My curiosity grew right alongside these characters as they further uncovered details about Austen, who is a real historical figure. This book includes brief explanations of LGBTQIAP+ and pronoun terms which help the reader better understand the story as well as the LGBTQIAP+ community. As they set out to uncover more about Austen, Sam also learns more about their identity, their relationships, and the importance of mentors and community. Sam and TJ discover that Alice Austen, most widely known for her photography in the late 1800s to early 1900s, was also a part of queer history. They know that it would be easier to just do a report about a “Dead Straight Cisgender White Man,” 1 and like most seventh-grade students, the idea of having to work harder on a project for your boring history teacher is not the most fun thing in the world, but their curiosity to uncover queer history propels them forward on a great adventure. They explore the borough of Staten Island in New York to complete a history assignment for school. The story follows nonbinary characters Sam and TJ who are best friends in seventh grade. The same goes for the characters Sam and TJ in Alex Gino’s newest novel, Alice Austen Lived Here. If you were to ask me in seventh grade if history was my favorite subject, the answer would have been a resounding no.
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