Flamer is a coming-of-age graphic novel about Aiden Navarro, a boy at summer camp navigating friendships, bullies, and his emerging awareness that his feelings for another boy are more than friendship. Mike Curato, author and illustrator, creates a visually striking work that captures both the everyday experiences of camp life—archery, swimming, campfires—and the internal turmoil of adolescent identity formation. Aiden is Catholic, half-Filipino, and increasingly unable to ignore what his attraction to the popular, athletic Elias might mean. Meanwhile, he faces homophobic bullying from other campers and struggles with his own internalized shame. Curato renders Aiden's emotional states through innovative visual techniques, with the color red recurring as a symbol of both desire and danger. The book does not shy away from the genuine pain of Aiden's situation, including scenes of self-harm and suicidal ideation, while ultimately offering hope and the possibility of self-acceptance. For young adult readers and the adults who work with them, Flamer provides a sensitive and artistically accomplished portrait of LGBTQ adolescence that affirms struggling teenagers while taking their pain seriously.