LitBit Speaks

A fantastic, fabulous, funny YA debut from Jeffery Self, one of the gay icons of the YouTube generation, that follows one high school student on a drag race to his future. Debut YA author Jeffery Self takes us on a road trip with an insecure high school senior who has one goal: to be the first in his family to leave Clearwater, Florida, and go to college. The problem is, he has zero means of paying for school -- until his friends convince him to compete in a drag teen competition for a college scholarship. Giiiiiiiiiiirl!!! This book is A-MAZE-ING! Equal parts anxiety-inducing and hilarious, Self's book will entertain you and make you think about what it means to love yourself, be yourself, and by golly, live the life you want to live. There's cliche and camp, heartbreak and hilarity, and the antics of the cast of characters will keep you on the edge of your seat. The book tackles some pretty interesting and necessary topics, including misogyny and fat shaming in ...

Eddie is five and a half, and thinks she is the only one in her family who isn’t really good at something. So when she hears her little sister say “birthday—Mommy—fluffy—little—squishy,” it’s extra important for her to find this amazing present before anyone else does. So, gregarious, charming, clever little Eddie goes all around the neighborhood to all her fabulous friends—the florist, the chic boutique owner, the antiques dealer, and even the intimidating butcher—to find one. It’s a magical adventure that draws on Eddie’s special gifts, ones that she herself learns to appreciate. Originally published in French as  Le merveilleux Dodu-Velu-Petit, Alemagna's sweet and enticing tale recently won the Batchelder award for translation from the American Library Association in January of 2016. The plot is high energy, and little Eddie is totally sympathetic, adorably desperate to find her mother a perfect gift for her birthday. The cast of secondary characters are a mixtur...