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Books with LGBT characters?

Posted by Lindsey

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Forum: Books and Stories

Can anyone give me titles of books with lgbt characters. Female characters would be great.


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Reply by Rose Romola

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Male or female?


Either way, read Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. :)


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JUDD, an LGBTQIA+ BIPOC led Urban Fantasy about a teen boy struggling to come to terms with who he is. Because of his hesitance to accept himself, when the time came, he didn't receive his powers like everyone else in Comet Cove City.

AVAILABLE MARCH 5th, 2021!

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SUMMARY

Comet Cove is a city where everyone gets their own special powers when they come of age. Everyone, that is, except for Samael Judd.

Ordinary in a world of extraordinaries, Sam faces the possibility of exile, should his powerlessness be discovered. When a Fragment doesn’t accept themselves, their Aura doesn’t give them the powers they’re promised, making them a Blank.

But a solution exists: If Sam can confront the part of himself that he would rather stay buried, he just might be in the clear. That is, until he finds out he’s revealed his secret to the wrong person.


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I've read this book called Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas twice now and thinking of giving it another read through, it's quickly become one of my favorite books!


It has:

-A full Latinx cast
-Trans rep
-Gay romance
-Supernatural ghosts
-Día de Muertos


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Reply by Rebecca

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I second Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. There is also Reverie by Ryan la Sala. 


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Reply by kimi_possibly

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In the Pretty Little Liars series, one of the main characters named Emily is bi. She leans toward girls, but spoiler: she has had 2 relationships with boys. One lead to a baby. But, the series is heavily hetero. 


Carry On and Wayward Son have gay boy protagonists. 

Not All Boys are Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto has a male protagonist. 

Coffee Makes You Black is about a young Black woman realizing her sexuality. 

I’m in a dental office so I apologize for not giving authors. I’m just remembering off the top of my head. 


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Reply by ƒєℓιχ

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If you're a horror fan, Hailey Piper is one of my fave authors and has queer characters in her work. There's also an anthology I'm a part of called Black Rainbow that's got some amazing short stories.


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Reply by Leslie Easterday

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The Black Witch series by Laurie Frost has openly gay characters. Malinda Lo is a fabulous gay author who writes LGBT fantasy. I read fantasy mostly lol


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Reply by Nikki Y.

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Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers 
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

These are just a few that I've read last year but they all have F/F main ships in them! Hope its useful.


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Reply by Anthony Taylor

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Not to toot my own horn, but my novel (She Wants To Play) has a gay male lead with other lgbt characters, too.


Also, I'd like to add I'm a gay author myself.


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Reply by Bianca

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Here are a few of my recommendations!

Cinderella is Dead - ya fantasy

You Should See me in a Crown- YA contemporary

Let’s Talk about Love- mc is Bisexual and Ace

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens- main character is gay and one of her closest friends is a drag queen

Of Fire and Stars- YA fantasy

Everything Leads to You - contemporary romance

Anna-Marie McLemore Is a trans non-binary latinx author


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Reply by ꉔꋬ꒒ꏂꃳ ꅐꋬ꒒ꀘꏂꋪ

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I have two books that have either LGBT Characters/Subjects in them on Amazon called Midnight Bloom and rEVILation. Here soon my friend JD Toombs has a book coming out called JUDD that has LGBT characters also in it. His will be on his site and in stores like B&N.


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Reply by RIP

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Death to the Soul by R.I. Polsgrove (me).


There's a transgender zombie named Natalie, a pansexual, vampires and a gay couple (a zombie and werewolf). 

Natalie is a mortician and runs a funeral home with her brother Kevin (zombie) who's with a werewolf named Travis. 


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Reply by costello costello

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*cracks knuckles*


<b>The Grief Keeper</b> by Alex Villasante is about a girl attempting to cross the US/Mexico border with her sister. After getting caught, she's given the option to take part in an experiment for one month in exchange for a green card for her and her sister. Problem? She's to take away the grief and PTSD of another young woman.

<b>Music from Another World</b> by Robin Talley is 1970s(ish) historical fiction of two young high schoolers from very religious families. Starting their friendship via penpalship as summer homework, they soon realize that they have a lot in common, including that they might like women.

<b>Waves</b> by Ingrid Chabbert is a graphic novel depicting the grief and acceptance of a woman's miscarriage.

<b>Fat Angie<b> by E. E. Charlton-Trujijllo is a YA book about Angie, a fat girl who likes other girls. But when a new girl is in town, Angie thinks that there's no way that she could like her back. Right?

<b>The Big Lie</b> by Julie Mayhew is an alternate history/future in which Germany has control over England. There, Jessika is expected to be the perfect and dutiful daughter. Her best friend, however, is radical, and wants to enact some serious change. How can they sort out their feelings despite being so politically different?

<b>Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me</b> by Mariko Tamaki is a YA graphic novel about a young girl who has found love in Laura Dean, the cool girl who she just can't get enough of. But can she break up with her for good?

