Things We Couldn't Say written by Jay Coles and reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Gio’s life is tough. His dad drinks too much and disapproves of both Gio’s love of basketball over church and his coming out as bisexual. His grades are poor partially due to near constant racism within his classes. And his birth mom, who abandoned him and his brother when Gio was nine, has unexpectedly reached out and asked to see him. Fortunately, Gio has support in his stepmom, his two best friends, Ayesha and Olly, and his new basketball teammate and neighbor, David. As Gio and David become closer, romance begins to blossom, but Gio isn’t sure he can handle anything new while he is trying to navigate his feelings about his mom. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: There is a lot to unpack in Things We Couldn’t Say, which at times made the narrative feel cluttered and slowed the pace of the novel. Gio is a likeable character, and his problems at home and school are depicted with sensitivity and realism, but there were times that the book felt more like a list of issues than a story. Gio’s new-found relationship with his mom, in particular, was understandably fraught with tangible emotion, but missing narrative components that helped the reader understand Gio’s intense reactions. Consequently, Gio’s decision about his relationship with his mom at the end of the story may feel confusing or abrupt to readers. The bright spots in this book were definitely in the friendships and romance. Ayesha and Olly were excellent side characters, and display the devoted and honest friendship that we wish for all kids. David joins this circle of friends, eventually becoming a love interest that helps Gio to balance his feelings and find some joy in his life. The sensitive and heartfelt way that they relate to each other as they go through challenging moments is a high point of the story and a beautiful model for teens navigating first love. A possible addition to collections where books heavy on social issues and trouble at home are popular.

I Wish You All the Best, written by Mason Deaver, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: This beautiful #OwnVoices story finds Ben dealing with the internal struggle of preparing to come out as nonbinary to their parents. Ben’s quiet hope that their parents will accept them is quickly dashed when they are immediately kicked out of the house and forced to call upon their much older sister, Hannah, who they have not seen or spoken to in 10 years. Ben begins a tenuous relationship with Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, who Ben has never met. They are quickly enrolled in a new school to finish their senior year and are lightly coerced into therapy by Hannah, who also left their parents home under unpleasant circumstances. Ben begins to find some solace in the school’s art program and in the healing and self-acceptance that their new life fosters. They also are almost aggressively befriended by Nathan, who is assigned to be Ben’s school buddy, and who refuses to let Ben quietly disappear into the noise of their busy high school. Though Ben is immediately honest about their identity with Hannah, Thomas and their therapist, they decide to remain quiet about it at school, creating a secret that lives between Ben and Nathan. The tension of this secret mounts throughout the novel as Ben slowly succumbs to Nathan’s irresistible charm and positivity, developing a crush in spite of the uncertainty of reciprocation. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Ben’s character-driven, coming out story is both simple and complex, making it an excellent and accessible text for a MS/HS library. Though the range of emotions and the events that drive them are incredibly intense, Ben’s story features few controversial or inappropriate scenes (some teen drinking that ends in regret, same-sex kissing and romance), making it available to readers much younger than Ben. Though a few of the more minor side characters aren’t explored to great depth, more significant supporting characters are extremely well-drawn. Perhaps the most honest and nuanced relationship is the one between Ben and Hannah, who are necessarily important to one another but bring much baggage and prior trauma to the relationship. Ben’s best, and seemingly only friend outside of school is Mariam, a nonbinary YouTube artist and public speaker who has become close with Ben online. Nathan is a truly lovely character that readers will champion as both Ben’s friend and love interest. The will they/won’t they romance between Ben and Nathan helps to balance the intensity of Ben’s complicated feelings about their identity and their relationship with their parents. Though the body of YA literature featuring authentic voices of queer characters is growing, there is still not nearly enough featuring nonbinary characters, which make this book an important part of any middle school or high school collection.

