked to find the

lead role has gone to newcomer Kerry. As they work

together on the role, Kerry and Jan fall in love,

which they attempt to keep secret. Kent, the arrogant

male lead, grows suspicious and attempts to expose

them.

The Year They Burned The Books

Garden, Nancy

Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999

Jamie, a high school senior and editor of the school

paper, is coming to terms with being a lesbian and her

growing feelings for Tessa, a new girl in school. When

she writes an editorial in favour of a new health

curriculum that includes handing out condoms and

discussion groups about homosexuality, she encounters

opposition from a group called Families for

Traditional Values (FTV). FTV threatens to shut down

the newspaper and hold a book burning ceremony. This

is an issue-packed novel that takes a hard look at

censorship, prejudice and homophobia.

"Hello," I Lied

Kerr, M.E.

Harper, 1997

"I knew that I'd always think of it as the summer that

I loved a girl" is how seventeen-year-old Lang

describes his vacation. Although still in the closet,

Lang feels secure in his relationship with his

boyfriend, until he begins to have feelings for the

charismatic Huguette. Meanwhile, he struggles with

coming out to his longtime friends. Skillfully

written, this novel challenges assumptions on

bisexuality.

Magic's Pawn

Lackey, Mercedes

Daw Books, 1989

15-year-old Vanyel, heir to his father's throne and

royal pain-in-the-butt, is sent far away from the

kingdom for training. There, he meets the young Mage

trainee Tylendel. Tylendel awakens a love in Vanyel

that he has never known to be possible. They form a

lifelong bond, until a cataclysmic event tears them

apart. Now Vanyel alone, young and unsure of his

control over his great power, must battle the evil

forces threatening the land. Book one of The Last

Herald Mage fantasy trilogy.

The Necessary Hunger

Revoyr, Nina

Simon & Schuster, 1997

Two high school basketball competitors search for love

in the aggressive gymnasiums and mean streets of South

Central L.A. Basketball star Nancy Takahiro has always

admired her rival, shooting guard Raina Webber, from

afar. When Raina's mother moves in with Nancy's

father, Nancy's fascination turns into a complicated

friendship and finally becomes a fierce love. But

Raina already has a girlfriend, and loves the game of

basketball more than anything, or anyone, else. A

well-crafted lesbian love story that also deals with

race, class, interracial relationships, women's

basketball and the passion of being 17 without the

guilt or the closet.

Flamboyant

Swados, Elizabeth

Picador, 1998

A 15-year-old African-American transgendered

streetwalker named Flamboyant and her Orthodox Jewish

teacher, Chana, develop an unlikely friendship that

causes each to accept one another's backgrounds. Set

in a Manhattan alternative school for street kids,

where most of the students and teachers are gay, the

book's dark humour twists stereotyping on its head.

The narrative alternates between Flamboyant's diary

entries, addressed to Chana, and Chana's own narrative

voice.

The Blue Lawn

Taylor, William

HarperCollins (New Zealand), 1994

Alyson Books (Los Angeles), 1999

David is an obedient 15-year-old star player of the

school rugby team. Newcomer Theo is a chain-smoking,

fast-driving 16-year-old. The two have an instant

attraction for one another and develop a relationship,

which is sometimes tender and loving, other times

brutish and hostile as they try to sort out their

common desire.

Peter

Walker, Kate

Omnibus Books (Australia), 1991

Houghton Mifflin, (New York), 1993

Peter struggles through the macho environment, peer

isolation, and ridicule common to the life of a

15-year-old. His life gets even more complicated when

he finds himself attracted to his older brother's gay

friend David. With David's help, Peter learns to get

past the macho labels imposed upon him and accept his

sexuality.

Young Adult Videos

The Incredibly True Adventures of 2 Girls In Love

Directed by Maria Maggenti, 1994

A touching and comic story of first love between two

senior high school girls. Randy is a cute and "out"

tomboy who lives with her two lesbian aunts. Evie is

smart, pretty and part of the popular crowd at school.

When the two become unlikely friends, Evie is

surprised to find herself falling for Randy. When

Evie's mother catches the couple in bed together the

adventures begin, and Randy and Evie must decide how

to face their families and friends.

Trevor

Drected by Peggy Rajiski, 1994.

18 minutes

Thirteen-year-old Trevor's parents barely recognize

their son exists, despite the fact that he fakes his

death daily for their benefit. When word gets out

about Trevor's crush on the most popular boy in

school, he has to deal with the lack of acceptance he

faces from schoolmates. He decides to take his own

life, this time for real. Fortunately, an aspirin O.D.

doesn't do the trick and Trevor finds that he has the

strength to carry on - with the help of a cute candy

striper boy and inspiration from Diana Ross. This

Academy Award winning short inspired The Trevor

Project <http://www.trevorproject.com> which provides

an educational package to use with the film and

sponsors a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline aimed at

gay or questioning youth. Trevor Hotline:

1-800-850-8078

 

 

 

__________________________________________________

Do You Yahoo!?

Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger.

http://im.yahoo.com/

------------------------------

From: Zaklina Gallagher <zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz>

To: "'PUBYAC'" <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>

Subject: Gay/Lesbian Booklist Response - Long

MIME-Version: 1.0

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Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 12:39:36 CDT

Thank you so much to all the Librarians (20!) out there who responded to my

request. This the amalgamation of it all the suggestions. I was overwhelmed

with the response and am thrilled with the outcome.

Cheers

Zak

Zaklina M. Gallagher

Young Adult Librarian

Dunedin Public Libraries

PO Box 5542, Dunedin

Ph: +64-3-4743626

Email: zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz

WWW: http://www.CityofDunedin.com

 

 

SEXUALITY BOOKLIST FOR TEENS

 

 

FICTION TITLES

Bargar, Gary W

What happened to Mr Forster?

 

Bauer, Marion Dane - 1994

Am I blue? coming out from the silence

Compilation of short stories about gay/lesbian teens.

 

Bechard, Margaret

If it doesn't kill you - 1999

High school freshman Ben should be enjoying playing football, meeting girls,

and going to parties, but he's too busy trying to cope with his father's

moving out to live with another man.

 

Block, Francesca Lia

Baby Be-Bop

 

Block, Francesca Lia

Girl goddess #9 - Dragons in Manhattan

 

Block, Francesca Lia

I was a teenage fairy -1998

A feisty, sexy fairy helps a young girl heal traumas of her past.

 

Block, Francesca Lia

Weetzie Bat - 1990

 

Bono, Chastity

Family outing - 1998

 

Boock, Paula

Dare truth or promise - 1997

A powerful and engaging novel about first love, crossing boundaries and the

discovery of self. Louie and Willa fall in love.

 

Book, Rick

Necking with Louise - 1999

Brown, Todd

Letters from a hot pink notebook

 

Burke, Phyllis

Family values: two moms and their son - 1993

 

Cart, Michael

My father's scar

A young man comes to terms with being gay.

 

Carter, Raphael

The fortunate fall

 

Chambers, Aidan

Dance on my grave - 1982

 

Chbosky, Stephen

The perks of being a wallflower - 1999

 

Cruse, Howard

Stuck rubber baby

A graphic novel.

 

Donoghue Emma

Kissing the witch: old tales in new skins - 1997

Retellings of fairy tales with a feminist and lesbian viewpoint.

 

Donovan, Stacey

Dive - 1994

Fifteen-year-old Virginia's world begins to fall apart when her dog is hit

by a car, her father is hospitalised with a mysterious illness, and her best

friend ignores her.

 

Feinberg, Leslie

Stone butch blues

An adult book with a transgender character

 

Fox, Paula

The eagle kite : a novel -1995

Liam's father has AIDS, and his family cannot talk about it until Liam

reveals a secret that he has tried to deny ever since he saw his father

embracing another man at the beach.

Gantos, Jack

Desire lines - 1997

 

Garden, Nancy

Annie on my mind - 1982

Liza puts aside her feelings for Annie after the disaster at school, but

eventually she allows love to triumph over the ignorance of people.

 

Garden, Nancy

Good moon rising - 1996

 

Garden, Nancy

Lark in the morning

 

Garden, Nancy

The year they burned the books - 1999

 

Greene, Bette

Drowning of Stephen Jones - 1991

 

Griffith, Nicola

Bending the landscape

 

Grima, Tony

Not the only one

Short stories

 

Hart, Ellen

Faint praise - 1995

 

Hilton, Nette

Clouded edges : five teenagers, five stories, five lives take shape - 1997

 

Hilton, Nette

Square pegs - 1991

After joining a dance class in order to be near Bethany Edwards, Denny makes

friends with flamboyant, witty, theatrical Stephen and is the exposed to the

homophobia of his fellow students and family.

 

 

 

Holland, Isabelle

The man without a face - 1972

A fatherless fourteen-year-old boy develops an unusual relationship with the

man living near his summer home who helps him prepare his entrance exams to

boarding school.

 

Homes, A. M.

Jack -1989

Fifteen-year-old Jack's confused feelings for his father, who left him and

his mother four years earlier, are further complicated when he finds that

his father is gay.

