Bibliographic Information

Title: You Should See Me in a Crown

Author: Leah Johnson

Publisher: Scholastic Press 

Copyright Date: June 2, 2020

ISBN: 978-1338503265

Genre

Coming of Age; Romance

Format

Book

Print Length

336 pages

Reading Level/Interest Level

Grades 7-12 (per Booklist)

Awards or Honors

Stonewall Honor Book for Children’s and Young Adult Literature (2021)

Plot Summary

We deserve good things, too. No matter how we have to get them. (p. 160, Kindle edition)

Liz Lighty has a lot to worry about. Her mom has died, her brother is sick, and she doesn’t have the money she needs to attend her dream college. She can’t fix the first two, but she could fix the third by doing the last thing she ever dreamed of: running to be her small midwestern high school’s Prom Queen. The title comes with a scholarship that would cover her college expenses, but it also means facing her former best friend Jordan – who she hasn’t spoken to for years – and a pack of mean girls and popular jocks who have been nothing but rude to her over the years. As she shocks everyone by joining the race, she meets new student Mack, who starts as competition but quickly becomes something much more. Liz has to face her fears, step out of the shadows, and learn to live who she truly is to grab the future she wants for herself.

Author Background

Leah Johnson was born and raised in Indiana and currently owns the independent bookstore Loudmouth Books, featuring marginalized authors and banned books, in Indianapolis. She earned her MFA in fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College. In addition to her debut novel, You Should See Me in a Crown, she’s publishing a middle grade series through Disney-Hyperion, beginning with 2023’s Ellie Engel Saves Herself (Leah Johnson, n.d.).

Critical Evaluation

You Should See Me in a Crown is a cute, endearing book with an enthusiastic fan base. I love how much people love this book! While I personally think the characters are a bit one-dimensional, and the book lacks any real tension you might expect in a story about a black, financially strapped, queer girl at a small, affluent, midwestern high school, I do absolutely see the appeal. It’s reminiscent of the 1980s teen rom-coms by John Hughes, just with a more modern, realistically diverse cast of characters. The lack of real tension might, in fact, be one of its biggest strengths since it’s incredibly valuable for readers to see stories of black, queer joy, and not just stories of struggle.

Creative Use for a Library Program

You Should See Me in a Crown centers around the frenzy over prom at a small midwestern town. A library could hold a “literary prom” for youth, inviting them to dress up as their favorite fiction characters for a formal evening of music, refreshments, and fun.

Speed-Round Talk

Winning Prom Queen was never in Liz Lighty’s plans, but it just might be the only way she can secure the future she wants for herself. Only a few things stand in her way, including her small-minded, small-town high school peers and the cute and quirky Mack, who starts out as competition but soon becomes much more.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

In February 2022, You Should See Me in a Crown was placed on a list of more than 50 books in Oklahoma under review for possibly breaking the state’s obscenity law. Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor said this was in response to complaints from several parents and the conservative groups Reclaiming Oklahoma Parent Empowerment and the Tulsa County chapter of Moms for Liberty (Adcock, 2022).

Just days later, O’Connor announced that he would not, in fact, be reviewing the books and instead encouraged any parents with concerns to go to their local school boards and legislators (Martinez-Keel, 2022).

Book resumes have become some of the best ways to defend potentially challenged books (Yorio, 2023a). A resume for You Should See Me in a Crown could be put together, with information including:

• multiple reviews from different sources
• awards won
• booklists including the work
• and news stories from when the book has been challenged but retained on the shelves.

Reason for Inclusion

You Should See Me in a Crown isn’t just important for the diverse identities and experiences represented in the book. It’s important because the story is told with intentional optimism and a happy ending. Johnson has said: “Black joy is at the heart of all the work I do. I want to capture Black girls, particularly Black queer girls, as their whole selves” (Gerike, 2020).

Click any of the images below to see full-size:

Photo sources for fanart (L to R): Evelyn Rogers, 2020; Laya Rose, 2024; Lane L., 2020.