By Gayathiri Kamalakanthan (author)
Paperback In Stock £9.99 £8.99
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A luminous and romantic debut verse-novel navigating first love as a non-binary teenager.
I feel invincible. Like I could run and run and never stop for breath.
I feel a power in me I didn't know I had.
The power to speak, to say what I need.
Surya knows exactly who they are. Coming out as non-binary to their queer parents and best friend? A total non-event. Catching feelings for Blessing - the boy in drama club whose smile makes their heart race? That's trickier.
As their final year of school unfolds and the two of them grow closer, Surya starts to question: Does Blessing really see them? Or just a version of them that doesn't exist? They'd ask their best friend for advice, but she's busy falling in love too. . .
With gorgeous illustrations throughout, Bad Queer draws us deeply into queer friendship, family secrets, and the necessary act of loving yourself. Perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Dean Atta and Sarah Crossan.
This is a love letter to queer futures - tender, curious, and fiercely alive.
'Truthful, intimate and powerful!' Laura Dockrill 'Beautifully written verse novel about first love, acceptance and identity.' Abiola Bello 'Sensual, present and protective. I feel like I made a friend.' Steven Camden
Gayathiri Kamalakanthan is a Tamil writer and producer. They're interested in how language shapes adolescence and how we might use it to build freer futures. Gayathiri is a recipient of the Disabled Poets Prize, the Poetry Archive Now! Worldview Prize, the FAB Publisher's Prize and the RSL Literature Matters Award. Their play Period Parrrty is a trans Tamil romcom and opened at Soho Theatre in October 2025. An alumna of the Southbank Centre New Poets Collective, Gayathiri runs Word-Benders, a poetry workshop centering trans and queer poets of colour. gayathiri.co.uk, @unembarrassable.
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A luminous and romantic debut verse-novel navigating first love as a non-binary teenager.I feel invincible.Like I could run and runand never stop for breath.I feel a power in meI didn't know I had.The power to speak,to say what I need.Surya knows exactly who they are. Coming out as non-binary to their queer parents and best friend?
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Bad Queer and determined it is suitable for children aged 15-18 years old
Bad Queer features in the following genres: Featured Books for Young Adults, Romance / Relationship Stories, Poetry Books for Children, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Romance and love stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Recommendations, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage poetry, anthologies, annuals
Paperback. £8.99, down from the £9.99 cover price. In Stock.
Bad Queer was written by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan and published by Faber & Faber
Bad Queer has 409 pages
£8.99, reduced from £9.99. In Stock.
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