Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
Kirstin Cronn-Mills
In the YP Library? Yes! 3 copies.
Plot: Gabe Williams is a guy with big summer plans. He’s got a job as a radio DJ, following in the footsteps of his mentor, and he wants to move far away after graduation. He’s also hoping his best friend Paige will fall in love with him—she’s smart, she’s hot, and she tolerates his music habit. He couldn’t ask for more. His only problem? The rest of the world has known him as Elizabeth for the last eighteen years.
Why we like it: “What I liked about it was being able to read a book where I saw representation of a person who was like me, and who was going through some of the same struggles as I am. I found it really engaging, and I enjoyed the fact that even though the main character is transgender, that wasn’t the entire main focus of the book. Gabe is a boy who loves music and radio, who happens to be trans. I’d recommend the book because it is engaging and I never wanted to put it down.” -Caden
“Gabe is written like a person, where many aspects of his life are beginning and coming together, and being trans is only one of those. Reading this felt like following the life of many guys I know who are navigating their transition. Gabe is passionate about his interests, and I like when people are unapologetically nerdy. Also, good music references.” -Sheena
“This book is my all time favourite, I read it last year. It’s so great for me because it combines two of my biggest interests, which are lgbtq issues and music. Gabe, the main character, reminds me a lot of myself in ways so I connected to the story really well. I also loved that it had a happy ending, as a lot of YA queer books sometimes don’t. It has a great plot, great characters, great writing, and features some great music.” -Oliver