Aiden Thomas (born14th of July, c.1989) is a

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

author of

young adult novels Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

, best known for the book '' Cemetery Boys'' which was a ''New York Times'' bestseller and won numerous awards, including best of the year recognition from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'',

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

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and ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

''.

Early life and education

Thomas was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, and received a BA in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and a MFA in creative writing from

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

Personal life

He was born in Oakland on the 14th of July and is 180cm tall He is of

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

and

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

heritage. In 2007-2010, he attended Mills College, majoring in English and Psychology. While there, he rowed crew. The practices were at 5am, and he was always sleepy, so the

coxswain The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...

called him "aidenschmaiden" which he later used for his Twitter username. In 2011, he trained as an EMT and nearly completed a year before suffering a accident. In 2012-2013, he completed a post baccalaureate at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

, studying English. In 2013-2015, he finished a MFA in Creative Writing at Mills College, where he got 5 stories published and his thesis became the basis of a later book, ''Lost in the Never Woods''. Thomas lives in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. He is

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

and uses he/they pronouns.

Books

''Cemetery Boys''

''Cemetery Boys'' was published on September 1, 2020, by Swoon Reads. It tells the story of Yadriel, who is queer, transgender, Latino and a brujo. Unfortunately, his family does not recognize him as a man, which has serious effects on his abilities. The book was named a best seller by ''The'' ''New York Times'' and ''

IndieBound The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and to ...

'', the first trans-centered book to do so, and received starred reviews from ''

'' and ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

''.

''Lost in the Never Woods''

''Lost in the Never Woods'' was published on March 23, 2021, by Swoon Reads. It is a retelling of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

''. The book, as well as the audiobook, received a starred review from ''Booklist''.

''The Sunbearer Trials'' duology

''The Sunbearer Trials'', a Mexican-inspired fantasy was published on September 6, 2022 by

Feiwel & Friends Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

. It received starred reviews from ''

'' and ''

.'' The finale in this series, ''Celestial Monsters,'' was published on September 3, 2024 by Feiwel & Friends. It received starred reviews from ''Booklist'' and ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

''.

''Just Max''

In October 2021, Thomas announced the acquisition of ''Just Max'', a contemporary YA novel about a trans boy going to college and navigating all the new experiences that includes. Release is set for Winter 2024.

Awards and honors

''Cemetery Boys'' is a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

book. It was a ''New York Times'' and Indiebound bestseller, and ''

'',

, and

named it one of the best books of 2020. ''

'' included the audiobook on their list of the top ten audiobooks of 2020, the

(ALA) included it on their 2020 list of the top ten

Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults The American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, formerly Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults, is a recommendation list of audiobooks presented yearly by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division. The Yo ...

. The following year, the ALA included it in the top ten on their

Best Fiction for Young Adults The American Library Association's (ALA) Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommended list of books presented yearly by the Young Adult Library Services Association The Young Ad ...

list, ALA Rainbow Book List, and Teens' Top Ten list. In 2023, the ALA included ''The Sunbearer Trials'' on their list of the Best Fiction for Young Adults and their Rainbow List.

References

External links

Aiden Thomas official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Aiden American writers of young adult literature Writers from Oakland, California American queer writers LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American LGBTQ people American LGBTQ novelists Transgender novelists American transgender writers American transgender men Transgender male writers Queer novelists Mills College alumni Novelists from California 21st-century American novelists Hispanic and Latino American novelists LGBTQ people from California 21st-century American male writers