Tag: #transgender

Review: Super Late Bloomer by Julia Kaye

Goodreads Blurb

A highly personal collection documenting the early months of artist Julia Kaye’s gender transition.

Instead of a traditional written diary, Julia Kaye has always turned to art as a means of self-reflection. So when she began her gender transition in 2016, she decided to use her popular webcomic, Up and Out, to process her journey and help others with similar struggles realize they weren’t alone.

Julia’s poignant, relatable comics honestly depict her personal ups and downs while dealing with the various issues involved in transitioning—from struggling with self-acceptance and challenging societal expectations, to moments of self-love and joy. Super Late Bloomer both educates and inspires, as Julia faces her difficulties head-on and commits to being wholly, authentically who she was always meant to be

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

It is a powerful comic that lets us experience all Julia went through with her gender transition throughout a year. This comic collection gives you first-hand account of how a transgender view themselves, struggle, and worry, but through it all, they stand strong and help others see they can. You see the happy moments and the sad moments that can bring you down. Julia is a strong woman who stands tall and does what makes her happy. Thank you for sharing your story, and please continue to share it.

Goodreads Author Biography

Julia Kaye is an award winning artist and illustrator whose webcomic Up and Out has garnered hundreds of thousands of readers and wide critical praise. Her commitment to activism has led to collaborations with non-profit organizations such as The Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline. Her work has appeared on Webtoon, GoComics, Buzzfeed, and the Disney animated show Big City Greens. Julia lives in Los Angeles.

Review: The House That Whispers by Lin Thompson

Goodreads Blurb

Eleven-year-old Simon and his siblings, Talia and Rose, are staying the week at Nanaleen’s century-old house. This time, though, it’s not their usual summer vacation trip. In fact, everything’s different. It’s fall, not summer. Mom and Dad are staying behind to have a “talk.” And Nanaleen’s house smells weird, plus she keeps forgetting things. And these aren’t the only things getting under Simon’s skin: He’s the only one who knows that his name is Simon, and that he and him pronouns are starting to feel right. But he’s not ready to add to the changes that are already in motion in his family.

To make matters worse, Simon keeps hearing a scratching in the walls, and shadows are beginning to build in the corners. He can’t shake the feeling that something is deeply wrong…and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it—which means launching a ghost hunt, with or without his sisters’ help. When Simon discovers the hidden story of his great-aunt Brie, he realizes that Brie’s life might hold answers to some of his worries. Is Brie’s ghost haunting the old O’Hagan house? And will Simon’s search for ghosts turn up more secrets than he ever expected?

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This book touches on the topic of gender identity with a spooky twist. Simon and his sisters go to stay at their grandmother’s house. Simon starts to experience spooky sounds and experiencing paranormal activity. He believes all the spooky events he has experienced are related to a long-lost great-aunt. The reader learns that Simon’s parents are going through a rough patch and that Simon hasn’t come out to anyone in his family. All the fear has built up and caused Simon to imagine all the spooky things happening in the house. The book was nicely written.

Author Biography

Lin Thompson (they/them) is a former children’s librarian, a Lambda Literary Fellow, and the author of two books for middle-grade readers: The Best Liars in Riverview (Little, Brown, 2022), which was a JLG Gold Standard selection and appeared on the 2023 ALA Rainbow List, and The House That Whispers (Little, Brown, 2023), also a JLG Gold Standard selection. Lin grew up playing pretend games in the backyard and basement of their home in Kentucky. Now they get to write pretend stories in the backyard and basement of their home in Iowa, where they live with their wife and cat.