Tag Archives: Gay
The Son Of Someone Famous By M.E. Kerr
“MY MOTHER SUSPECTS I AM SLIGHTLY UNNATURAL.” We noted the death of YA giant Marijane Meaker, best known as M.E. Kerr, at the end of last year: as one of the writers at Harper & Row under legendary editor Ursula … Continue reading
Fat Jack By Barbara Cohen
“A person never gets over high school, Judy.” I’ve written before about my general impression of YA fiction moving from topical issues based on shock value in the 1970s (Drugs! Cults! Satan!) and into more internal crises of the characters … Continue reading
Sticks And Stones By Lynn Hall
One word was enough to destroy his life… “Bury your gays” is the trope in fiction which rules that gay characters die (frequently by their own hand) before the end of the story. Especially prevalent until the mid-20th century (when … Continue reading
Wrapping Up The Imaginary Summer Book Club: The Haunting Of Hill House By Shirley Jackson
(Click here for information on the 2017 edition of Molly’s Imaginary Summer Book Club Featuring Classics of Women’s Literature. This month, the September selection, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House.) Well, a week after Halloween we finally get to Shirley … Continue reading
Prank By Kathryn Lasky
How can the words of the past give Birdie hope for the future? Well, this another one where the cover-copy barely matches the actual content of the book: it’s sold to readers as being about a high school student who … Continue reading
Hey, Dollface By Deborah Hautzig
What if it was more than friendship? What if Chloe was feeling the same way? This book is typical of the “social issues” novels of the era: it doesn’t push the envelope as far as Norma Klein or Sandra Scoppettone’s … Continue reading
Ode to Billy Joe By Herman Raucher
Now, years after the whispers and rumors, the muddy Tallahatchie River gives up its secrets- the secrets within the haunting ballad that swept America. This week, another case of “What the hell did I just read?” Background: Well, to start … Continue reading
Jay’s Journal By Anonymous
Helplessly fascinated, he plunged into a world of Ouija boards and witchcraft, animal sacrifices and Satanism… into a black abyss from which there seemed no escape. Man, some days you just hit the jackpot when it comes to the Teen … Continue reading
I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip. By John Donovan
Background: In 1968, Harper & Row editor Ursula Nordstrom was looking for a follow-up to Louise Fitzhugh’s now-classic Harriet the Spy, when she received John Donovan’s proposal for a book for young readers dealing with what he euphemistically termed “buddy-love … Continue reading
Spring Fire By Vin Packer
Vin Packer’s 1952 novel of ‘forbidden love” is generally considered to be the first in the niche market of Lesbian Pulp Fiction: strictly speaking, it is not intended for a teenage audience. However, it does deal with a 17-year old … Continue reading
Lost Classics of Teen Lit: 1939-1989 