The Art of Being Normal
by Lisa Williamson
Interest age: 14 to 15
Reading age: 13+
Published by David Fickling Books, 2015
About this book
David Piper has always been an outsider, labelled a freak by the school bully. Only his two best friends know the real truth - David wants to be a girl.
Meanwhile, Leo Denton, the new boy in Year 11, is trying to keep a low profile. The two of them couldn't have less in common, but when Leo ends up standing up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship begins to develop. But things take a difficult turn when the secrets that both Leo and David are struggling to keep buried start coming to light.
This impressive debut from Lisa Williamson is a sensitive, funny and moving story about two very different teenagers who discover they have more in common than either of them could ever have expected. Challenging assumptions about what it means to grow up transgender, this is a life-affirming, powerful and heart-warming coming of age story that will show young adult readers that 'being normal' is not always all it's cracked up to be.
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Lists of recommended reads
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Teen books with LGBTQ+ characters
Representation is so important, both for teens who are themselves LGBTQ+ and also for others to gain more empathy and understanding. These books for teens all feature lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters and relationships.