A mix of new and popular titles that amplify young LGBTQ+ voices and experiences.
In this booklist:
Middle Grade Titles
Twelve-year-old Alex leads the charge against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world.
Benji Zeb has a lot going on. He has a lot of studying to do, not only for school but also for his upcoming bar mitzvah. He's nervous about Mr. Rutherford, the aggressive local rancher who hates Benji's family's kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. And he hasn't figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford's stepson, who has been bullying Benji pretty hard at school, despite Benji wanting to be friends (and maybe something more).
Witchlings meets The Parent Trap in this contemporary middle grade fantasy about a girl who tries to use her fickle witchy powers to keep the parents of her best friend (and long time crush!) together so Avangeline won't have to move away.
Twelve-year-old nonbinary B forms a connection with an anxious stray dog, Gooseberry, prompting them to pursue their dream of becoming a dog trainer while navigating the complexities of trust and building a family in their newest foster home.
Twelve-year-old Jasmine has been haunted by a ghost ever since her father passed away, and her new supernaturally inclined friends are determined to help her figure out why.
Eighth grader Lizzie's study of asexuality in science class leads her to understand her own asexual identity as she embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and self-advocacy.
Mallory Marsh is an expert at molding into whatever other people want her to be. Her true thoughts and feelings only come out in her sci-fi web comic, which she publishes anonymously as Dr. BotGirl. Instead of being honest about hating competitive swim, Mal skips out on practice and secretly joins the library's comic club. There Mal meets Noa, a cute enby kid who is very sure of who they are.
A chance encounter throws Ash and Splinter into each other's orbits and changes the course of the kingdom's history. The princess and her new squire will face bullies, snobs, gossips, and their own disapproving families. But when they uncover a shadowy group of nobles plotting to overthrow the queen, they will show everyone how legends are born.
The first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym, including realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi stories.
Thirteen-year-old Brian and his best friend Ezra navigate the challenges and complexities of middle school, as Brian struggles to cope with his emotions and Ezra attempts to balance his loyalty to his best friend with a newfound friendship.
Middle Grade Graphic Novels
In this modern retelling, Anne is fostered into the West Philly home of siblings Marilla and Matthew, and while she initially has a hard time at school, she ends up joining the robotics team and competes for a spot in an elite STEM program.
Twelve-year-old goblin and witch-in-training Beetle enlists her former best friend, Kat Hollowbones, to help stop Kat's sorceress aunt from demolishing the mall where Beetle's friend Blob Ghost is trapped.
After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will.
This follows the story of Indu, a young trans boy from the moon, who deals with the culture shock, familial struggle, and first crushes that come with living on Earth in this touching coming-of-age story.
Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a ribbon skirt, a piece of clothing typically worn by women in the Anishinaabe tradition, for an upcoming powwow. Anang is two-spirit and nonbinary and doesn't know what others will think of them wearing a ribbon skirt, but they're determined to follow their heart's desire.
From indie-pop twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara and Eisner Award-winner Tillie Walden comes the second book in their bestselling contemporary middle grade graphic novel duology, all about crushes, crushing it, and being crushed by life in junior high
Katie can't wait to turn twelve--pool parties! babysitting! friends! But sometimes it feels like there's so much new stuff she can barely keep up. Maybe growing up isn't as much fun as she had expected. But one thing does seem right, her new friend, Grace. Could Katie have a crush on another girl? Katie knows not everyone around her will approve...which is kind of scary. She might not be ready to tell anyone yet, and that's fine...but can Katie stay true to herself and embrace the person she's growing up to be?
Ever since sixth grade, Ashton Price and their best friend and enduring crush, Ivy Santos, have spent their summers together at theater camp. Now it's their last year before they part ways for high school, and Ash is determined to end it on a high note! With Ash as stage manager and Ivy the lead in this year's musical, this summer's shaping up to be everything the two could have hoped for. Will Ash work up the courage to ask Ivy out?
