All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages

About the Book

Take a journey through time and genres and discover a past where queer figures live, love and shape the world around them. Seventeen of the best young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens. From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier, to an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, this collection of short stories crosses cultures and time periods to shed light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.

Book Synopsis

Take a journey through time and genres to discover stories where queer teens live, love, and shape the world around them.

Seventeen young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens.

From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier...to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain...to forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent...and an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods, and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.

"Readers searching for positive, nuanced, and authentic queer representation--or just a darn good selection of stories--need look no further than this superb collection."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Featuring original stories from:
Malinda Lo
Mackenzi Lee
Robin Talley
Kody Keplinger
Elliot Wake
Anna-Marie McLemore
Shaun David Hutchinson
Dahlia Adler
Tess Sharpe
Kate Scelsa
Natalie C. Parker
Sara Farizan
Nilah Magruder
Tessa Gratton
Tehlor Kay Mejia
Alex Sanchez
Scott Tracey

Read the entire set of companion anthologies featuring queer teens in the past, present, and future!
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
Out Now: Queer We Go Again!
Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder (coming soon!)

Review Quotes

"Sumptuous language, plentiful historical detail, and satisfying endings....Readers searching for positive, nuanced, and authentic queer representation-or just a darn good selection of stories-need look no further than this superb collection." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"LGBTQIA story collections are scarce, but even if they weren't, this one would be essential." -Booklist

"The diversity is refreshing... well written...Give to those teens who don't read full novels but still long for LGBTQ representation. A strong choice for most collections." -School Library Journal

"Historical fiction has not been very common in queer YA, and All Out is here to change that. Queer people have so often been erased from history that it can feel as if we have no roots. All Out imagines the lives of queer teens throughout different time periods, often playing with genre (retellings, fairy tales, magical realism, fantasy) as well. Not only does this imagine queer histories, it imagines happy ones! It also features a range of identities, including trans, gay, lesbian, asexual, and aromantic characters." - Vulture