 

Jenkins, A M

Breaking boxes - 1997

When in the course of an unusual friendship Charlie reveals something

confidential about his brother, he must decide if he can accept the risks of

caring.

 

Jennings, Kevin ed.

Becoming visible - 1994

 

Kerr, M. E.

Deliver us from Evie - 1994

Sixteen-year-old Parr Burrman and his family face some difficult times when

word spreads through their rural Missouri town that his older sister is a

lesbian, and she leaves the family farm to live with the daughter of the

town's banker.

 

Kerr, M. E.

"Hello," I lied : a novel - 1997

Summering in the Hamptons on the estate of a famous rock star,

seventeen-year-old Lang tries to decide how to tell his long-time friends

that he is gay, while struggling with an infatuation with a girl from

France.

 

Kerr, M. E.

Night kites

 

Ketchum, Liza

Blue coyote - 1997

 

Klein, Norma

Breaking up : a novel - 1980

While she is visiting her father and stepmother in California, 15-year-old

Alison learns her mother is a lesbian.

 

 

 

Koertge, Ronald

The Arizona kid - 1988

Sixteen-year-old Billy spends the summer with his gay uncle in Tucson and

works at a racetrack where he falls in love with an outspoken horse

exerciser named Cara Mae.

 

Koertge, Ronald

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright

 

Lackey, Mercedes

Mage Winds series

 

Larson, Rodger

What I know now - 1997

 

Lynch, Chris

Mick

 

Marcus, Eric

Is it a choice - 1993

 

Mastoon, Adam

The shared heart - 1998

 

McClain, Ellen Jaffe

No big deal - 1997

When rumours that Janice's favourite teacher is gay begin to circulate at

school and in the community, she decides to stand up for him even in the

face of her mother's opposition.

 

McCauley, Stephen

The object of my affection

For mature young adult readers

 

More, Terry

Strangers in paradise - graphic novel series

Complete strangers in paradise Vol 1, 2, 3

Strangers in paradise: I dream of you

 

 

 

 

 

Mowry, Jess

Babylon boyz - 1997

Inner-city teenagers find a suitcase full of cocaine and must decide whether

to sell it and take the opportunities the money would provide or to destroy

it to keep the drug from poisoning their community.

 

Murrow, Liza Ketchum

Twelve days in August - 1993

Twelve days in August change a sixteen-year-old soccer player perceptions of

himself, his family, girls, and gays.

 

Nelson, Theresa

Earthshine - 1994

 

Pausacker, Jenny

Hide and seek

Stories about being young and gay/lesbian.

 

Puttock, Simon

Same difference - 1998

A collection of short stories with lesbian or gay characters.

 

Revoyr, Nina

The necessary hunger - 1997

 

Ryman, Geoff

The child garden

The main character believes herself to be the only lesbian on the planet.

 

Salvatore, Diane

Benediction

An adult novel with YA protagonists

 

Scholinski

The last time I wore a dress

 

Scoppettone, Sandra

Happy endings are all alike: a novel

 

 

 

 

Scoppettone, Sandra

Trying hard to hear you - 1996

Faced with the revelation that her best friend is a homosexual, a

sixteen-year-old tries to cope with her own and her friends' reactions

toward him.

 

Selvadurai, Shyam

Funny Boy

 

Shannon, George

Unlived affections

 

Sinclair, April

Coffee will make you black

Has a bisexual protagonist.

 

Sinclair, April

Ain't gonna be the same fool twice

Has a bisexual protagonist.

 

Singer, Bennett

Growing up gay: a literary anthology

 

Springer, Nacy

Looking for Jamie Brider

 

Stoer, Shelley

Tomorrow, Wendy - 1998

 

Swados, Elizabeth

Flamboyant

 

Taylor, William

The blue lawn - 1994

The story of strong physical attraction between two young men.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taylor, William

Jerome - 1999

Marco and Kate, devastated by the death of their friend Jerome and separated

by thousands of miles, turn to each other for comfort and answers. Kate, in

America as a foreign-exchange student, and Marco in New Zealand, converse

through a series of online chats, faxes and e-mail messages. As they explore

the nature of their relationships with Jerome, denial gives way to truth.

 

Torres, Laura

November ever after -1999

In the aftermath of her mother's death, sixteen-year-old Amy finds solace in

the company of her best friend Sara, but then she is shocked to discover

that Sara is romantically involved with another girl and has kept it a

secret from her.

 

Van Dijk, Lutz

Damned strong love - 1995

 

Walker, Kate

Peter - 1991

 

Walker, Sarah

Camphor Laurel - 1998

 

Walker, Sarah

The year of freaking out - 1997

 

Welford, Sue

Ghost in the mirror - 1993

Jayce's father's decision that they can't afford to have her stay on at

school seems to end all her hopes for the future. But then she finds her

great-grandmother's journal, and nothing is the same again.

