Prismatic Reads

PRISMATIC READS

Inspired by the Open Agenda program at Savoy, this is our Gay it Forward program. Prismatic Reads is both a selection of books that have been pre-purchased for anyone to take home and also an opportunity for customers with extra funds to help increase access to queer literature for young readers. Prismatic Reads focuses on LGBTQIA+ books for YA and Middle-Grade readers, but queerness is intersectional, and so are the titles donated. 

Looking for a way to give back?

1. Choose a book you'd like to donate 

2. Purchase as usual

3. Let the bookseller know it's for Prismatic Reads OR, if you're ordering online, write in the comment section that this is for Prismatic Reads

4. Know you've provided a book for someone in need to take home

5. Feel extra super-duper rainbow-y

Looking to get a book?

Head to the Young Adult Section and select one of the Prismatic Reads Cards on display to redeem at the main register! You don't have to explain to anyone or give a reason, though we're always happy to help you pick!

What if I’m not out?

We understand that not everyone wants to or can safely be out in their community or spaces. If you’re looking to take a book home discreetly, just ask one of our staff members and we’ll pick something out for you and bag it up - we can even specifically grab you a title that doesn’t look outwardly queer.

The following titles are bookseller recommendations but you may purchase any queer book of your choosing. We recommend browsing our curated LGBTQ+ Lists. Just make sure to write "for Prismatic Reads" in the order comments field at checkout!

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic By g. haron davis Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780063218796
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperTeen - May 16th, 2023

Perfect for fans of All Out and Cemetery Boys, this anthology claims a seat at the table of fantasy literature for trans and gender nonconforming stories.


Loveless By Alice Oseman Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781338751932
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Scholastic Press - March 1st, 2022

For fans of Love, Simon and I Wish You All the Best, a funny, honest, messy, completely relatable story of a girl who realizes that love can be found in many ways that don't involve sex or romance.

From the marvelous author of Heartstopper comes an exceptional YA novel about discovering that it's okay if you don't have sexual or romantic feelings for anyone . .


Heartstopper #1: A Graphic Novel By Alice Oseman, Alice Oseman (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Alice Oseman, Alice Oseman (Illustrator)
$14.99
ISBN: 9781338617436
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Graphix - May 5th, 2020

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork.

Now streaming on Netflix!

Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning.


Staff Pick Badge
Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix (Remixed Classics #9) By Gabe Cole Novoa Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781250869807
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Feiwel & Friends - January 16th, 2024

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!


The Prince and the Dressmaker By Jen Wang Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781626723634
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: First Second - February 13th, 2018

A fairy tale for any age, Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.

Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:


Squad By Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Lisa Sterle (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Lisa Sterle (Illustrator)
$14.99
ISBN: 9780062943149
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Greenwillow Books - October 5th, 2021

An IndieBound Bestseller

Squad is a fast-paced and feminist horror story for every girl who’s ever felt like prey, and asks how far a girl should go to hunt the hunters.”—Laura Ruby, author of National Book Award Finalist Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All


Nimona: A Netflix Film By ND Stevenson, ND Stevenson (Illustrator) Cover Image
By ND Stevenson, ND Stevenson (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780062278227
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Quill Tree Books - May 12th, 2015

Now a Netflix animated film!

Nimona is the New York Times bestselling graphic novel sensation from ND Stevenson, based on his beloved and critically acclaimed web comic. Kirkus says, “If you’re going to read one graphic novel this year, make it this one.”


The Girl from the Sea: A Graphic Novel By Molly Knox Ostertag Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9781338540574
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Graphix - June 1st, 2021

From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family, romance, and first love.

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives.


You Should See Me in a Crown By Leah Johnson Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9781338503296
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: PUSH - June 1st, 2021

A TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All Time

A Stonewall Honor Book

A Reese's Book Club YA Pick

Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town.


The Black Flamingo By Dean Atta Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780062990303
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Balzer + Bray - May 25th, 2021

Stonewall Book Award Winner * A Time Magazine Best YA Book Of All Time

A fierce coming-of-age verse novel about identity and the power of drag, from acclaimed poet and performer Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Kacen Callender.


Felix Ever After By Kacen Callender Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780062820266
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Balzer + Bray - April 20th, 2021

A Stonewall Honor Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time

From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.


Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe By Benjamin Alire Sáenz Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9781442408937
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - April 1st, 2014

Now a major motion picture starring Max Pelayo, Reese Gonzales, and Eva Longoria!
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021)

This Printz Honor Book is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison.


Staff Pick Badge
Last Night at the Telegraph Club By Malinda Lo Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9780525555278
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers - December 28th, 2021

Winner of the National Book Award
A New York Times Bestseller

"The queer romance we’ve been waiting for.”—Ms. Magazine


Wilder Girls By Rory Power Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9780525645610
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ember - June 2nd, 2020

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

"The perfect kind of story for our current era."Hypable

Featured in Vulture’s "11 Books to Read If You Already Miss Yellowjackets"!


Stay Gold By Tobly McSmith Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9780062943187
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Quill Tree Books - August 3rd, 2021

Debut author Tobly McSmith delivers a coming-of-age teen love story about a transgender boy who’s going stealth at his new Texas high school and a cisgender girl who is drawn to him, even as she’s counting down the days until graduation. Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Becky Albertalli, and Jenny Han.


Staff Pick Badge
I Kissed Shara Wheeler: A Novel By Casey McQuiston Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781250244451
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Wednesday Books - May 3rd, 2022

*INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*INSTANT #1 INDIE BESTSELLER*
*INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER*

From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need...


The Last True Poets of the Sea By Julia Drake Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780759554993
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - June 15th, 2021

Fans of Far from the Tree, We Are Okay and Emergency Contact will love this epic, utterly unforgettable contemporary novel about a lost shipwreck, a missing piece of family history, and weathering the storms of life. 

The Larkin family isn't just lucky—they persevere.


Staff Pick Badge
In Other Lands By Sarah Rees Brennan Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9781618731661
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Big Mouth House - August 6th, 2019

Elliot doesn't want to fight, keeps saying the wrong thing, and is definitely the grouchiest human in fantasyland.


House of Hollow By Krystal Sutherland Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780593110362
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - March 1st, 2022

A New York Times Bestseller!
An Instant Indie Bestseller!

A dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things really do go bump in the night.


Once & Future By Cory McCarthy, A. R. Capetta Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780316449267
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Jimmy Patterson - February 4th, 2020

King Arthur as you've never seen her! This bold, sizzling YA novel reimagines the Once and Future King as a teenage girl determined to save the universe from an evil curse. My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start. I've been chased my whole life.


Cemetery Boys By Aiden Thomas Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781250250469
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Swoon Reads - September 1st, 2020

A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's New York Times-bestselling paranormal YA debut Cemetery Boys, described by Entertainment Weekly as "groundbreaking."

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.