Kacen Callender’s Stonewall Honor-winning book about a Black, queer, transgender teen is a touchstone for young people who, until its release in 2020, may have had a hard time finding characters to relate to on library shelves. Felix Love is proud of who he is, and he’s part of a vibrant, diverse, supportive community at the elite Brooklyn arts high school where he’s studying on a scholarship. But when he begins receiving transphobic messages from an anonymous source and finds his deadname (the name he went by before his transition) posted in the school’s lobby along with photos of him before he transitioned, he’s forced to reevaluate his friendships as he searches for the anonymous troll among his peers. In the process, he becomes enmeshed in a messy teenage love triangle and explores the nuances of his gender identity. Less than a year after its publication, the book is already recognized as one of the leading works of LGBTQ+ fiction written for teens. The front-of-book dedication to Felix Ever After appropriately reads, “For trans and nonbinary youth: You’re beautiful. You’re important. You’re valid. You’re perfect.” —Shay Maunz
Buy Now: Felix Ever After on Bookshop | Amazon
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