<b>Self-Portrait with Boy</b> by Rachel Lyon is about a woman who is trying to make it as an artist. She begins taking a series of self portraits, and realizes one day that one of her portraits shows her upstairs neighbors' son jumping from the window, committing suicide. Can she maintain the friendship while using the photograph to make it big?

<b>We Are Okay</b> by Nina LaCour features a young girl going off to college for the first time, effectively cutting off all communication from her best friend back home. But when her best friend visits her over winter vacation, she's forced to face many realities she's wanted to deny.

<b>Annie on My Mind</b> by Nancy Garden is THE classic YA lesbian novel! Two young girls become friends, and as they spend more and more time together, the more they realize that they'd rather be dating. But can they get away with it with nobody knowing?

<b>A Line in the Dark</b> by Malinda Lo is a dark academia murder mystery for teens--a group of catty girls, rivaling schools, and a murder so far hyped up yet unexplained. What could go wrong?

<b>Uninvited</b> by Jane C. Esther is a sci-fi novel in which a woman is infected by an alien of some sorts. But the person to help her through it? Her ex-girlfriend, the one who got away.

<b>Calling Dr. Laura</b> by Nicole J. Georges is a graphic novel-memoir about the trials and tribulations of a young adult who loves women and chickens. What will her mother think?

<b>Everything Leads to You</b> by Nina LaCour features a young set designer intern who finds some old letters at an estate sale. In an effort to track down the author, she goes on a journey throughout LA to find his only living heir, and perhaps love.

<b>Unbecoming</b> by Jenny Downham intertwines three generations of women: a stressed out mother, a dementia-addled grandmother who has just disrupted the main character's home life, and a teenager who has kissed her best friend.

I hope this helps!! All of these (from what I remember) are lesbian-specific ^^


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Reply by Genn

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The Black Flamingo and anything written by Adam Silvera! 


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Reply by emo_leo2100

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The Percy Jackson series and The Heroes Of Olympus series but Rick Riordan have multiple lgbt characters ^-^


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Reply by Reo

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The Stars are Legion.

Slow River.

Lesbian Sci-fi for the win~!


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Reply by Ellyist

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Naomi Kritzer's two-part book series Fires of the Faithful and Turning the Storm. Sapphic main character, neither she nor the love interest dies at the end!  


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Reply by Bill Lineberger

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These are just a few I have read recently. 


Red, White & Royal Blue 

Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe

They Both Die At The End

If I Was Your Girl

All of these books were so very, very good. The last two I mentioned were really emotional and heart breaking as well as uplifting in their own way. 


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Reply by planetfynn

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Currently reading the scapegracers, my friend got it for me for Christmas in 2020


Other LGBTQ+ stories include:
  • I wish you all the best [mason deaver]*
  • Cemetery boys [Aiden Thomas]**
  • Bloom [graphic novel but very wholesome]*
  • The Miseducation of Cameron Post* [read in high school, remember liking it]
  • Felix Ever After
  • Kings, Queens, and Inbetweens
  • Here the whole time
  • Rock and Riot [Webcomic]*

*read
**reading
No star- yet to read


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Reply by Taylor

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 Commenting because I didn't see one of my favorites...

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, the mc is bi and it's a beautifully written story. Believe all of the hype...


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Reply by Caroline

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More Happy Than Not


It is a sci-fi novel about a new invention that can erase memories.


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Reply by Caroline

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More Happy Than Not


It is a sci-fi novel about a new invention that can erase memories.


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Reply by Rachel

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Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers. It is sapphic and features two women getting drunk married in Vegas. 




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Reply by Rachel

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Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers. It is sapphic and features two women getting drunk married in Vegas. 




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Reply by Ghost_in_a_Jar

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Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. There are 6 main characters. 1 is gay and 1 is bisexual. 2 of the main characters might be asexual (it makes more sense when you read it). I think 1 might be LGBTQ+. These are really great books with a lot of action and some romance and it also delves into topics such as sexual assault, gambling addiction, drug addiction, disabilities, etc. Also, Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone recently started streaming on Netflix. It's an adaptation from her Shadow and Bone series. The show features characters from Six of Crows.


I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson. One of the main characters is gay. The story has LGBTQ+ romance and is definitely worth the read.

Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro. Not only is the main character gay, but practically his whole friend group is LGBTQ+. Along with LGBTQ+ representation, there is a wide variety of diversity amongst the characters in the book. This book centers around racism and channeling one's anger into something good, like activism. The story also reminds people that anger is a good thing. *FUN FACT: The author, Mark Oshiro, is nonbinary and goes by they/them pronouns.*


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Reply by Kylie

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Wow I do not see one of my most favorite books in here!!!


Brooklyn, Burning definetly deserves to be on this list. The two main character's gender and sexuality are never specified, leaving it up entirely to the reader, nor are masculine and feminine traits never really assigned, and pronouns are never specified either. It's a love story as well between the two main characters. One thing that may put some people off is that the whole book seems it's written to you because you're meant to be in the perspective of one of the chatacters, it's really weird and I don't know how to explain it, but it works very well. Just a fair warning there is refrences and depictions of drug use/addiction, death, suicide, and arson.


