There has been lots of quality young adult (YA) literature that addresses queer identity and has the potential for curriculum integration, bibliotherapy, and overall reading pleasure. However, unlike multicultural literature, there are no tools or a set of criteria that can help guide educators through the process of selecting the best of the YA queer literature for use in their schools. This article describes how the authors reviewed the literature and developed a selection criteria, choosing to place an emphasis on those novels that fell into the queer consciousness/community framework, believing in the importance for educators to delve into contemporary texts and move beyond simple coming-out narratives to engage readers in thinking emphatically and critically.