Cemetery Boys
by Aiden Thomas
About this series: Jules (they/he) reads a lot of LGBTQ+ books in their spare time and is telling us about a few of their favorite ones for kids. This book, although written for high-schoolers, is great for adults as well!
Age range: young adult/high school
Synopsis: In Yadriel’s family, the men settle unquiet ghosts and the women are healers, but as a trans boy, nobody’s initiated Yadriel yet. He wants to prove he can settle ghosts like the other men — but the ghost he’s trying to settle is Julian Diaz, local bad boy, and he won’t settle until he understands why he died. So Yadriel and Julian set out to solve a murder…
What I love about this book: This book has a great blend of fantasy and normal high school life. I really love that Yadriel has the male magic — so often, gendered magic follows a person’s sex assigned at birth, and I love the way that gets subverted here. I also like that many of the characters, even ones causing difficulties for Yadriel and Julian, have good intents — it makes for a more complex and realistic story.
What kids will love about this book: It’s a fun read and the characters feel really relatable (even if nobody in your family is doing any magic). And the romance between Yadriel and Julian is very sweet! And this is another book where the main characters have other LGBTQ+ folks in their community, so many kids can see their identity and their friends’ identities represented.
Where to get the book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Minuteman Libraries