Amanda Harding

LIS 748
Collection Management Project
4/24/19

Core Collection: YA books with LGBTQIA characters for public library 

Overview
 
The collection development team at the Wauconda Area Library has compiled a list of 
titles for a core collection concerning books with LGBTQIA characters for the young 
adult section of the library. The part of the mission that was taken into consideration 
when developing this core collection was the library’s purpose “to provide and promote a 
variety of library resources and services in response to the informational, educational, 
cultural, and recreational needs of the residential community.” Being located directly next 
to the local high school, the public library experiences large volumes of teenagers filling 
its spaces in the afternoon. Therefore, a large segment of the community that staff needs 
to take into effect when discussing collection development needs are the young people 
who frequently visit. The library is looking to expand its collection regarding a prevalent 
and relevant topic among young people in response to suggestions that the collection is 
lacking in some respect. As librarians, it is their responsibility to fulfill the library’s 
mission of providing resources that are of a wide variety and to meet the various needs, 
including cultural needs, of the community being served. By listening to patrons and 
promoting the materials, the collection development team will be able to maintain this 
new collection and add items as they see fit.  
 
Community Statistics 
 
The demographics of the community, in particular the teenage population, were looked at 
upon making decisions for this core collection. To begin, 53 percent, over half of the 
community, consists of families with children under the age of eighteen. That means 
young people are prevalent in this town, and the goal of the core collection is to connect 
with and provide insight to this specific group. Additionally, according the library’s 
annual report for 2018, checkouts for young adult books increased by 17 percent from the 
previous year. With more teenagers coming into the library, it is an ideal opportunity to 
begin promoting a new collection that is targeted towards this age group. Wauconda is 
also a town that houses some bilingual residents, with 19 percent of the community 
speaking Spanish. This new core collection responds to this statistic by offering select 
titles of the core collection in Spanish for this percentage of the population.  
 
Purpose

The core collection fills a gap where the collection was lacking in diverse materials
regarding LGBTQIA themes and characters. The collection development team at
Wauconda Area Library is a strong proponent of believing that every child and young
person deserves to see themselves depicted on the pages of a book. Therefore, with the
development of this core collection, it was essential to incorporate books representative of
each letter in LGBTQIA. For many, it is incredibly familiar to encounter a book that
features a gay character or a lesbian character. Even transgender is a topic that has made its
way towards the forefront of the media, as well as in a number of books that have been
given attention. However, it is much more foreign to read a book about a young character
who is non-binary or intersex. By putting together this collection, it will not only connect to
young people who may relate to or share experiences with the characters, but also others
will be introduced to these sexualities and more awareness will be raised. While the stories
may be entertaining and exciting to read, they also support a need for information, which is
the number one reason for the development of this core collection.
Selection Criteria

The selection of these titles was based on the following criteria:

● Every book selected is categorized as young adult, since this is the intended
audience who will utilize this collection the most frequently.
● Every book selected has to contain at least one character who falls under the
classification of one of the following: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer or
questioning, intersex, or asexual.
● Every book selected has to have been published within the last five years in an
effort to make the collection as current, relevant, and appealing to young people as
possible.
● Every book selected also has to be available in an electronic format to consider
those who prefer accessing materials online. The intention of offering ebooks is to
raise the comfort level for those teenagers who may prefer to not be open about the
material they are reading, especially if they have questions regarding their own
identities.
 
Review Sources and Selection Tools Consulted
 
Follett Titlewave

Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal

Goodreads

Scholastic

Amazon

Publisher’s Weekly

Booklist
Core Collection Titles (each print book is also available in ebook format)

Albertalli, B. (2015). Simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray.

A starred review title on Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Publisher’s Weekly, this book
follows sixteen-year-old Simon Spier, who prefers to keep details of his sexuality to
himself and through emails exchanged with a boy whose identity is a mystery to
Simon. However, the emails fall into undesirable hands, and Simon’s secret is
threatened to be exposed. Simon now has to decide the best way to “come out” of his
comfort zone without jeopardizing his real world friendships and his digital romance in
this funny coming-of-age debut by Becky Albertalli.

Both the exceptional reviews and contemporary relevance made this book suitable for
this core collection. The ability to relate to the story was also considered because many
teenagers who also feel uncomfortable with sharing their truth to the world may
connect to Simon’s story.

Blake, A. H. (2018). Girl made of stars. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This novel boldly tackles sensitive and relevant issues, including consent, victim blaming,
and sexual assault through the story of twins Mara and Owen. Hannah, Mara’s friend,
accuses Owen of something unthinkable, which causes Mara to confront trauma from
her own past and determine whether she wants her ex-girlfriend, Charlie, as a part of
her future.

While this novel involves other topics not solely related to LGBTQIA youth, the timeliness
of the story, and its elements, makes this an essential title to add to the collection. Also,
incorporated heavily into the plot are the sexual identities of Mara, who is bisexual,
and Charlie, who is non-binary, and the fact that these sexualities are portrayed
positively is refreshing in a contemporary novel.

Coulthurst, A., & Garner, P. (2019). Starworld. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

The major players in this newly released novel are Sam and Zoe, two girls who develop a
relationship through a series of text messages. Both girls come from less than ideal
home situations: Sam struggles to cope with her mom’s obsessive-compulsive disorder
while Zoe’s adoptive mother has cancer, and her disabled brother is being sent away.
Together, through text messages, Sam and Zoe create a universe they call Starworld, as
a way to escape their daily realities, even if just for a little while.

This novel is recommended for the collection because it involves the conflict of Sam
developing romantic feelings for Zoe and the fear of those feelings being
unreciprocated. Another interesting aspect of this novel is its inclusion of other
frequently stigmatized disabilities, such as OCD, which further fulfills the library’s
mission and sheds light to teenagers on other challenges being faced in society.
Ford, M. T. (2019). Love & other curses. New York, NY: HarperTeen.

Another novel released this month, Love & Other Curses follows a curse that haunts
the Weyward family: if any Weyward falls in love before they turn seventeen, the
person they love dies. With his birthday approaching, Sam has sworn to himself that he
is going to remain preoccupied and not fall in love, but this becomes problematic when
a new boy arrives in town. A friendship forms between the two, and with the risk of it
becoming something more, the curse appears to grow even stronger and finding new
targets.

This novel was included because it includes so many elements that might appeal to
teenagers, including magic, romance, and self-discovery. Another characteristic of Sam
worth mentioning is his intrigue with hanging out with drag queens and experimenting
with drag himself. This would potentially introduce teenagers to a different element of
LGBTQIA culture if they are unfamiliar.

Garvin, J. (2016). Symptoms of being human. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray.

The protaganist of this novel is Riley Cavanaugh, a gender fluid teenager, who lives in
a highly conservative county and, therefore, remains secretive about identity
preferences. As an outlet to discuss the realities of being a gender individual, Riley
starts a blog anonymously. However, the blog becomes viral, and Riley’s real identity
is discovered by someone who threatens to expose this teenager’s secret. Riley has to
make the decision to either continue living in the shadows, or to take a risk and speak
out about what it really means to be human.

This novel comes highly recommended because of its focus on a gender fluid
character, an identity that is underrepresented in popular culture and in literature.
Hopefully, teenagers who fit into this group of people will be able to relate and find
comfort in Riley’s story. Also, this book could benefit other members of the
LGBTQIA community, or others, by providing them with an introduction of what it
means to be gender fluid.

Gino, A. (2015). George. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

On the outside, George appears to be a boy, and that is how everyone in her life views
her. However, George knows she is a girl, and her secret may finally come out when
she finds out her class is putting on the play Charlotte’s Web. The only problem:
George’s teacher will not allow her to try out for the part of Charlotte because she’s a
boy. George must come up with an idea to win the part of Charlotte and to reveal who
she truly is to everyone.

This book comes recommended due to its many starred reviews and its subject matter
regarding a transgender teenager. An interesting fact about this book is the fact that it
was rated number one on the American Library Association Office of Intellectual
Freedom’s list of Most Challenged Books of 2018. Since its release, it has been the
 subject of many challenges in schools and libraries, which makes its inclusion in this
core collection, as a way to raise awareness, that much more crucial.

Gregorio, I. W. (2015). None of the above. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray.

A groundbreaking story for the LGBTQIA community, this novel centers on Kristin, a
teenage girl who was born intersex, meaning that while she appears female on the
inside, she has male chromosomes and the inside of her body aligns more with the
male anatomy. To Kristin, her life seems perfect: she’s homecoming queen, has a
wonderful boyfriend, and was offered a full scholarship to college. However, she
discovers the shocking truth about her body when her first intimate encounter with her
boyfriend is not what she expected. She struggles to cope with her new identity when
her secret is revealed to the entire school.

This novel provides a new term that perhaps many teenagers, even those in the LGBTQIA
community are unfamiliar with: intersex. This is a topic that is rarely discussed due to
its sensitivity and controversy, but by exposing teenagers to this book, it may open the
doors to more thought-provoking discussions in an attempt to normalize it a little bit
more.

Kuklin, S. (2014). Beyond magenta: Transgender teens speak out. Somerville, MA:
Candlewick Press.

Susan Kuklin, author and photographer, spoke to six transgender and gender-neutral
teenagers while compiling this nonfiction text. Complete with portraits and family
photographs, this books goes on the journey with these young adults, revealing their
honest, and sometimes emotional, experience of being a member of the transgender
community.

This is the only nonfiction novel that is included in this collection, but it is a
recommended read because of its candid depiction of the journey taken by young
people who are transgender. It is important because each teenagers followed in the
book presents a completely different story and experience growing up with this
identity, which is incredibly eye-opening for people to see.

Lam, L. (2016). Pantomime. London, UK: Pan Books.

In Pantomime, the first novel in the Micah Grey Trilogy, readers are introduced to
Gene, an individual, raised as a debutante, who is both male and female. Gene was
always taught to hide that she was intersex and to live her life as a female. To make
matters worse, Gene discovers she has magical abilities, something that has not been
seen for many years, and her parents have been making a plan for her to receive an
operation. She escapes home, takes on the male persona of Micah Grey, and joins to
circus, but soon realizes some of its members might be hiding just as much as she is.

This book was included because it not only introduces another intersex character, but it
also is a fantasy, which would potentially draw in a different audience to the collection.
London, A. (2018). Black wings beating. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux

This novel, named one of the “Best YA Fantasy of 2018” on Kirkus Reviews, follows
twins, Brysen and Kylee who live in the village of Uztar and are both honored with
the highly coveted gift of falconry. While Brysen is proud of his gift, Kylee desires to
be rid of the sport, but that might not be possible for her, especially with a war entering
their home. The twins set out on a journey for the Ghost Eagle, the most powerful of
the Uztari birds, in order to protect those they love and, in Brysen’s case, receive
eternal glory from his people.

This book is appealing for the collection because, once again, it is a different genre
from the majority of the other recommended titles. Also, in this novel, the character of
Brysen is gay, and in love with a boy, but it is not the central theme of the book. It
portrays a character who is powerful, but who also happens to be gay, which may
attract readers to the book and to the character.

Stone, N. (2018). Odd one out. New York, NY: Crown.

Author of the acclaimed Dear Martin, Nic Stone is back with her second novel about
best friends Courtney “Coop” and Jupiter. The two have been best friends since the
age of seven, and now, Coop cannot help but think he might have feelings for Jupiter.
However, Jupiter identifies herself as a lesbian, and when new girl Rae moves to town
and starts dating Coop, Jupiter finds herself jealous, wishing that the new girl had eyes
for her instead.

Nic Stone is a wonderful writer, creating stories that are both tragically honest and
thought provoking. The issue of unrequited love, and being confused about particular
feelings, may be something that is relatable to teenagers who are just beginning to
make sense of their identity.

Verdi, J. (2014). The summer I wasn’t me. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Fire.

This novel introduces readers to Lexi, a girl who wants nothing more than her broken
family to stay together. However, when Lexi’s mom discovers that she has feelings for
girls, staying together seems impossible. Her mother sends her to a camp that is
supposed to “de-gay” her, but after becoming infatuated with one of the campers, the
decision becomes whether or not Lexi wants to betray her mom for love or to deny
who she is for the rest of her life.

This story was recommended because it is incredibly important and relatable in today’s
society. There are probably many LGBTQIA young people who have had to deny
their true identity for the sake of family who could relate to Lexi’s struggles.

Spanish Titles Purchased

Albertalli, B. (2018). Con amor, Simon. (n.p.): Puck.

Garvin, J. (2016). Que nos haces humanos. Mexico City: V&R Editoras.

Gino, A. (2016). George: Simplemente se tu mismo. (n.p.): Nube de Tinta.

London, A. (2019). Una furia de alas negras. (n.p.): Urano.

Budget

12 Books Purchased $196.43

12 Ebooks Purchased $174.55

4 Spanish Books Purchased $76.04

Total $447.02