The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
When her younger brother Cesar starts at a Catholic high school, Mexican American Yamilet joins him there to help keep him out of trouble. Yami doesn’t want to come out at her new school, but she can’t help crushing on Chinese American Bo, who is also queer and has no trouble speaking out about gay rights. Yami’s accustomed to being closeted—at least she was until her former best friend outed her at their public school. Often at odds with her judgmental, religious mother, Yami is closer to her father, who was deported to Mexico years ago. When she finds out that Cesar is bisexual, Yami fake dates his boyfriend, Jamal, to keep their mom in the dark. But after a night when she has too much to drink, Yami comes out to her dad via text. His response: silence that grows heavier with each passing day. Declining to accompany her mom and Cesar on a trip to visit their dad in Mexico, Yami stays with Bo instead. Meanwhile, as Yami juggles her lies (some outright, some of omission), Cesar is fighting a silent mental-health battle. Everything comes to a devastating halt when he survives a suicide attempt, and the family finds that honesty may pave a path toward healing. Featuring smart, imperfect, appealing characters, this novel explores the painful complexity of two queer teens navigating life in and out of the closet. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Bisexuals
Chinese and Chinese Americans
Depression
Fathers
Friendship
Hope and Healing
Lesbians
LGBTQ+ Persons
Love and Romance
Mexicans and Mexican Americans
Mothers
School
Siblings
Suicide
Diversity subjects:
Asian
Latine
Christian
LGBTQ Character/Topic
Publishers:
Balzer + Bray, HarperCollins
Publish Year: 2022
Pages: 385
ISBN: 9780063060234
CCBC Location: Fiction, Reyes