 

Wersba, Barbara

Whistle me home - 1997

Seventeen-year-old Noli feels as if she has found her soul mate when

handsome, sensitive TJ moves to Sag Harbor, but even as their feelings

deepen, individual secrets threaten their relationship.

 

White, Mel

Stranger at the gate: to be gay and christian in America - 1994

 

 

 

Wieler, Diana J.

Bad boy - 1992

A.J. Brandiosa becomes the bad boy of the Cyclone hockey team, and learns

that his best friend is gay, as he tries to cope with his own sexuality

during his senior year in high school.

 

Williams, Bett

Girl walking backwards - 1998

 

Winterson, Jeanette

The passion

Set during the Napoleonic war, a mature read for older high school students.

 

Wittlinger, Ellen

Hard love - 1999

After starting to publish a zine in which he writes his secret feelings

about his lonely life and his parents' divorce, sixteen-year-old John meets

an unusual girl and begins to develop a healthier personality.

 

Wittlinger, Ellen

What's in a name? - 2000

 

Womack, Jack

Random acts of senseless violence

 

Woodson, Jacqueline

A way out of no way

Writings of growing up black in America.

 

Woodson, Jacqueline

>From the notebooks of Melanin Sun - 1995

 

Woodson, Jacqueline

The house you pass on the way - 1997

When fourteen-year-old Staggerlee, the daughter of a racially mixed

marriage, spends a summer with her cousin Trout, she begins to question her

sexuality to Trout and catches a glimpse of her possible future self.

 

Yamanaka, Lois-Ann

Name me nobody - 1999

Emi-Lou struggles to come of age in her middle school years in Hawaii.

 

Youngblood, Shay

Soul kiss

About a young girl's abandonment by her mother, her yearning to be with her

father and her developing erotic feelings. Older teen readers.

 

 

NON-FICTION TITLES

Bass, Ellen

Free your mind; the book for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth and their

allies

 

Cohen, Susan

When someone you know is gay - 1989

Describes the history, possible causes, and social, religious, and political

aspects of male and female homosexuality, with an emphasis on the problems

experienced by gay teens in coming out to family and friends.

 

Due, Linnea

Joining the tribe: growing up gay and lesbian in the 90's

 

Ford, Michael Thomas

Outspoken: role models from the lesbian and gay community - 1998

 

Gray, Mary L.

In your face : stories from the lives of queer youth - 1999

 

Heron, Ann

Two teenagers in twenty : writings by gay and lesbian youth - 1994

 

Pollack, Rachel

The journey out : a guide for and about lesbian, gay and bisexual teens -

1995

Suggests how gay, lesbian, and bisexual teenagers may discover their sexual

orientation, find self-acceptance, come out, cope with prejudice, and deal

with religious and political issues.

 

Stewart, Gail

Gay & lesbian youth - 1997

First-person accounts of four homosexual Americans--three teenagers and a

twenty-year-old university student.

 

 

 

 

Sutton, Roger ed.

Hearing us out: voices from the Gay and Lesbian community

This book is a compilation of stories of real people dealing with being

gay/lesbian. Not all of the stories are from young adults, but some are.

Also, the book includes pictures of the people telling their stories - lends

a personal touch to the book.

 

 

http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/closet.htm

http://www.seemore.mi.org/booklists/Gay.txt

http://www.infopeople.org/bpl/teen/gay.html

http://www.clpgh.org/ein/ya/yaparent.html

http://www.nypl.org/branch/teen/gay.html

http://www.armory.com/~web/gaybooks.html

http://www.kpl.org/nowreadthis/out/default.htm

http://spl.org/youngadult/anotherway.html

http://www.ala.org/booklist/v95/youth/je1/55yatalk.html

http://www.youth.org/yao/docs/books.html

http://www.softlord.com/glbbooks/fiction.html

http://www.ala.org/yalsa.booklists/poppaper.html#lesbian

 

------------------------------

From: Zaklina Gallagher <zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz>

To: "'PUBYAC'" <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>

Subject: FW: Gay/Lesbian Booklist

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Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 12:41:08 CDT

With Thanks to Shawn Hellenius for this!

-----Original Message-----

From: Shawna Hellenius [mailto:shellenius@yahoo.com]

Sent: Saturday, 20 May 2000 6:14am

To: zgallagh@dcc.govt.nz

Subject: Gay/Lesbian Booklist

 

Hi Zaklina,

Below is the full list of recommendations for lesbian,

gay, bisexual, and transgendered fiction titles for

young adults sent to me by request from members of the

GLBT Librarian, LEZBRIAN, and YALSA listservs. With

each suggested title, I have included commentary, if

any, given by the respondents about the material.