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Reply by idiotic_soul

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Cemetery Boys and Wilder Girls are my go-to’s


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Reply by Aubrey Overall

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"Crier's War" and "Iron Heart" by Nina Varela. If you're a fan of things like game of thrones you'll like this, it's sapphic and YA. Fantastic world-building IMO. 


"Black Iris" is more.. adult, if youknow what I mean. The protagonist(18F) is highly problematic but you still find yourself rooting for her. She has a complex relationship with two people she met a party (a man, 23, and a woman, 21). Very full of sexual tension and angst. She also mentions not feeling like a man or a woman. NSFW and TW for suicide, drug abuse, sexual assault, school shooting, homophobic slurs, assault.


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Reply by Rodi

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flying tips for flightless birds (its gay not lesbian but still)


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Reply by Gore

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Well, this isn't a book about female characters but Two Rogues Make a Right is an LGBT novel by Cat Sebastian about two men who fall in love :)


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Reply by J4YC33

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Apis and Queen of the Bees both have lgbt characters.


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Reply by R1cky!

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The plot isnt “this character is queer and thats all they have to them” But i recommend the Houndstooth series by Travis M. Riddle! It has lesbian and trans representation in it and it’s honestly just a great read if you like sci-fi / fantasy!! 


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Reply by Heather Ashbury - Author

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My book, More Than Human, features a bisexual female lead!


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Reply by Ava

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Something more than night. Protagonist is a lesbian. 


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Reply by Wenn Ratajczyk

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Reply by Meaghan Kalena

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I write some stories with a male queer character. Check out Matt’s Story, Perceptions of the Lost, or Begin Again. Blackbird is in development as well!


They’re a spin-offs of my science fantasy novel, Grazing the Sky, but hopefully they make sense as stand alone stories!


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Reply by Ardent Melody

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The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett in an underrated fave of mine. It's a fantasy novel set in a magical, winter-y kingdom, where the ruthless royal family have all fallen mysteriously ill, except for the one daughter who never wanted to rule. Hounded by a hostile suitor, she hastily chooses a bride candidate from amongst the noble ladies who came to court her brother. Political intrigue abounds. Also features non-binary characters.

A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee is another good one. Historical fiction set in the 1700s, a pair of gentry lads set off to do their Grand Tour of europe (with a younger sister in tow) and immediately get swept up in a mystery adventure that smashes their itinerary to pieces. The two boys are very gay for each other, and the younger sister is ace. If you like it, there is a sequel narrated by the sister, a novella, and a third book coming out in the near future.


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Reply by Nico

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more of a series, but Trials of Apollo has a lot of LGBTQ+ rep. Such as multiple wlw couples, a main couple being MLM, ace characters, bisexual characters, lesbian characters, gay characters, the other series has a genderfluid character. 


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Reply by elizabeth

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valencia by michelle tea

zippermouth by laurie weeks


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Reply by Jessi

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Hi! Another writer here :-) Feel free to browse my debut novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57572965-strawberry-milk


Happy reading! 


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Reply by Theresa Annalee

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Spitfire by Maya Kern; it just came out and it's amazing! Plus there's going to be a sequel c:


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Reply by Elux_Died_♤☆

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Ayo, do I have news for you!!

My first novel is an LGBTQ novel about two Latine students going through high school. I tried to give some more diverse lgbtq+ and racial/ethnic representation based on my and my friends' lives, and it deals with issues of identity, mental illness, and environment. :)

Both of the main characters are male (one cis and one closeted trans), though, and I know you were looking mostly for females. I hope you at least check it out, though! (ok shameless plug it's on sale now)

I haven't read too many femme-led LGBTQ novels yet (I need to), but I hope others have suggestions in that area for you. :)


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Reply by nonbinaryopossum

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A favorite of mine is "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Saenz about the blossoming relationship between two latino teen boys. It always gets some tears out of me when I read it.

If you're looking for some well done trans or nonbinary rep, check out "I Wish You all the Best" by Mason Deaver :)


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Reply by protopip ミ✭

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The Locked Tomb series. Lesbian necromancers in space.


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Reply by Jasmine

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Heartstopper by alice oseman is so good, its about 2 boys one openly out the closet and the other a 'straight' boy who plays rugby. They are polar opposites & are so cute :) 


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Reply by cheryl ✿

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persephone station!!


or the classics: george and rick by alex gino :}


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Reply by TheBigFatCaterpillar

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On a Sunbeam is a really good sci-fi story with a wlw relationship. It shows two stories which converge by the end. One story is the past of the main character and the second story is the present. It shows both stories at once and it reveals it so well. The art is really good. There is also a nonbinary character.


Basically, this girl falls in love, then her girlfriend is whisked away to a dangerous galaxy and the story is about them trying to reunite. It's really good.


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Reply by wren </3

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In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens is SOOOOO GOOD. it's an mlm love story set in a fantasy world!!! it's really well written too. 


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Reply by candleWick

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Homestuck


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Reply by Katie

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Redwood and ponytail 

The price of salt 
Oranges are not the only fruit 


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