Books with author Joe Ramsey

Mira MacDonald, a proud lesbian, and Rob Stevens, gay but in the closet, don’t have it easy at their high school. Luckily they’ve always had each other and their close friendship to rely on, and it makes facing the bullies a little easier. At least for Mira. Rob is also struggling with untreated depression, and lately, Mira’s sweet and funny friend has become increasingly paranoid, suspicious, and obsessed with death. Things go even further downhill when Mira begins dating Talia Acevedo and Rob becomes convinced Talia is driving a wedge between them. Mira knows Rob needs her, but his jealousy and irrational fears are becoming harder to balance with her relationship with her girlfriend. Add to that escalating harassment from bullies, and Rob is being driven closer and closer to an edge Mira worries she can’t pull him back from. But she has no idea how serious the situation is until, during one of their midnight chats, Rob reveals he has a solution―a desperate final measure to put an end to the bullying… permanently. This time, trying to help her friend and save the school could cost Mira her life.

Deep Secrets and Hope: Book One Sixteen-year-old Evan Granger has no problems with being gay. Despite his mother’s objections, he wears nail polish and makeup to school and pursues his goal of becoming a professional drag queen. TV drag star Taffy Sweet gives encouragement and Evan’s cousin Holly tries to protect him, but school bullies abuse him so badly because of his sexuality and the girly way he dresses that he ends up at the hospital emergency room. After that, even his new crush, a closeted football jock named Moe Garcia, is unhappy about Evan's choice to live his life openly gay. But even in girly clothes and nail polish, Evan is a force to be reckoned with, and he soon shows the bullies―and everyone else―that beating a drag queen up does not mean the queen is beaten down.

Deep Secrets and Hope: Book Two High school football star Guillermo Garcia can count himself among the popular kids―for now. Although he secretly dates Evan Granger, who is openly gay and badly bullied for it, Guillermo doesn’t dare let his teammates, classmates, or close-knit family learn about his sexuality. But Guillermo witnessed an attack on Evan, and now the school bullies plan to out Guillermo in retaliation. In their small town, word spreads rapidly, so Guillermo must make a quick choice―come out now on his own or risk having someone else do it for him.

Stranded. Hopeless. Trapped. No one to turn to and no way to reach the freedom just beyond his grasp…. That’s how Chris Talberman feels when his family moves to an isolated New England coastal town and leaves him alone to care for his severely autistic sister, Cece. Chris knows how the dolphins stranded in the cove near his home must feel―he understands their struggle better than he can express. But the tragic event has a silver lining. It’s there, while chasing his sister, that Chris meets Noah, a boy his age who is as kind and handsome as he is fascinating. Not only has Chris found the friend he needed, but the possibility for love― Until Chris’s mother abandons the family and Noah reveals his own hidden pain. Now Chris must care for the person he thought would care for him.

Finally! Whimsy and superpowers collide in novel form! After suddenly developing a curious ability, Sam Marino finds that surviving the ongoing turbulence of ninth grade becomes much more difficult. When a series of mysterious attacks disturbs the small town of Harper Valley, Sam’s ability gains new meaning as he must attempt to protect himself and others from likely danger.

Deep Secrets and Hope: Book Five Sixteen-year-old Jim Frankel has become the thing he loathes, and he can’t stand thinking about what he has done. After being accused of sexual assault by two girls, Jim serves out his sentence in a juvenile detention facility. He’s shocked by the arrest for what he thought was consensual sex, and terrified his own childhood sexual abuse has twisted him into a predator―just like the man who molested him. Upon release, Jim is no longer welcome at his family home, and with nowhere else to turn, he travels from Massachusetts to Michigan to live with his father’s cousin, Delia. Keeping his head down, Jim works hard at Delia’s art supply shop and prays no one will find out about the awful crime he committed. It’s his chance for a new beginning, but when he makes his first friend in Man-Shik Park, Jim is afraid to let him get too close. But by walling himself off from the support Manny’s offering, Jim might sabotage the opportunities in front of him.

Deep Secrets and Hope: Book Three Chastaine Rollo follows her own rules, even starting rumors about herself before others have the chance. Others’ opinions don’t matter. Her life is fun, and she likes being a rebel, until now. When she comes forward as a date-rape victim, pinning a popular former student as her attacker, the entire school turns against her. Two months ago, Chastaine admitted to her friend Guillermo that Jim Frankel date-raped her, and Guillermo coaxed her to report it. When word spread about what had happened to Chastaine, a freshman girl, Maryellen, reported that she had also been raped by Jim. Since then Chastaine and Maryellen have endured nasty messages, cyberbullying, and threats in school. Chastaine has lost many of her so-called friends and now leans on Guillermo, his boyfriend Evan Granger, and Evan’s cousin, Holly McCormack, for support. Especially Holly. When Jim pleads guilty to the charges against him, Chastaine’s happiness is short-lived when she realizes the truth won’t change the way her peers view her. Unable to take the news and the way people are treating her, Maryellen attempts suicide, and Chastaine blames herself for not being more supportive. However, Chastaine needs support too, and Holly is one of the only people she can now trust, but Chastaine isn’t sure whether her attraction to Holly is only because of that or if it’s something more.

Library Edition Sixteen-year-old Evan Granger has no problems with being gay. Despite his mother's objections, he wears nail polish and makeup to school and pursues his goal of becoming a professional drag queen. TV drag star Taffy Sweet gives encouragement and Evan's cousin Holly tries to protect him, but school bullies abuse him so badly because of his sexuality and the girly way he dresses that he ends up at the hospital emergency room. After that, even his new crush, a closeted football jock named Moe Garcia, is unhappy about Evan's choice to live his life openly gay. But even in girly clothes and nail polish, Evan is a force to be reckoned with, and he soon shows the bullies-and everyone else-that beating a drag queen up does not mean the queen is beaten down.

Deep Secrets and Hope: Book Six Man-Shik “Manny” Park, grandson of strict Korean immigrants, is trying to protect his friend Jim Frankel from bullies who don’t think Jim should be allowed to live in Ludington, Michigan, let alone have any friends. Manny is determined to stand by Jim, even if Jim isn’t willing to defend himself. But Jim’s problems aren’t the only ones facing Manny. Against his parents’ wishes, Manny yearns to be an artist. He’s also more attracted to guys than girls, and he’s asexual. Only Jim knows these secrets, and Manny knows a few of Jim’s too. Bonded by their shared confidences, Manny supports Jim after he’s accused of sending explicit Facebook messages to middle school girls, including Manny’s sister. While Manny sets out to prove Jim’s innocence, things go from bad to worse. Soon after the incident, Manny and Jim receive intimidating messages, and Jim is put in danger. To help his friend, Manny risks everything to try to learn who’s behind the threats and why they want to destroy Jim’s life.

When Kaylie Sturbridge, one of the popular crowd, starts acting strangely, flipping out in school and shouting about a dark thing following her, her friends shun her. Only Jonah seems to know what's going on, and he persuades Shanna to work with him to help Kaylie. But can the two of them rid Kaylie of the entity that wants to take over? And can Shanna trust herself enough to do what Jonah needs her to?