Book Recommendations for Coming Out Day
It’s National Coming Out Day and we couldn’t be happier. As a publisher that prioritizes intersectionally feminist titles, we’re so pleased to have three queer titles to celebrate today. (Three of them!) For all the new parents, aunts, uncles, and proud friends, we’re recommending our newest picture book: The GayBCs by M.L. Webb, an inclusive book of ABCs meant to encourage conversation among children.
For our young adult readers – and YA fans of all ages – we have Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston, a raucous adventure perfect for anyone who’s braved a con, stayed up all night working on cosplay, or written a piece of fanfic. It’s also super queer in a romcom way, so you don’t have to be a fangirl yourself to fangirl over Imogen and Jessica.
And for long time fans of Quirk Books, dig into our back catalogue with Born This Way by Paul Vitagliano, a book of over one hundred memories from LGBTQIA+ folks about their childhood. It’s a celebration of our true queer selves.
In celebration of this beautiful day, here are our (other) favorite queer-centric books, featuring some of our favorite young adult protagonists.
The GayBCs by M.L. Webb
If you’re a parent of a little one – or just need a way to introduce the adults in your life to queer-friendly vocabulary – check out The GayBCs, an illustrated exploration through the alphabet. (Who doesn’t love the alphabet?) We’re big fans of the letter G – the titular character, if you will. “G is for gay. It’s a word that implies you’re a girl who likes girls or a guy who likes guys.” How cute is that? Keep this one in mind for National Coming Out Day and birthdays and holidays all year-round. We dare you not to buy one for every kid in your life.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
First love can be such a drag, but Becky Albertalli keeps beautiful time in Leah on the Offbeat. We love how many of the characters in Albertalli’s Simon-verse are queer, but Leah and Abby are two of our favorites. In a move that’s less coming out and more falling in love with whoever we fall in love with, Leah and Abby beautifully navigate what it means to fall in love with your friend – and all the maddening, wonderful nuances that come with that. We’re grateful to Albertalli for putting lesbian and bisexual characters in the same story, showing readers that there’s no one way to be queer.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
Ship It by Britta Lundin
If you liked Princess and the Fangirl, you’ll love Britt Lundin’s queer comic con adventure Ship It. This novel is queer on so many beautiful levels. Between the fan theory that Forest from Demon Heart is gay to our protagonist Claire’s realization that she’s very very queer – and damn she might be in love with that girl she keeps running into at cons. We love this intersection of fandom and inclusion.
PS You’ll truly feel like you’ve watched every episode of the fictional Demon Heart by the time you’ve finished this book. The attention to detail is that good.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Meredith Russo’s If I Was Your Girl is so completely stunning and grounded all at the same time. It’s the first time we’ve ever encountered a trans protagonist in young adult literature, so Amanda was not only a relatable badass, she was a pioneer for the genre. The way Russo navigates the concept of passing and what it means to be a trans girl in a conservative area of the country. And now that we’ve fallen in love with Russo’s voice, we’re so excited to read her second novel, Birthday.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
In The Princess and the Fangirl, Imogen Lovelace is a teenager with one mission: to save her favorite Starfield character, Princess Amara. She’s got the ExcelsiCon map memorized, the #SaveAmara hashtag trending, and so much merch to give away. But there’s one problem: Jessica Stone, the actress playing the role, wants nothing to do with the campaign. In fact, she’d rather her character remain dead. (Yikes!) This modern twist on The Prince and the Pauper is definitely one of our favorite fairy tale retellings – maybe ever.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert
We love Little and Lion because Brandy Colbert not only puts a bisexual protagonist front and center (we love you Suzette!), she also explores pansexuality, bipolar disorder, Judaism, and the complicated feelings around having a crush – all within the organic confines of this world. The subject matter is big and complicated, but never feels forced. And we ended the book wanting to give big hugs to both Suzette and her step-brother Lionel. It’s not rah rah feel good all the time. But it’s real. And that’s what we love about it.
Buy the book:
