National Network for Equitable Library Service

Peter Thompkin needs a public image overhaul. After a tense confrontation with one of the few other queer kids in his small-town high school, rumors about him are becoming more elaborate by the day. Meanwhile, his best friend Alan (aka teen drag queen Aggie Culture) is throwing Mason County’s debut Drag Extravaganza. Although Peter is a self-described “dragnostic,” he decides to help produce the show, hoping to prove that he isn’t a self-hating gay. In the process, he finds himself facing down angry guard dogs, angrier bigots, and a very high-strung church lady.

After inadvertently starting rumors of a haunted cemetery, a teen befriends a ghost in this young adult novel exploring grief and belonging by the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of The Marrow Thieves series.

Queer Monologues: Stories of LBGT Youth, produced by For the Love of Learning (FTLOL), offers queer youth a safe, creative outlet to share their concerns, hopes, and personal stories with the community-at-large. If an individual is unable to be themselves, the consequences can be emotional, physical, and mental harm. When feelings are shared within a supportive group and are received non-judgmentally, self-esteem is enhanced, leading to a healthier way of relating to others, oneself, and the community as a whole.

This YA title features Adrian Yates, who expected his summer would involve sharing Slurpees with his best friend Zoomer and pretending not to hear his dads' whispered fighting. And that's exactly how it was going, until the night Sorel appeared in the graveyard by Adrian's apartment. Sorel gets Adrian in ways no one else has; the fact that he's not technically alive only makes things exciting. But Sorel can't always control his otherworldly behaviour, and Zoomer's worried he might be hiding something.

The summer Bria Powers turns 16 is sinister. Waves of insects plague her hometown of Beauchamp, where fentanyl has recently infiltrated the drug stream. Forest fires muddy the normally wide-open skies, and everything smells like a barbecue all the time. It’s also the summer Bria goes from having saved a life to ruining her own. Since her drug-dealing father disappeared and his girlfriend overdosed, Bria has lived with her aunt Tash and best friend/cousin Ains. By day, Bria and Ains babysit Ains’s younger siblings and sling fast food at Burger Shack.

A young adult novel about inner-city teens who live on a razor's edge and understand that chosen family is just as important as blood. Michie and her best friend Trissa grew up like sisters in a ramshackle duplex owned by their single moms. But now that they're sixteen, their differences in identity and experience have caused a rift. Michie's an introvert obsessed with a book called A Girl's Guide to Murder, and her mom has an organic weed and mushrooms grow-op in the basement.

On the trip of a lifetime, Adam and Zayneb must find their way back to each other in this surprising and romantic sequel to the "bighearted, wildly charming" (Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author) Love from A to Z that's a "contemplative exploration of faith, love, and the human condition" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Adam and Zayneb. Perfectly matched. Painfully apart. Adam is in Doha, Qatar, making a map of the Hijra, a historic migration from Mecca to Medina, and worried about where his next paycheck will come from.

"A haunted house thriller packed with cryptic mystery, dark humor, and bone-chilling twists." -Ryan Douglass, New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston. The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this "genuinely terrifying" (School Library Journal, starred review) psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart. Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto.

A USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller. Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, this "sweet and funny" (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush. Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away.

Lamb's family strives to better their lives in Jackson, Mississippi, in the late 1930s. Lamb's mother is a hard-working, creative seamstress who cannot reveal she's a lesbian. Lamb's brother has a brilliant mind and has even earned a college scholarship for a black college up north—if only he could curb his impulsiveness and rebellious nature. Lamb herself is a quiet and studious girl. She is also naive.