After the fiction titles, I've included suggestions

for online bibliographies, e-zines, websites,

articles, and search engines.

Enjoy and pass along!

Shawna Hellenius

MLIS Student

University of British Columbia

Vancouver, BC Canada

* * * * *

*FICTION*

AM I BLUE? COMING OUT FROM THE SILENCE (anthology, ed.

Marion Dane Bauer) - A compilation of short

stories/personal essays about gay/lesbian teens. With

a *very* funny opening story!

- Includes work by C.S. Adler, Bauer, Francesca Lia

Block, Bruce Coville, Nancy Garden, James Cross

Giblin, Ellen Howard, M.E. Kerr, Jonathan London, Lois

Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Leslea Newman, Cristina Salat,

William Sleator, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jane Yolen.

 

Bechard, Margaret

IF IT DOESN'T KILL YOU - Ben discovers his father is

gay.

 

BENDING THE LANDSCAPE: FANTASY

BENDING THE LANDSCAPE: SF

- Short story anthologies edited by Nicola Griffith

 

Berendt, John

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL - Remember The

Lady

Chablis?

 

Bledsoe, Lucy Jane

WORKING PARTS (1997)

 

Block, Francesca Lia

BABY BE-BOP - my personal favourite.

"DRAGONS IN MANHATTAN" - short story in GIRL GODDESS

#9 featuring a transsexual character

I WAS A TEENAGE FAIRY (1998)

WEETZIE BAT

 

Boock, Paula

DARE TRUTH OR PROMISE (1999) - about 2 New Zealander

teen girls falling in love and dealing with parents

and society. And it has a happy ending, hooray!

- It's the best YA lesbian fiction novel I've read -

it's even well written.

 

Brown, Todd

LETTERS FROM A HOT PINK NOTEBOOK

 

Bujold

ETHAN OF ATHOS - A squeaky-clean young man from

conservative backwater Athos is out in the wild wicked

galaxy having adventures, dealing with (gasp) women

(there aren't any on Athos, it's against their

religion). It's rather implied that he finds True

Love by the end of the novel but, again, it's the

people, not their genital configurations that drive

the plot.

- I am currently reviewing an audio version of a book

titled Ethan of Athos by Bujold. Athos is a planet

populated only by men (and they fear women). They

populate their planet with test tube babies and raise

their children (only boys, of course) with 2 gay

(apparently) dads. I haven't listened to the entire

tape yet but the storyline is certainly intriguing.

 

Cart, Michael

MY FATHER'S SCAR (S&S, 1996) - "wonderful"

 

Carter, Raphael

THE FORTUNATE FALL

 

Chambers, Aiden

DANCE ON MY GRACE

 

Chbosky, Stephen

PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER - The main character has a

friend who is gay, and also explores his own confusing

sexual feelings.

 

Cruse, Howard

STUCK RUBBER BABY - amazing graphic novel about coming

of age in the 60's... don't miss it!

 

Donoghue, Emma

KISSING THE WITCH - retellings of fairy tales with a

feminist & lesbian viewpoint.

 

Feinberg, Leslie

STONE BUTCH BLUES - transsexual protagonist

 

Gantos, Jack

DESIRE LINES (1997)- small-town homophobia causes a

double-murder/attempted suicide by two lesbian teens.

Not recommended.

 

Garden, Nancy

ANNIE ON MY MIND - A classic! It was the first lesbian

novel I read as a young one and I loved it. I recently

reread it and still enjoyed it as an adult.

GOOD MOON RISING - very positive and enjoyable.

THE YEAR THEY BURNED THE BOOKS

Hamilton, R.J.

THE CASE OF THE MISSING MOTHER (LA: Alyson, 1995)

WHO FRAMED LORENZO GARCIA? (LA: Alyson, 1995)

- excellent mystery series reminiscent of the Hardy

Boys that sparked an attempted "Pride Pack" series.

Good depiction of a gay community being central to gay

survival and acceptance.

Jenkins, A.M.

BREAKING BOXES (1997)

 

Kerr, M.E.

DELIVER US FROM EVIE - Sweet, thoughtful.

- Has its sad but realistic parts and in the end she

gets the girl as I recall.

"HELLO," I LIED (1997) - 17 year old Lang wants to

tell his friend he is gay and develops an unexpected

infatuation with a girl.

 

Koertge, Ron

THE ARIZONA KID - main character's uncle is gay.

 

Lackey, Mercedes.

