Sara Ryan

Empress of the World is about friendship, love, and the sometimes blurry lines between the two. Nicola Lancaster comes to the Siegel Summer Institute for Gifted Youth to decide whether or not she wants to be an archaeologist. She doesn’t expect to make the best friends she’s ever had, and she especially doesn’t expect to fall in love with another girl.

Empress is a 2002 Oregon Book Award winner, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Fabulous Babe Sharyn November is my editor. Best quick summary comes from the New York Public Library, which named it a Book for the Teen Age and described it as follows: “Girls find kissing easier than talking.” Words to live by, folks.

A companion book, The Rules for Hearts, was published in 2007.

Read more on the book website.

Excerpt:

JUNE 14, 4 PM, PRUCHER HALL AUDITORIUM
I am sitting cross-legged on an uncomfortable seat, waiting for a speech to start. It has been approximately forty-five minutes since Mom and Dad left me here. I am going to be here for the whole summer, and I do not know a single person. I open the big new journal Mom gave me last week. So far all it has is a title page which says “Field Notes” in block letters. I turn to the first blank page and write:

hypothesis: taking an actual class in archaeology will serve to confirm nicola lancaster in her lifelong dream of becoming an archaeologist.

I scratch out “lifelong dream,” because it doesn’t sound scientific enough, and write “proposed vocation,” but that sounds pompous, so I write “lifelong dream” again, and then above it, in larger letters, “ignore: this is dumb.” Then I write: “speech notes” just in case I actually take any.

Listen to me read an excerpt (coming soon)

Read more on the book website.

Reviews:

“…Both controversial and long-awaited, this helps to fill a need that is painfully obvious in YA literature and introduces a wonderful new voice.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“…realistic razor-keen observations and fine-edged humor… An excellent, upbeat (though not un-fraught) first-relationship novel for gay and lesbian teenagers and their straight friends.” –New England Children’s Bookselling Advisory Council

“…characters are voiced with near-perfect pitch. The action is equally on target… Ryan handles Nic’s confusion about her sexuality and her longing for Battle adroitly.” –The Oregonian

“Humorous and bittersweet… a must-read…” –Teen People

“Ryan… surpasses many of the trappings of stereotypical gay teen representations… [and] is to be applauded for taking this story beyond an identity struggle.” –Publishers Weekly

Read more on the book website.