Join us for a reading of books celebrating the unconventional beauties in our society. Authors Brie Spangler, Whitney Gardner and Kris Dinnison will be reading from their novels which highlight the struggles and joys of teens navigating their way through life. Each of these novels tells the story of a teen wrestling with identity and their place in this world.
Kirkus Review says of Brie Spangler's book, BEAST,
“Writing smartly in Dylan’s voice, Spangler artfully represents both main characters: the boy who feels like a freak and the witty, imperfect, wise trans girl he loves. Very lightly borrowing on the classic fairy tale, she allows them to fail and succeed without resorting to paper villains or violent plot points to manipulate compassion. A believable and beautiful human story.”
Brie Spangler graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and is the author-illustrator of two picture books, Peg Leg Peke and The Grumpy Dump Truck. She makes her YA debut with BEAST. Learn more about Brie and her books at BrieSpangler.com or on Twitter at Brie Spangler, author/illustrator.
Author Whitney Gardner's new book YOU'RE WELCOME, UNIVERSE focuses on, "…a Deaf teen girl who is creative, artistic, and passionate. She can be sulky and vengeful when she feels she has been wronged, but she is also caring and fiercely loyal to the few that she considers friends. And she is an authentic portrayal of deafness.“(DisabilityInKidLit.com)
Whitney Gardner played her ukulele in an episode of Portlandia, danced the rumba with Bill Nye in a New York swing dance club, and experimented with LARPing in college. She lives with her husband Roger and their incredibly cool pug Gouda in Portland, Oregon. Find her online at heywhitney.com and @heywhitney.
Local author Kris Dinnison is the author of YA novel YOU AND ME AND HIM which follows the story of best friends, Maggie and Nash, who fall in love with the same boy.
"This warm, witty novel—with a clear, true voice and a clever soundtrack of musical references—sings a song of love and forgiveness." (goodreads.com)
Kris Dinnison grew up reading weird books and listening to weird music and thinking she was weird, which she kind of was. She spent nearly two decades as a teacher and librarian while dreaming of becoming a writer. Her work has appeared in One Teen Story, The London Journal of Fiction, HelloGiggles, YARN, The Inlander and The Spokesman Review, among others. Her first novel, YOU AND ME AND HIM came out in 2015 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She lives and writes in Spokane, Washington. When she’s not writing she likes to read, hike, and binge-watch TV.
Backordered Title, Not on our shelves: Call to check availability.
A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti.
Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award!
Backordered Title, Not on our shelves: Call to check availability.
“Do not ignore a call from me when you know I am feeling neurotic about a boy. That is Best Friend 101.” —Nash
Maggie and Nash are outsiders. She’s overweight. He’s out of the closet.