Queer Tested, Teacher Approved: 5 YA Books Where the Trans Kid Beats the Monster

Melis Noah Amber

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Queer Tested, Teacher Approved: 5 YA Books Where the Trans Kid Beats the Monster: Feature image

Hey there, punkins! Welcome to another edition of  Queer Tested, Teacher Approved. In honor of Trans Day of Visibility, I’m sharing some books where the main trans YA character wins against the monster. To be fair, we need that every day, but when IRL, we’re taking the L every day, and this is what I wanted to give back. There are also trans-related resources at the bottom of the article. Stay safe out there, lovelies. Meanwhile, remember this.

Might these books be triggering?

In a word, yes. For the trans kid to beat the monster, there has to be a monster. So, keep in mind that while these books are ultimately about trans people triumphing and our ability to kick butt, the characters go through hell to get there. 

As always, there be spoilers ahead. 

Highway Bodies

Queer Tested, Teacher Approved: 5 YA Books Where the Trans Kid Beats the Monster: Cover of Alison Evans's Highway Bodies

Okay, okay, maybe the first book on our list of books where the trans kid beats the monster is a book where some trans YA kids don’t exactly lose against monsters. In any case, you should read Highway Bodies by Alison Evans. I love Evans’s writing style — it’s vivid, lush, filled with magical realism and unabashedly Australian. If you haven’t read their book, Euphoria Kids, I highly recommend it. 

So, what’s Highway Bodies about? In short, queer found family amid a zombie apocalypse. The POV switches throughout, and the characters are unique and well-drawn. It’s a lovely novel wrapped in a lot of blood. 

Content warnings: homophobia, transphobia, cult, death of loved ones, blood and gore, misgendering, animal death, domestic violence/child abuse (mentioned). 

RELATED: Check out more of our Queer Tested – Teacher Approved pieces!

Into the Real

Queer Tested, Teacher Approved: 5 YA Books Where the Trans Kid Beats the Monster: Cover of Z Brewer's Into the Real

Into the Real by Z Brewer is a weird book, and I mean that lovingly. Ostensibly, Into the Real is a dystopian tale about three different realities and worlds. As the story unfolds, things get more complicated. The way the chapter numbers count down, rather than up, is a good hint of where the story is going. If I say more, I’ll give the whole thing away. 

Content warnings: homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, dead-naming, abuse (emotional and sexual), conversion therapy, gun violence, body gore, loss of family/loved one.

Cemetery Boys

Queer Tested, Teacher Approved: 5 YA Books Where the Trans Kid Beats the Monster: cover of cemetery boys on gradient background

Our next book where the trans YA kid takes the win is Aiden Thomas‘s Cemetery Boys. I wasn’t 100 percent sure if I should include this book since we’re dealing with malignant spirits in a novel based on a real faith, but since Cemetery Boys’ ghosts and spirits become quite corporeal, it seemed fair enough. 

Anyway, the plot! Yadriel knows he’s a boy, and he wants his family to accept him as a brujo. To prove himself, he tries to find his murdered cousin’s ghost, but he summons someone else entirely instead. Content warnings

RELATED: Queer Tested, Teacher Approved: 7 Young Nonbinary Characters You Gotta Meet!

Pet

cover of pet on gradient background

In Akwaeke Emezi‘s Pet, Jam lives in a “utopian” society in which adults say they’ve gotten rid of all the monsters living in our current 21st-century society: police have been defunded, the prison industrial complex has been changed to a rehabilitation system and people are allowed to be themselves.

But what is a monster? Is it Pet, a scary-looking creation that walked out of Jam’s mother’s painting? Or is it the friendly neighbor down the street? Can society without evil genuinely exist? Pet doesn’t think so. Content warnings

RELATED: 5 Must-Watch Horror Thriller Series With Actual Queer Representation

Out of Salem

Cover of Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve

The last novel on our list of trans YA books is Hal Schrieve‘s Out of SalemIt’s another zombie book, but our monsters are even more allegorical this time. Set in Salem, Oregon, people and the police are still on a bit of a witch hunt. I personally identified with this book because outside of my writing, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book featuring a Turkish-American character. 

Please note this book takes place in the 1990s, so some of the trans terminology is purposely outdated. Content warnings.

There you have it, friends! Five books where the trans kid beats the monster. As promised, here are trans-related resources:

If you’re in crisis:

Some ways trans lives are under attack in the US (trigger warnings):

Ways to help:

This article was originally published in March 2022. 

https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/queer-tested-teacher-approved-23-queer-ya-genre-books/

 

 

 

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