LAST HERALD MAGE TRILOGY:

MAGIC'S PAWN

MAGIC'S PROMISE

MAGIC'S PRICE

- Main character in this series realizes he is gay,

falls in love, is attacked, then loves again. There

is violence (EX: main character in this series is

raped by non-homosexual men), so wouldn't recommend

for younger teens.

Overall, though, what I like about Lackey is that

generally, within the "mage" society, homosexuality is

nothing special.

 

Larson, Rodger

WHAT I KNOW NOW, 1997

 

McBride, Andrew

ARIZONA KID

 

McCaffrey, Anne

THE POWERS THAT BE - The main character's sister

Sinead is gay and plays an important part in the whole

series. Also, the parents of one of the younger

characters is a gay couple. His mom and dad divorced

and dad is now involved with another man. His mom

feels that they are better able to take care of her

son than she is.

In the DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN series, esp DRAGONSDAWN,

there are gay dragonriders in many secondary character

positions.

These books don't focus on the gay/lesbian characters

or any issues like that, but they are all treated as

normal and accepted by most of the other characters in

the books, which is good to see.

 

Miller, Steve, and Sharon Lee

CONFLICT OF HONOURS - Science fiction adventure. Both

the heroine and hero are bisexual. Of course, being

SF, the characters sexual relationships are pretty

much taken for granted and the "romance" is about two

*people* finding a way to love each other rather than

two genders doing so in a PC-kinda-edgy way.

(NB the book is back in print as PARTNERS IN

NECCESSITY by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee)

 

More, Terry

STRANGERS IN PARADISE - Graphic novel series. Very

Melrose-Placey plots. Beautifully drawn, lots of heart

and fairly suspenseful in an X-Files kind of way.

Various individual titles:

COMPLETE STRANGERS IN PARADISE, Vol. 1, 2, 3 etc.

STRANGERS IN PARADISE: I DREAM OF YOU

 

Mowry, Jess

BABYLON BOYZ - A multicultural title. There are

several main characters, one of them black and gay,

and he's portrayed in a positive light.

 

Murrow, Liza Ketchum

TWELVE DAYS IN AUGUST (Holiday House, 1993)

BLUE COYOTE (S&S , 1997) - sequel to Twelve Days in

August

 

Murphy, Timothy

GETTING OFF CLEAN (1997)

 

Reid, John (pseudonym)

THE BEST LITTLE BOY IN THE WORLD (1973)

 

Revoyr, Nina

THE NECESSARY HUNGER (1997) - Features an African

American woman and a Japanese American woman.

 

Ryman, Geoff

THE CHILD GARDEN - The main character believes herself

to be the only lesbian on the planet...as genetic

engineering has "solved" many of the world's

"problems". However things are far from perfect, for

when a way is found to eliminate cancer, humanity also

looses its ability to age past 30 or so. The key for

reviving humanity looks to be in the genes of the

biologically natural/untampered hero of the book.

Lots of other great stuff involving music and the arts

too. I can't recall if it would be good for YAs or

not, but for fans of the genre I would say it is a

must read. Winner of Arthur C. Clarke Award, John W.

Campbell Memorial Award, and nomination for British

Science Fiction Association Award, all in 1990.

 

Salvatore, Diane

BENEDICTION (Naiad Press) - An adult novel with YA

protagonists. Two girls fall in love at a NYC

Catholic high school. They separate when one partner,

Meg, rejects her gayness. With the help of a straight

friend, who assists her in contacting a slightly older

gay alumna, Grace accepts hers. The book ends with

Grace alone, but hopeful and expectant.

 

Scott, Melissa

- Just about anything by Melissa Scott (who I believe

once said that all of the characters in her books

should be considered gay barring any other

information)

 

Scoppettone, Sandra

HAPPY ENDINGS ARE ALL ALIKE: A NOVEL - Two girls fall

in love, one is raped, non graphically. They split

apart but end up back together. The family of the

rape victim is very supportive, perhaps a little too

good to be true. An uplifting and affirming book.

 

Sinclair, April

COFFEE WILL MAKE YOU BLACK - bisexual protagonist

AIN'T GONNA BE THE SAME FOOL TWICE - bisexual

protagonist

 

Springer, Nancy

LOOKING FOR JAMIE BRIDER - 14 year old Jamie is

determined to find out who her real parents are. It

turns out one is gay.

 

Stoer, Shelley

TOMORROW, WENDY, 1998

 

Swados, Elizabeth

FLAMBOYANT

 

Taylor, William

THE BLUE LAWN (1999) - originally published in New

Zealand, and published here last year as an original

paperback by Alyson.

A popular football player falls for the new guy at

school. Great romantic tension.

