"Why is straight the default?" - Becky Albertalli

Here is yet another queer book that I wish had been out (pun intended) when I was working through my identity in high school. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli, is a delightful novel that combines all of the heart-satisfying romance of a John Green novel with the delicious queerness of a David Levithan book. Simon, a junior at Shady Creek high school, has a secret email friendship and relationship with another boy at his high school. Both boys write under pen names because they are not ready for their identities or their sexualities to be revealed yet to the world. However, through a series of unfortunate circumstances (Simon is basically blackmailed by another student who threatens to reveal his sexual orientation if Simon does not help him get a girlfriend), Simon must deal with the reality of the world knowing he's gay before he's ready. There's so much great stuff in this book about the process of coming out. Yes, it's a delightful teen romance, but it's also got really deeper ideas about when and how to make the decision of coming out, what it means to belong in a community (not just in terms of sexual orientation, but also race and gender issues are addressed). This is a great read for any high school student or mature middle school who also enjoys reading John Green, David Levithan, Rainbow Rowell or the like. There's a bit of kissing and mentions of safe sex, but all in all it's quite tame. And, more than anything, it's quite delightful.