Literacy Matters Vol. 25 Winter 2025

Book Title, Author, and Cover

Summary

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

A spin on the Cinderella fairytale, Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron features a Black sapphic lead. Set 200 years after the events of the original fairytale, all girls must be presented at the Annual Ball and are selected by men from around the kingdom if they are a suitable match. Sophia has no desire to marry a man and flees from the ball, meeting the last known descendant of Cinderella in the process. They work together to try and bring down the rules of the kingdom.

Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Booth, Stephanie Strohm, and Jamie Green (Illus.)

The first in a series, the graphic novel Twelfth Grade Night, remixes Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with LGBTQ+ characters. While Twelfth Night already features a storyline where characters challenge gender norms, this remix adds additional layers by including diverse sexual orientations in the complicated love story between Vi, Orsino, and Olivia. Layer in a modern high school setting, and this remix of a Shakespeare classic brings the drama to new audiences.

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Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline

In this remix of the classic The Secret Garden, Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline, the racism and colonialism of the original classic are reworked into a powerful tale featuring Indigenous and LGBTQ+ characters. After moving to the Georgian Bay from Toronto, Mary and her new friend Sophie work together to uncover why Mary’s cousin, Olive, is hidden in the attic. With slightly aged-up characters, this story is a fresh and diverse take on a classic that often veered into problematic territory.

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

In this Vietnamese remix of Romeo & Juliet , the teenagers of two rival restaurants meet and fall in love. Together, they must navigate their relationship between family expectations and feuds, which might be deeper than rival businesses. This story is a fresh, modern take on a classic that also deals with the trauma of leaving Vietnam after the war and the struggles of assimilation.

A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C. B. Lee

In a remix of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, A Clash of Steel brings Asian representation to the high seas. The unknowing daughter of the captain of the famed Dragon Fleet, Xiang, discovers a hidden map in her family pendant after a girl named Anh steals it. The two embark on a quest to find the legendary treasure of the Dragon Fleet, something thought only to be a myth. This story revitalized the classic with representations of LGBTQ+ and Asian characters.

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