October 25-31 is Ace Week! Formally known as Asexual Awareness Week, this is an annual event that puts asexuality in the spotlight. 

Want to learn more about  what it means to be asexual? Check out Angela Chen's brand new non-fiction book:  Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society and the Meaning of Sex 

Looking for books that feature characters who are ace or on the asexual spectrum?  Well this is an area where there aren't many books just YET.  But that's hopefully changing as more readers are looking for these characters and more writers are creating them!  Here are a few favorites to enjoy!
 

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

This young adult novel introduces us to Alice whose last relationship ended when she revealed to her girlfriend she was asexual.  Alice has given up on finding love, but love hasn't given up on her. For readers who like a romantic happily ever after, this biromantic ace protagonist may be your cup of tea!

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Nancy is a girl who found a mysterious portal to another world and then she wound up back home again, unable to forget the other world and hungering to return. Thus she winds up at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children,  a place full of other people who've gone off to other worlds and then come back home again. Nancy's asexuality is in-text, and is accepted as simply part of who she is.   

 

Jughead: Volume One by Chip Zdarsky

While it's been fairly well known that Archie's best friend Jughead was more interested in food than romance, it wasn't until this graphic novel series about Jughead that he's been written as canon aromantic asexual. Check out this volume and volume #2 where Jughead encounters Sabrina and the two have to deal with paranormal hijinks!

Not Your Backup by C.B. Lee

Emma Robledo has a few more responsibilities that the usual high school senior, but then again, she and her friends have left school to lead a fractured Resistance movement against a corrupt Heroes League of Heroes. Since Emma is the only member of a supercharged team without powers, she isn't always taken seriously. This third book in the series features Emma as an asexual, aromantic protagonist figuring out her own sexuality amid an exciting superhero romp.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Pirates by Mackenzi Lee

Hoping to travel to Germany to ask for help enrolling in medical school, Felicity has no money for the trip until a mysterious woman offers to travel with her and pay her way which ends up entangling Felicity in a perilous quest across Europe. This YA historical book features an ace aro protagonist  in a lively action adventure.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Elatsoe lives in an America that's much like the one we know, but not quite. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals—a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes.  This is an Ownvoices YA story with an asexual protagonist.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!