587 ratings | 205 reviews | avg rating:4.45

A.’s Year In Books

A.’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at A.’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to A.’s 2025 Year in Books

A. J. Sass’s Followers (297)

A.’s Bookshelves

to-read (1909)
currently-reading (2)
read (874)
2019 (98)
2020 (118)
2021 (102)
2022 (97)
2023 (44)
2024 (33)
2025 (16)
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A.’s Friends (234)

Nicole Melleby

898 books | 109 friends

Mira Dalju

793 books | 89 friends

Sarah

6,065 books | 147 friends

Lewis Weinstein

4,399 books | 2,464 friends

Melony Breeze

1,093 books | 15 friends

Christof Damian

951 books | 82 friends

Grace

1,956 books | 146 friends

Amy

1,905 books | 106 friends

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A. J. Sass

Goodreads Author

Website

https://sassinsf.com

Twitter

matokah

Genre

Contemporary, Children's, Gay and Lesbian

Member Since

July 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/matokah

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A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author whose narrative interests lie at the intersection of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship. He is the critically acclaimed author of Just Shy of Ordinary, a 2025 Sydney Taylor Book Award honoree, as well as the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in 2023, and Ana on the Edge, and also the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG (with Nicole Melleby). His picture book debut is Shabbat Is ..., illustrated by Noa Kelner.

When he’s not writing, Andrew figure skates, travels, and tinkers with his collection of typewriters as much as possible. He splits his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and northwestern Vermont with his husband, a dobrador, and two c ...more

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Combine Editions
A. J. Sass’s books

Average rating: 4.25 · 5,492 ratings · 1,147 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	Ana on the Edge 4.36 avg rating — 1,602 ratings — published 2020 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ellen Outside the Lines 4.31 avg rating — 1,424 ratings — published 2022 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us by Katherine Locke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Nicole Melleby (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Eric Bell (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.13 avg rating — 1,064 ratings — published 2021 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby (Goodreads Author), A. J. Sass (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 592 ratings — published 2023 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again by Shakirah Bourne (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Dana Alison Levy (Goodreads Author) (Editor), I.W. Gregorio (Goodreads Author) 4.32 avg rating — 423 ratings — published 2021 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Just Shy of Ordinary 4.08 avg rating — 426 ratings — published 2024 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Being an Ally by Shakirah Bourne (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Dana Alison Levy (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Derick Brooks (Contributor) 4.05 avg rating — 131 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shabbat Is ... by A. J. Sass (Goodreads Author), Noa Kelner (Illustrator) 4.12 avg rating — 25 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by A. J. Sass…

A. is Currently Reading

A. is currently reading

The Life of Herod the Great

by Zora Neale Hurston

bookshelves: currently-reading, 2025, adult, audio, historical, judaica, owned

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Feb 25, 2026 12:30PM

A. is currently reading

Song of the Bull Rider

by Alex Singer

bookshelves: currently-reading, 2021, adult, fantasy, lgbtqia, owned, selfpub, transgender

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Feb 24, 2026 04:13PM

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A.’s Recent Updates

A. entered a giveaway We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune (Goodreads Author) 50 copies available, ends on April 08, 2026 Enter to win »
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A. wants to read The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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A. entered a giveaway Wake Now in the Fire: A Graphic Novel by Jarrett Dapier 24 copies available, ends on March 30, 2026 Enter to win »
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A. is 31% done with The Life of Herod the Great The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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More of A.'s books…

Quotes by A. J. Sass (?)

“A year might not feel like a long time, but years add up. Every single one has bought me closer to the person I am now.”
― A.J. Sass, Being an Ally

tags: ally, gender-euphoria, love, non-binary, sentimentalism, transgender, years

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“Not every person fits neatly into categories. Life doesn't always stick to a planned itinerary.”
― A.J. Sass, Ellen Outside the Lines

tags: categories, spontaneity

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“Pretty sure this is it,” Andy says. Isa takes it in. “It looks like…” “… a hot mess,” Gibs finishes. For once, I agree with Gibs. La Pedrera looks like someone threw clay onto a building that dried before it could be smoothed out. It’s the opposite of symmetrical.”
― A.J. Sass, Ellen Outside the Lines

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Polls

What book should we read in March?

As always, you may write in titles, provided the book is a 2025 Newbery contender and already published.

The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee

29 votes 25.0%

Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (write-in)

19 votes 16.4%

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

18 votes 15.5%

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell

17 votes 14.7%

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel and Bethany Strout Illustrated by Sammy Savos

8 votes 6.9%

Just Shy of Ordinary by A.J. Sass

6 votes 5.2%

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson (write-in)

6 votes 5.2%

The Misfits (write-in)

4 votes 3.4%

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (write-in)

2 votes 1.7%

Black Girl You are Atlas (write-in)

2 votes 1.7%

Ligh and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (write-in)

2 votes 1.7%

Misfits (write-in)

1 vote 0.9%

light and air (write-in)

1 vote 0.9%

Light and Aire by Mindy Nichols Wendell (write-in)

1 vote 0.9%

116 total votes

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