A poetry collection full of trans joy. It is short, so I wish it was longer but I resonated with it a lot and the afterword of the author explaining the thought process behind the poetry collection. Highly recommend this to all of my trans* friends! 

I was sent a copy from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I love graphic memoirs and this one did not disappoint! This follows Lewis, a trans man going back to his past self in high school and following him around as he comes to terms with his gender and finds the words for how he has been feeling. I will note that they use she/her and Lewis' deadname throughout the whole book and in the blurb which rubbed me the wrong way. It's important to refer to trans people in the past with their current name and pronouns. Though, because this was showing before Lewis transitioned, I understand why it was used.  Overall, this book made me cry and felt really seen as an adult trans person who also didn't have the words til my 20s. This is set in 2003. I do recommend, just look out for the trigger warnings because it is a heavy one! 
 
CW: Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Misgendering, Transphobic language/slurs, Illustration of chest, detail about Gender Dysphoria & Chest Dysphoria, Brief mention of menstruation, Internalized transphobia, Dieting, Eating Disorder (Anorexia), Outing

CW: Pulse Shooting, Homophobia, HP mention - Albus Dumbledore quote, Outdated language; transexual is used in one comic, however, we use the word transgender or trans when referring to trans people.

Like any anthology, there were some comics I liked and some I didn't have a connection to. I loved seeing my favorite authors/artists including Tee Franklin and Molly Knox Ostertag. Some of the comics were very heavy and directly about the Pulse shooting and others featured DC Comics characters. I like that the sales go to the families and those who were affected by the Pulse shooting. This is a heavy comic as it does talk about a mass shooting, hate crimes, and homophobia. 

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts are my own. 

I'll be honest, I don't know how to review this book because I don't know how factually correct it is. So, please read the other reviews before reading this. This book goes through the following Pride Flags and the origin of them from the date and person who made them. The pride flags are listed below. I agree with some other reviews saying that the title "The Big Book of Pride Flags" is misleading as it doesn't go over every single pride flag but is just an introduction to the majority of "well-known" flags for each community.  

I will note that I really enjoyed the illustrations for each flag which *might* be the sole reason I buy a copy of this for myself. 

Flags included:
Gilbert baker pride
Rainbow pride
Agender
Aromantic
Asexual
Bisexual
Demisexual
Gay (Achillean)
Genderfluid
Genderqueer
Intersex
Lesbian
Pansexual
Polysexual
Nonbinary
Transgender
Progress Pride 

 Allergic is about a young girl, Maggie who can't wait to get a dog for her 11th birthday. But, when she meets the dog, she starts breaking out in hives and rashes. Ultimately, she is faced with learning she is allergic to animals, specifically anything with fur or feathers. As an animal lover, she is heartbroken by this news. So, she goes on a quest to find the perfect pet for her. 

This was a very informative graphic novel about what it's like to have an allergy. She takes allergy shots, medicine, and goes to the doctor frequently. There's also a side character who has a food allergy and we learn about the differences. Besides Maggie learning about her allergy and now living her life safer, she goes through a lot of mood swings and emotions as she tries to navigate her new way of life.
 
Meanwhile, she's also dealing with loneliness. Her mother is about to give birth to their fourth child, leaving Maggie feeling isolated. Her brothers are twins and have each other, and without a pet, she feels very lonely and feels as though she has no purpose.

I really enjoyed this, it was a quick read about family, being the oldest child, and living with an allergy. 

I was sent a copy from the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers to review. All thoughts are my own!

Slip is hard hitting, dark contemporary graphic novel. It’s sapphic, there’s magic, and it doesn’t shy away from talking about hard topics as Jade is trying to make sense of everything going on in her life, as she learns her best friend, Phoebe attempted suicide. She feels helpless, and uninspired since she’s away at an art program and can’t keep in contact with her. If you’re a creative person, you’ll really resonate with Jade and her feelings!

TW: Suicide attempt, Medical Content, Self-harm, Suicidal Thoughts

I was sent a copy of this book to review via Net Galley. All thoughts are my own!

CW: Misgendering, detailed descriptions of gender dysphoria

OMGGGG. I wish I had this book as a kid. It is so important and great to have books like this for trans kids. This follows a trans girl experiencing gender dysphoria and how she helps reduce it by socially transitioning. For Nisha, her gender dysphoria is a monster that won't go away. I love the way the author explained gender dysphoria because it really illustrated how it's experienced by showing Nisha in social settings. 

I love the way the monster was illustrated and how simple this explains gender dysphoria for kids. I also love the FAQ for parents at the end. It's super detailed! This is a must-read for trans people and parents of trans kids. You'll learn a lot, especially how to go about your kid coming out to you. The author states to give them affirming care, which I 100% agree with. 

 I will be ordering myself a copy of this!

I was sent a copy of this book to review via Net Galley. All thoughts are my own!

This has a good message & lesson, teaching kids about where anger stems from and just learning about their emotions in general such as guilt, embarrassment, and frustration.  

However, I wish there was more nuance to the scene where the disabled character is bullied and discriminated against. Personally, I believe there could've been a better lesson here than having the teacher tell the disabled child to forgive the able-bodied kid who made fun of her for wearing a prosthetic leg. There are definitely some plot holes that made me question things. Overall, I'd recommend this for the lesson of anger because the end of the book shares a guide for parents on why they should help support their kids when they are angry rather than punish them for their feelings.

I'm still trying to get into literary fiction and find out what I like and don't like. I LOVE character-driven books, but I'm learning that I also need some plot and not just following a character through life. However, I did enjoy Convenience Store Woman more than I thought I would! I enjoy literary fiction for the way each book in the genre has something to say and great commentary on heavy and important topics. 

I enjoyed the commentary on abnormality and as an adult (in this case, a woman in her late 30s) feeling behind and being viewed differently by friends and family who have done life "the right way" and being scolded or looked down on.

Though this was under 200pgs, if it had been longer, we could've had a larger discussion through Keiko's character about feeling like an outlier in society, but it was cut short. I definitely would've read this if it were a full novel because I feel like there's still so much of Keiko's story we missed and could see more of.

As autistic reviewers have pointed out, Keiko is coded autistic which made the story more important because of the ableism and discrimination disabled people experience in the workplace. Overall, I enjoyed this, but wanted more of Keiko's story and some closure, I guess.

Note: A major side character is very sexist and misogynistic and doesn't learn from this, which could definitely be a turn-off for people. Please know this before going into it!