The Black Flamingo

This novel in verse was a quick read, but gives readers a lot to think about. You don't usually see YA novels spend this much time in a character's childhood but it was nice to see things that had shaped Michael's life. I like the messiness of this, that no character really acts perfectly but they're all allowed some kind of grace. And I think the way that Michael learns more about gender and sexuality and race as he starts college is very organic and something that will make this text useful and reflective for a lot of teen readers.