THE (UN)POPULAR VOTE

Red, White, & Royal Blue meets The West Wing in Jasper Sanchez's electric and insightful #ownvoices YA debut, chronicling a transmasculine student's foray into a no-holds-barred student body president election against the wishes of his politician father.

Vaseline on the teeth makes a smile shine. It's a cheap stunt, but Mark Adams knows it's op- tics that can win or ruin an election. Everything Mark learned about politics, he learned from his father, the Congressman who still pretends he has a daughter and not a son. To protect his father's image, Mark promises to keep his past hidden and pretend to be the cis guy everyone assumes he is. But when he sees a manipulatively charming candidate for student body president inflame dangerous rhetoric, Mark decides to risk the low profile he assured his father and insert himself as a political challenger. One big problem? No one really knows Mark. He didn't grow up in this town and has few friends; plus, the ones he does have aren't exactly with the in crowd. Still, thanks to countless seasons of Scandal and The West Wing, these nerds know where to start: from campaign stops to voter polling to a fashion makeover. Soon Mark feels emboldened to get in front of and en- gage with voters - and even start a new romance. But with an investigative journalist digging into his past, a father trying to silence him, and a bully frontrunner who stands in his way, Mark will have to decide which matters most: perception or truth, when both are just as dan- gerous. In this whip-smart and electric debut by Jasper Sanchez, readers will find themselves engrossed in a no-holds-barred race that proves popularity isn't what counts - not in the Electoral College, and definitely not in high school. Jasper Sanchez is Seattle-based transmasculine author with a commitment to telling authentic trans stories. His short fiction has been published in Mithila Review, Foglifter, and Plenitude. Although he never ran for office at his small town high school, he lost a sixth grade student council election by historic margins. Even his campaign manager voted against him.