YA Titles
Ariel grapples with her fear of her own mind and violent fantasies, driven by her desire to meet her parents' expectations and societal norms, until a summer job at a carnival leads her to new friends who help her discover her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and find acceptance and support for her true self.
A nerdy high schooler learns to embrace his main-character energy in this witty and heart-healing ode to movie tropes, meet-cutes, and LGBTQ+ love.
Aromantic and asexual students Sophie and Jo, engaged in an online feud as the creators of popular relationship advice accounts "Dear Wendy" and "Sincerely, Wanda," unwittingly become real-life friends and navigate their shared aroace identities as they face the challenges of college life.
After drowning and making a deal with Death for a new life, Andres Santos starts over in Miami where he forms a polyamorous triad with Renee and Liora, but when Liora ends up in a coma, Andres and Renee embark on a journey into the underworld to retrieve her spirit and reunite it with her body before it is too late.
Four teens. Three henchmen. Two thousand acres of remote forest. One very bad man. And a whole lot of new secrets to unearth. High school is over, but Nora O'Malley's life isn't, which is weird now that her murderous stepdad Raymond is free. Determined to enjoy summer before her (possibly) imminent demise, Nora plans a ten day backpacking trip with Iris and Wes. It will take all of their skills to make it out of the forest alive.
A thief who steals priceless art and replaces it with his father's impeccable forgeries while targeting Mr. Black, the man responsible for his mother's death, Icarus Gallagher is torn between family loyalty, revenge, escape and Mr. Black's son--the boy he's come to love.
As the contentious 2017 presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, churns louder and faster. For her part, high school senior Libertad (Libi) Morazán takes heart in writing political poetry for her anonymous Instagram account and a budding romance with someone new. As Libertad faces the political and social corruption around her, stifling homophobia at home and school, and ramped up threats to her poetry online, she begins dreaming of a future in which she doesn't have to hide who she is or worry about someone she loves losing their life just for speaking up.
In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family. This is a potent YA debut about a world where love potions are weaponized against hate and prejudice, sisterhood is unbreakable, and self-love is life and death.
Years ago, the Fall kids' father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family's complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.
YA Graphic Novels
In this bilingual, inventive, and heartfelt debut, graphic novel talent Christine Suggs explores a trip they took to Mexico to visit family, embracing and rebelling against their heritage and finding a sense of belonging.
A collection of stories by members of the trans community about their childhoods, specifically their life goals and how they achieved them, including musicians, actors, teachers, scientists, forest rangers, and activists.
High-school senior and notorious wallflower Belle Hawkins finally works up the courage to remove her mascot mask and ask out her longtime crush, Regina Moreno. There's only one teensy little problem: Regina is already dating Chloe Kitagawa, athletic all-star...and middling English student. Regina sees a perfectly self-serving opportunity here, and asks the smitten Hawkins to tutor Chloe free of charge, knowing Hawkins will do anything to get closer to her.
It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes--but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.
Set in sixteenth-century Korea and richly infused with Korean folklore, this is a timeless and powerful story about fighting for your place in the world, even when it seems impossible. Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn't ready for a girl warrior. Still, Kai is determined but she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before.
Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us. Nick and Charlie are in love. They've finally said those three little words and Charlie wants to take their relationship to the next level but can he find the confidence he needs?
Neesha Sparks is a disabled, vocal community activist with a passion for costume design. Gabby Graciana is an optimistic surfer. When the two girls discover that they like the same manga series, Navigator Nozomi, they become more than just fellow new kids. Soon, they become new friends on a mission - to track down the remaining Navigator Nozomi books. This slice-of-life romance follows the two girls as they adventure across North Carolina to find each book, with their story intercut with the tales of Navigator Nozomi.
Ariel has dreams of leaving her southside Chicago neighborhood and making it big as a punk rocker with her best friends and bandmates now that they've graduated from high school, but the realities of young adulthood make that challenging and strain their friendships with each other.