Tag: See YA

Graphic Novel Series: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

- Stephanie 1 Comment

“You can’t tell whether people are gay by what they look like. And gay or straight aren’t the only two options.”
― Alice Oseman, Heartstopper: Volume One

It’s been a long time since a book has hit me hard in the feelings, leaving me gasping for air. Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper: Volume One left me wrecked and immediately grabbing for the other published volumes. Oseman has written an incredibly cute story that deals with heavy topics respectfully while being simultaneously gorgeously written and drawn. The romance is a slow burn, but so relatable. This LGBTQ+ series is a must read as it represents people of all genders and sexualities in an adorable, wholesome, and sweet way, while still presenting tough issues that teens and adults go through on a daily basis. If I could make this required reading, I would!

Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. He is a highly-strung overthinker who was accidentally outed as gay last year. Last year was incredibly hard for him, but thank goodness for the older boys who stepped in and stopped the worst of the bullying. People still say unkind things to him, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was the year before.

Nick Nelson is in Year 11 at the same school. He is a soft-hearted rugby lad, not afraid to fight for the underdog, while simultaneously being cheerful and affable. He doesn’t know Charlie very well, except as the kid who was outed last year and was bullied for a couple months. They haven’t even talked to each other.

When a chance meeting pushes the two boys together, Nick and Charlie quickly become friends. They discover things that they have in common, even more compounded when Charlie joins the school rugby team on Nick’s behest. It doesn’t take long for Charlie to start falling for Nick. Charlie thinks he doesn’t have a chance since Nick is straight and he’s heard rumors of a girl he has a crush on. As time goes on, love works its magic on the boys, showing them that good things come to those who wait.

So far, there are four published volumes in the Heartstopper series with the fifth volume set to be published in November 2023 and a sixth volume is in the works as announced by the author.

Want to talk about Heartstopper: Volume One with others? Join See YA! See YA is our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists. Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm.  Our next four months of books are listed below:

August 2nd – Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman​​​​​​​

September 6th –  How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Gilliland Vasquez​​​​​​​

October 4th – Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey​​​​​​​

November 1st – Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

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We are so excited to announce that See YA is back! See YA is our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library.  Stop by the service desk for more information.

On June 7th, we will be discussing Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. This book is highly praised! It won the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature(it also was the Goodreads Choice Award for Best young Adult Fiction in 2021). This is also a Michael L. Printz honor book, a We Need Diverse Books Walter Dean Myers honor book, and a Los Angeles Times book prize finalist. This book was also a New York Times bestseller. Now that I’ve hyped up the book, let’s get into what it’s about!

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is the story of a high school girl struggling to find her own identity amidst familial and cultural pressures. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the Red Scare in the 1950s, seventeen-year-old Lily Hu feels the push and pull of love and duty every single day. After discovering a book that was about two women who fell in love with each other, Lily starts to examine her feelings more and more. The more she examines, the more Lily realizes that these aren’t new feelings, but she can’t exactly pinpoint when they started. When Lily meets fellow high school student Kathleen Miller, she finds a safe space to explore this different side of her life. As soon as the two set foot in a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club, Lily knew she had an answer to her question: there were women out there who fell in love and it wasn’t weird or abnormal. Outside of the Telegraph Club however, Lily finds resistance. 1954 in America isn’t a safe space for two girls to fall in love. Lily’s family complicates matters, given that they live in Chinatown, the Red Scare is running rampant, and deportation rumors abound. Chinese Americans are subject to more scrutiny, leaving Lily to wonder where she falls and whether love or duty will win.

I don’t want to give away too much, but highly encourage you to check out this title and then come to See YA to discuss it with us on Wednesday June 7th at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue Branch. (If you end up liking this title, I highly suggest you also try A Scatter of Light, which is the companion novel to Last Night at the Telegraph Club.)

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, in large print, and as single book club books.