High School, First Love and First Heartbreak

Huge thanks to FoldKids and Another Story Bookshop for the recommendation to check out Ciel by Sophie Labelle. Your reader will fall in love with Ciel, Stephie, their friends and family. It’s a story filled with love, told in an authentic voice containing all of the feelings so many teens face when they first start high school. Ciel is especially necessary because it is told from the perspective of a trans teen, featuring a cast of diverse characters. 

Ciel is starting high school and they are navigating all of the uncertainty that comes with starting at a new school. Along with starting at a new school, their name on all the class registers is not the name they wish to be called. Not only that but best friend Stephie really wants to keep her trans identity to herself so Ciel really has a lot on their plate. They are kind and caring, so aware of everyone around them.

Ciel is a story that will connect with so many teens. Sophie Labelle really draws on all those feelings of confusion and uncertainty that all teenagers experience while they are straddling the life in between childhood and adulthood. The constant pull between making friends and guarding oneself against hurt that Ciel feels is so very relatable to all teens. This book brings visibility to the trans teen experience. It is a beautiful book that will allow trans teens to be seen in literature and for all readers to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. There is a real lack of children’s books written by trans authors for a middle grade and high school audience. I hope publishers take note, these books are vital to every teenager. Books written about the trans community by the trans community help those who are cisgender understand and empathize with the experiences of their trans peers. These books are vital to trans teens to show them they are seen, their experiences are important and worth reading about.