- I loved the Blue Lawn by William Taylor. The main

character finds that he has feelings for his new best

friend. The characters are struggling with their

sexuality. What I loved about it was how the author

described the teenage feelings of having a crush and

falling in love. Those feelings are universal no

matter who the crush is on.

 

Van Dijk, Lutz

DAMNED STRONG LOVE - Translated from German. Nice

cross-cultural feel to the story, a universality.

 

Walker, Kate

PETER (1991) - An Australian teenager begins to wonder

if he might be gay when he finds himself attracted to

the homosexual friend of his older brother.

Presents sexuality as a spectrum, rather than as an

either/or choice. Peter's grappling with his sexual

identity, his repulsion at both heterosexual and

homosexual "fumbling", his painful efforts to find out

more information about sex and himself, and especially

the marvelously UNresolved conclusion -- struck me as

one of the most honest explorations of teen sexuality

I have ever read.

- I LOVE this book! It may have been the first book I

read that had a positive, thoughtful treatment of

homosexuality for teens. I felt such compassion for

Peter as he struggled with his fears and his feelings

while his peers made fun of gays ("poofter"). His

brother's friend is depicted as a caring, gentle soul

who is kind to Peter.

 

Watts, Julia

PHASES OF THE MOON (1997)

 

A WAY OUT OF NO WAY: WRITINGS ON GROWING UP BLACK IN

AMERICA (Jackie Woodson, ed.)

 

Wersba, Barbara

WHISTLE ME HOME (1997)

 

Wieler, Diana

BAD BOY - The main character finds out over time that

his best friend is gay. It has a hopeful (not sugary

or pat) ending, but there are a lot of realistic hurts

and misunderstandings on the way.

- One of the things about that particular book is that

the story is told from the points of view of both the

main character (AJ) and his friend (Tully) who turns

out to be gay. I can remember the author telling us

that the publisher wanted her to tell it from just one

point of view (AJ), but that she felt it was very

important to get Tully's side of the story from Tully

himself, not just through his friend. I just love all

of Diana Wieler's books, and it's great when I see

them recommended.

- Homosexuality in a male athlete, difference between

love for a friend and being in love with that friend

-- not often examined. Wonderful book that can make

you cry.

 

Williams, Bett

GIRL WALKING BACKWARDS (1998)

Winterson, Jeanette

THE PASSION - Takes place partially during the

Napoleonic war. Mature reading for older high school

students.

 

Wittlinger, Ellen

HARD LOVE - Two high school students, John and

Marisol, share a love of 'zines. John falls in love

with Marisol, and Marisol loves John, but not the same

way...she's a lesbian and knows it...this is a great

book!! It discusses those questions we all have: how

can I like someone of the opposite sex so much and

still be gay? Great story line that just sucks you in

-- Don't miss out!

- Includes a lesbian (who's also Puerto Rican by

birth) as a main character.

- She is healthy and fairly together. Winner of the

Printz honor award and a Best Book 2000 winner.

WHAT'S IN A NAME? - features one character who comes

out and includes some interesting reactions.

Interesting format, where each chapter is narrated by

a different teen.

 

Womack, Jack.

RANDOM ACTS OF SENSELESS VIOLENCE

 

Woodson, Jacqueline

FROM THE NOTEBOOKS OF MELANIN SUN - Deals with a young

boy whose mother falls in love with another woman.

 

THE HOUSE YOU PASS ON THE WAY - deals with an

interracial family and a young woman's lesbian

longings.

 

Yamanaka, Lois Ann

NAME ME NOBODY - has some lesbian characters and the

Hawaiian protagonist is struggling with her loyalty to

her lesbian friend and her attraction to boys

 

Youngblood, Shay

SOUL KISS - About a young girl's abandonment by her

mother, her yearning to be with her father and her

developing erotic feelings. This is an adult book

which would appeal to older YAs.

 

 

*ADDITIONAL SF/F AUTHORS*

Melissa Scott, Gael Baudino, and Marion Zimmer Bradley

 

 

*VIDEOS*

THE INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF 2 GIRLS IN LOVE

 

 

*TRANSSEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED NON-FICTION FOR TEENS*

 

Bornstein, Kate

GENDER OUTLAW: ON MEN, WOMEN, AND THE REST OF US

MY GENDER WORKBOOK

 

Cameron, Loren

BODY ALCHEMY: TRANSSEXUAL PORTRAITS

Feinberg, Leslie

TRANSGENDER WARRIORS: MAKING HISTORY FROM JOAN OF ARC

TO RUPAUL

 

 

*ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHIES OF GLBT LITERATURE FOR YA'S*

(both fiction and nonfiction):

GAY AND LESBIAN CHARACTERS AND THEMES IN CHILDREN'S

BOOKS

http://www.armory.com/~web/gaybooks.html

- A bibliography I just came across yesterday! The

intermediate and young adult section might be of

particular interest.