Frannie and Tru, written by Karen Hattrup, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Frannie is looking ahead to an unremarkable summer when her mother receives a mysterious phone call and subsequently announces that her cousin, Tru, will be coming to stay with them for the summer. Frannie, who has recently become outcast by her friends and is headed to a new school in the fall, is both thrilled and nervous about Tru’s extended visit. Tru has always been unpredictable and unsettling to her, but he could provide the excitement and thrills that Frannie’s summer needs. When Frannie overhears her parents discussing that Tru has come out as gay, and she realizes that this revelation must be the catalyst that caused his parents to send him away, she instantly takes his side and spends the majority of the summer trying to entertain and delight him, a challenging but worthy goal. But as Frannie and Tru become closer, Frannie notices the wall that Tru has built around his true thoughts and feelings, and vows to crack that facade and find the real Tru. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: It’s difficult to put a finger on what the reader is supposed to get out of Frannie’s story. Frannie’s lack of self-confidence and self-awareness is hard to read at times, and the way she idolizes Tru and his exciting, mature ways (which mostly amount to basic high school rebellion) feels too intense to be accurate. But Tru does manage to expose Frannie to some new people from different backgrounds, who help open Frannie’s eyes to some racial and socio-economic disparities that Frannie has never recognized before. Frannie starts to recognize her own racial privilege as she begins new friendships with Sparrow and her younger brother, Devon. Frannie’s family is also struggling with money, so socio-economic issues amongst teenagers are an appropriate and important component of the story. But Frannie’s coming-of-age is almost painfully subtle, highlighting Frannie’s initial naivety more than her growth. The story is not without its moments or merits, and I appreciate the wide representation of characters from different races, backgrounds and sexual orientations. In the end, this is a perfectly fine book, but it is unlikely to draw major attention.

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali, written by Sabina Khan, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Rukhsana Ali cannot be who she truly is in her own home. At school, she is the fun-loving, crop-top wearing, academically successful girlfriend of six months to Ariana. At home, she is limited by her parents, told that he brother’s academic success is more important than hers, and constantly threatened to behave lest her actions bring shame upon her Muslim Bengali family. When she has to struggle to convince her parents to let her attend college, she knows that they will never understand her coming out to them. She’s ready to let the distance and lack of Bengali friends and family near CalTech do the hard work for her when her mother catches her kissing Ariana. Before she can really discuss the fallout with Ariana and her friends, Rukhsana’s parents whisk her away to India where she cannot escape the intolerance, rigid traditions and family expectations. Fortunately, Rukhsana finds a few unexpected allies and begins the difficult work of finding a way to escape her circumstances and live the life she knows she deserves.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I have been waiting for this book! There are an increasing number of LGBTQ titles for teens, but I had not yet seen one about an LGBTQ Muslim character struggling against religious and family expectations in pursuit of an honest relationship. Rukhsana’s story is difficult to read. The lengths to which her family will go in order to keep her within the bounds of “acceptable” is astounding and rage-inducing. Sabina Khan does not shy away from the intense feelings Rukhsana experiences or the ugly spectacles displayed by homophobic characters. Fortunately, despite having to see Rukhsana endure many difficult people and moments, the novel ultimately has a hopeful tone and a promising, if not slightly sugar-coated outcome. Rukhsana learns that she cannot count on her parents for kindness or acceptance, but she discovers in the process that she has more allies surrounding her than she initially realized. Some of these relationships are better developed than others, but they all serve to remind Rukhsana, and the reader, that not all hope is lost. This is a critical addition to all collections, especially in communities with significant LGBTQ, Muslim or Bengali populations.

Music of What Happens, written by Bill Konigsberg, reviewed by Kalie Mehaffy

Summary: The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg is a story of two boys, Max and Jordan, and their crazy, terrible, awesome summer. Max has a terrible encounter with a boy but doesn't know how to talk about it. Jordan and his mom will lose their house if they cannot make their food truck work. Max and Jordan, although they are in the same AP Composition class during the school year, meet each other at the food truck in a farmers market, where Max sees Jordan's mom breakdown. Max offers to help Jordan with the food truck, and as the summer progresses, the two boys become close. As their friendship turns into a relationship, their deepest secrets start to come out, and both boys have to learn how to navigate the unfamiliar waters of deep communication and trust.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I think that this is an amazing book that absolutely deserves a space on the classroom library bookshelf, but it is also a book that should come with warnings. This book covers very heavy topics that could be very triggering for some readers, but the way Bill Konigsberg approaches them is so real and so relatable. I think this book could be something very beneficial for students, but it is a book that I would want to have a conversation with the student about before letting them read it. I think this book has some amazing themes that students can learn from and apply to their everyday lives, and if it could be used as a class novel there is some amazing character analysis that can be done. The point of view switches back and forth from Max to Jordan, and I think it adds some depth to their characters and interactions to occasionally see the same scene from both character's points of view. I do not think I would use it as a class novel, but I absolutely would have it available for students, with the proper warnings.

