The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All by Sumiko Arai

There are so many things about this manga to grab your students' attention! First, that cover. The interesting perspective, the vibrant background and the title that promises some kind of gender exploration are all WINNERS in terms of engagement.

When you open up this title, you'll see that the color scheme continues and is green, black, and white throughout. It's gorgeous!

The story? That's a winner too. Aya has a crush on the clerk of a cool music store she visits. In Aya's eyes, "he's" dreamy, with his cool clothes, black nail polish, hoodies, and masks. (The clerk is likewise smitten with Aya. ) BUT, the clerk is actually Aya's female classmate, Mitsuki! The first volume captures their budding relationship (identities ARE revealed) and the thread is the music they both love. [There are playlists on both Apple and Spotify that tie-in to the manga!]

The book does include some playing with gender presentation ideas, but to be clear, both of the MCs are cis high school girls.

VERIDCT: BUY THIS FOR YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARIES. We need more female/female love stories and this one is edgy enough to be appealing and still super sweet. The publisher age rating is teen (13+). I would call it 7th grade+.