- Also see the Intermediate and Young Adult Portion of

the bibliography at:

http://www.armory.com/~web/gaybooks.html (annotated)

 

QUEER READS (BY ODD GIRL PRESS)

http://www.queerreads.com

- Margaret Gillon, bibliographer extraordinaire, has

put up her Checklist bibliography. See the sections

under "Young Adult Fiction" (partially annotated)

 

LIBRARY Q:

http://carbon.cudenver.edu/public/library/libq/stacks.html

- Contains several bibliographies

 

http://www.santacruzpl.org/kids/tools/lgincl.html

- Non-annotated bibliography

http://www.ukans.edu/~rmelton/gayles/juvenile.htm

http://www.youth.org/yao/docs/books.html

http://www.softlord.com/glbbooks/fiction.html

http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/Diversity/Specific/Sexual_Orientation/

Biblographies/

(note the long URL, it may word-wrap)

 

 

*E-ZINES & WEBSITES*

ELIGHT

http://www.youth.org/elight/

"Making a difference for GLBT and questioning youth

and young adults"

OASIS

http://www.oasismag.com/

"Oasis, the online Webzine written by, about and for

queer and questioning youth!"

http://www.drizzle.com/~kathleen/wla/youth.htm

- Really good site with lots of links--a few dead

links, but not very many

PFLAG

http://www.pflag.org/pflag.html

- a good resource. Info on Safe Schools and other

great stuff to explore around on their site. They

have a short little list of books

http://www.pflag.org/store/books.html

 

CREATING SAFE SCHOOLS FOR LESBIAN AND GAY STUDENTS

http://www.members.tripod.com/~twood/guide.html

Whole book is online. Lots of good resources for

students, parents and teachers.

 

 

*ARTICLES*

BOOKLIST has this article on YA LBG fiction that's not

depressing:

http://www.ala.org/booklist/v95/youth/je1/55yatalk.html

 

Also in BOOKLIST, but not online (in their September

1, 1990 issue) is the article "Being Gay: Gay/Lesbian

Characters and Concerns in Young Adult Books."

EDUCATION WORLD pulled up Improving the School

Experience for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Students.

ERIC Digest No. 101. - Ask Eric Digest #ed377257

 

CHRISTINE JENKINS

- The foremost expert in this area is Christine

Jenkins. Be sure to read all her articles on the

subject.

 

 

*SEARCH ENGINES & DIRECTORIES*

http://www.alltheweb.com

- search under the terms gay youth bibliography or

other combinations will come up with many more book

titles and many are annotated, as well as other good

resources for lesbigay youth

 

http://www.rcls.org/ksearch.htm

KIDS SEARCH TOOLS - several of which have lesbian/gay

resources. They are sparse, but good resources, and

actually I was surprised that they pulled up entries.

You do have to search under different forms, ie.

lesbian/lesbians....

SEARCHOPOLIS

- A very good engine that pulled up a lot of good

stuff.

KIDSFUSION

AOLNETFIND FOR KIDS

- Has a handful of links

ONEKEY

- Has a few interesting perhaps peculiar links,

including one on pulp novels.

SCHOLASTIC SEARCH

- Under lesbian produced pages on Holocaust,

Bartlett's quotes, Iditorod, Children's

Literature, National Women's History, Young Writers,

Women's sports, etc. (Not sure they all have to do

with lesbians specifically though)

THINKQUESTION

- Has one article on Intolerance and Racism

 

ASKJEEVES FOR KIDS

- Has some very good answers to questions youths might

have about What if I'm gay, How do I know I'm gay,

Should I tell my parents, How can I be safe in school,

etc.

KIDSCLICK

- Has 2 very good links- a bibliography and COLAGE a

group from Children of Gays and Lesbians

CHILDREN'S SEARCH TOOLS

http://www.danbury.k12.ct.us/elemweb/haweb/kidsearc.htm

GAY AND LESBIAN LINKS

http://gaylesissues.miningco.com/culture/gaylesissues/mbody.htm

 

 

*RESOURCES*

GAY, LESBIAN, AND STRAIGHT EDUCATION NETWORK/SAN DIEGO

COUNTY

GLSENSD@aol.com

GLSEN/SD

P.O. Box 632747

San Diego, CA 92163

(619) 226-5786

(this resource was recommended to me, but I haven't

tried contacting them yet)

 

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End of PUBYAC Digest 150

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