Next up in our month of pride read selections is James Klise, author of Love Drugged! Check out what he had to say; and don’t forget to enter our giveaway to win a bundle of books from all of our guest author bloggers!

4 Lesser Known LGBT Faves

LGBT novels for young readers have made huge strides in the past five years. They’ve won big awards, found spots on the New York Times bestseller list, and even gotten major movie deals. I’d like to shine a light on some terrific #ownvoices options you might have missed. Hollywood, let’s see these four on the big screen, please!

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
A fascinating, genuinely suspenseful story about a two girls who fall in love in Iran. In that religiously conservative country, homosexuality is illegal; however, gender reassignment is legal and accessible. How far would you go to be with the person you love?

Huntress by Malinda Lo
This is a richly detailed epic fantasy about two young women, Kaede and Taisin, who must travel across a dangerous frozen landscape to help return order to the natural world. Though I read this book quite a few years ago, the setting and characters are vivid in my mind. I remain under its romantic spell.

Hero by Perry Moore
The author, who died in 2011, left behind this single novel, a funny, moving story about Thom Creed, the closeted gay son of a disgraced superhero. When Thom secretly joins the League that disowned his father, he discovers a community eager to embrace him and his own amazing powers.

Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright
This book’s narrator, Carlos Duarte – a New York teenager who dreams of becoming a celebrity makeup artist – is one of the most realistic (and hilarious) YA voices I’ve ever read. I also love Carlos’ infectious excitement about something we don’t read enough about in YA fiction: professional ambition.

About James Klise

James Klise (Chicago, IL) is a high school librarian and adviser for the student literary journal, book club, and the Gay-Straight Alliance. His short stories have appeared in many journals, including StoryQuarterly, New Orleans Review, Ascent, and Southern Humanities Review. He is the author of Love Drugged (Flux) and The Art of Secrets (Algonquin Young Readers).

Love Drugged
Fifteen-year old Jamie Bates will do anything to hide the fact that he’s gay. Could an experimental new drug that’s supposed to “cure” his attraction to guys be the answer?

More picks to come, and happy pride from James and all of us at Flux!