Hurricane Child, written by Kheryn Callender, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: Caroline Murphy was born during a hurricane, which left an imprint on her personality. She is rough, tough, and often finds herself in trouble. But it doesn't take long to realize that Caroline is being bullied every day at school, not only by the other girls, but also by her teacher. To add insult to injury, her mom left her and her dad to fend for themselves, and Caroline is desperate to find her and correct her life. She is miserable and alone, until a new girl starts at school. Kalinda is amazing and somehow manages to tame even the worst of the school bullies. Caroline can't seem to understand why, but Kalinda wants to be her friend. Soon Caroline recognizes that the feelings she feels for Kalinda are more than just friendship, but maybe even love. Caroline's life is suddenly filled with choices. Should she tell Kalinda, or keep her feelings a secret? Should she search for her mom, or accept her fate? And how will her decisions impact the rest of her life? This is a touching story told through the raw emotion-filled eyes of a 12 year old grappling with growing up.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This story touched my heart in two very personal ways. First, Caroline's family has been torn apart, not by divorce, but when her mom leaves overnight without saying goodbye. At first she sends post cards from foreign countries, but when they stop coming, Caroline finds out her dad threw them away after she read them. She starts to question, how could her mother have left her? Doesn't she love her? How can she surviv
e without her mom? There's so much pain behind these questions, and that sadness is beautifully written throughout the story. I think any child who has dealt with losing a parent from their home or their life will really identify with that part of Hurricane Child. Caroline is desperate to seek the answer to these questions, yet fearful that perhaps the answer won't be the one she hopes. Secondly, Caroline is coming to terms with her first crush. Though their relationship begins as a simple friendship, she quickly recognizes her feelings are more powerful than that of friends. She is physically attracted to Kalinda, wanting to hold her hand everywhere they go. Her mind is consumed with thoughts of her friend, and all she wants is to spend time with Kalinda. Kalinda has openly expressed her disapproval of same-sex relationships, but Caroline holds out hope that there may be some chance for a relationship with her friend. Somehow Callender explores this first love with both hesitation and passion, making the reader wonder if Caroline is brave enough to defy society and stand up for the relationship that brings her such joy. Throughout the book I continuously found myself searching for a historical time frame. The book opens with the school teacher using physical discipline on her students as frequent punishment. Also, it is established early on that the school teacher has light skin, the majority of the kids in Caroline's class have light brown skin, and Caroline has the darkest skin in her class. Because of the color of her skin, Missus Wilhelmina likes Caroline the least and purposely targets her for punishment. These two facts quickly set the seen for a historical setting. Later in the book it is expressed that lesbian couples are not acceptable in society, which further adds to the historical context. Yet a year is never stated, and I found myself desperately searching for any clues to the year. Caroline's mother often sings a song, identified at the end of the book as Blackbird by Nina Simone, which was released in 1966. Her mother states that this song expresses how she felt when Caroline was young. I'm assuming that this book is set in the early 1970s, but I am completely guessing this, and I found that frustrating through the entire book. Aside from the way Caroline is treated in school, this could be a realistic fiction novel, and I found myself picturing the characters in a school similar to the one I work in. Yet, the way Caroline was treated at school always kept me wondering what year it was really set in. The cover of the book is beautiful, it would attract attention on any display, but would be great to feature on a LGBTQ display. I hesitate to recommend it as historical fiction because the time frame was not set. I do believe this would be a great book to suggest to students grappling with seperation within their home or their sexuality. It approaches both topics from a safe and love-filled perspective. Never was there an inappropriate situation that might cause a student to feel embarrassed or awkward. Both topics were handled delicately and with kindness. I am excited to recommend this book to many of my students and add it to our school library. I think this will be a book the social workers, councilors, teachers, and I can all recommend for so many students who are trying to find their place in their family and their own relationships.