You Should See Me in a Crown (novel)

This article is about the young adult novel. For the Billie Eilish song, see You Should See Me in a Crown.
You Should See Me in a Crown
First edition
AuthorLeah Johnson
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung Adult
PublisherScholastic Press
Publication date
June 2, 2020
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint Hardcover
Pages336 (Hardcover edition)
ISBN9781338503265
OCLC1111972556
Websitehttps://www.byleahjohnson.com/

You Should See Me in a Crown is a debut young adult novel by Leah Johnson,[1] published by Scholastic in June 2020. The book was given a Stonewall Book honor,[2] and TIME magazine named it one of the best 100 young adult books of all time.[3]

The novel follows Liz Lighty, who hatches a plan to leave the "small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town" she lives in because she feels "too black, too poor, too awkward" to live her best life there.[4][5][6][7]

Plot

Liz Lighty longs to leave her hometown of Campbell, Indiana and makes plans to start a new life at the elite Pennington College, where she aims to join their world-renowned orchestra and study to become a doctor. Liz hopes to enroll at Pennington with the help of financial aid but when the aid suddenly becomes unavailable, she reluctantly decides to join a contest at her high school which awards scholarships to the prom king and queen.[4][5][6]

Even though Liz is afraid of being the center of attention, fears the possibility of being trolled on social media, and dislikes public events, she is fueled by the desire to follow her dream of attending Pennington College. When Liz finds herself falling for her prom queen competition, the bright and witty Mack, she is caught between the excitement of a new crush and the risk of losing a scholarship.[4][5][8]

Publication history

Reception

On its release, You Should See Me in a Crown received positive reviews and temporarily sold out across various retailers.[6] Publishers Weekly included the novel in its Children's Institute 2020: Indies Introduce Debut Authors list, Forbes profiled it during Pride month 2020, and Time cited it as a fiction book that can contribute to anti-racism work through storytelling that centers Black people.[9][10][11][12] Goodreads included it in its list of Popular Queer Young Adult Fiction list for June 2020 calling it "a self-love anthem for queer black girls everywhere."

Accolades for You Should See Me in a Crown
Year Accolade Result Ref.
TIME's 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time Selection [3]
2020 Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2020 Selection [13]
Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction Nominee [14]
2021 Stonewall Book Award Honor Book [13][15]
YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top Ten [16][17]
YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection [18]

References

  1. ^ Oldfield, Kate (2020-08-10). "Leah Johnson on rom-coms, black queer representation and You Should See Me in a Crown". United By Pop. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  2. ^ "ALA announces 2021 Youth Media Awards". News and Press Center. 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  3. ^ a b "The 100 Best YA Books of All Time". Time. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  4. ^ a b c "Meet the Authors of June's Popular Queer Young Adult Fiction". Goodreads. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  5. ^ a b c Johnson, Leah (2020-06-02). You Should See Me in a Crown. Scholastic Press. ISBN 978-1-338-50326-5.
  6. ^ a b c Gerike, Lydia. "'Black joy is at the heart of' author and Indianapolis native Leah Johnson's YA novel". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  7. ^ Thomad, Summer (14 February 2021). "Author Leah Johnson On Being Young, Black, Queer And In Love". npr. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  8. ^ Duster, Chandelis (2023-11-03). "This bestselling author's book was challenged in schools. So she opened a store for banned books". CNN. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  9. ^ Bussel, Rachel Kramer. "5 LGBTQ Authors On The Inspiration Behind Their Young Adult And Middle Grade Books". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  10. ^ "Children's Institute 2020: Indies Introduce Debut Authors". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  11. ^ "Spring 2020 Flying Starts: Leah Johnson". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  12. ^ "Reading Anti-Racist Nonfiction Is a Start. But Don't Underestimate the Power of Black Fiction". Time. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  13. ^ a b "You Should See Me in a Crown". Kirkus Reviews. March 25, 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  14. ^ "You Should See Me in a Crown". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  15. ^ "You Should See Me in a Crown | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. April 16, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  16. ^ "2021 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  17. ^ "2021 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  18. ^ NGILBERT (2021-01-14). "2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved 2021-12-21.