Spin me right round by David Valdes

A queer retelling of Back To The Future, Spin Me Right Round follows Luis, a gay high schooler whose attempts to petition for prom to be more inclusive are met with condemnation as a result of the school’s negative attitude towards queer students; a ripple effect of the tragic death of Chaz Wilson, a closeted gay student, in 1985. When his scheme to trick the principal into allowing same-sex couples at prom goes awry, Luis suffers a head injury that sends him back in time to 1985, where he finds himself face to face with the very student whose death sabotaged his inclusive prom. A fan of time-slip adventures, Luis enlists the help of his favourite teacher, Ms. Silverthorn, as well as his highschooler mother and her friends, and decides that his purpose in 1985 is to save Chaz. 

An engaging tale with many twists and turns, Spin Me Right Round provides poignant lessons for students and the school community alike. Penned by a Cuban-American gay author, this novel is a call-to-action, providing insight into the importance of allyship through encouraging individuals to learn about and be accepting of others regardless of their backgrounds and identities, and of being true to oneself no matter the consequences. This book is highly recommended, an essential in school libraries, both for students to feel seen and validated in who they are, and for the community to better learn how to be of support to students exploring who they are in this most sensitive time in their lives.

It is important that students are warned of the homophobia, racism, and mature themes in this novel, especially the inclusion of abuse of power by way of teacher-student sexual relationships.

Themes: LGBTQIA+ identities and relationships, Coming of age, High school, Time travel.

Daniella Chiarolli