Let’s give an extra bundle of love and support to the queer Black authors in our community! Over the next few weeks we’ll be posting some of our favorite previously published titles by queer Black authors on social media, as well as sharing a database of LGBTQIAP+ YA written by Black authors. But we also want to give some love to upcoming titles! One way you can do that is by pre-ordering these three queer YA books by queer Black authors.
Let’s be clear: structural racism in the book community and publishing industry will not be solved by a few pre-orders, or support for one single author. White supremacy is built into the very foundation of the book industry, just as it is built into many other facets of the United States, and other countries. It will take long, sustained work from all of us to make real, lasting change. Our team is currently discussing how we will continue and deepen our efforts to decenter whiteness and dismantle racism within the LGBTQIAP+ YA community, and we hope you will join us in that work as we figure out specifics. But that is a longterm process, and while we remain committed to it, we also wanted to do something now. And right now, we really want to lift up the queer Black authors in our community. One way to do that? Showing these authors some pre-order love!
Our goal is to get to 25 pre-orders of each of these titles. If you pre-order one, you can either email contact@yapride.org with a screenshot of your receipt/proof of purchase or tweet it to us @YA_Pride. If you tweet it, make sure to also use the hashtag #PreorderWithYAPride! As we get those sent/emailed to us, we will add it to the number of total pre-orders!
We recommend buying from the author’s local indie bookstores, which we have linked to under each book.
If you have any questions or concerns, email us at contact@yapride.org.
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew…
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
Note: Kalynn’s publisher is running a pre-order promotion campaign. If you pre-order Cinderella, submit your receipt here to receive an exclusive enamel pin!
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her previous life, family memories, or her childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at a local university seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure reveals Bree’s own, unique magic and unlocks a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that she knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, Bree will do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn by becoming one of their initiates. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur and his knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.
Pre-order from Tracy Deonn's local indie!
The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters
Comic book geek Wesley Hudson excels at two things: slacking off at his job and pining after his best friend, Nico. Advice from his friends, ‘90s alt-rock songs, and online dating articles aren’t helping much with his secret crush. And his dream job at Once Upon a Page, the local used bookstore, is threatened when a coffeeshop franchise wants to buy the property. To top it off, his annoying brother needs wedding planning advice. When all three problems converge, Wes comes face-to-face with the one thing he’s been avoiding—adulthood.
Now, confronted with reality, can Wes balance saving the bookstore and his strained sibling relationship? Can he win the heart of his crush, too?
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