A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology

Gr 8 Up–This collection of speculative fiction featuring LGBTQIA+ protagonists and characters of color includes contributions by Libba Bray, V.E. Schwab, Kwame Mbalia, Nic Stone, and others. Some of the standout stories: A young warrior fighting to become the consort of the kingdom’s ruler is drawn to one of her fellow combatants instead; to save her two mothers, a young Latina seeks an audience with a trans prince; a Black colonist aboard a spaceship is determined to take some of his history with him; a brown-skinned genie is summoned by a girl living in a research station in the clouds of Venus; a young man with the Sight seeks to rescue a bruja trapped in an invisible tower; love notes are supernaturally passed between a Black gang member in solitary confinement in California and an Arab boy in Gaza. Unfortunately, many of these stories end with a disappointing jolt, failing to fully develop the characters or adequately conclude the tale—readers will be left wanting more. Despite this, the diversity represented in these stories is exceptional, and many readers who may have thus far been unable to find themselves in the pages of speculative fiction will see themselves here.