Flamer

Written by: Mike Curato

First line: Put that out before you burn the whole camp down!

Why you should read this book: Aiden is just trying to enjoy his summer at scout camp, far from his father's violence, his mother's depression, and his little twin siblings, but as the summer progresses, it's hard for him to hide two very important details from himself any longer: first, many of the guys in his patrol are ragingly homophobic, and second, Aiden is flamingly gay. Even though he's not quite ready to come out to himself, the other guys seem to know his secret no matter how hard he tries to act straight, and even that is increasingly difficult as he develops an intense relationship with the handsome and cool Elias, who seems to like him despite the other kids jokes. Set in the '90s, this book touches on the official anti-queer position of the Boy Scouts at the time, along with self-harm, the symbolism of Catholicism, and, of course, all the pleasure of summer camp including archery, basket weaving, and bears. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're ragingly homophobic.

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