Pride Month: New and Recommended YA Reading

Updated June 1, 2026
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According to Plan
Randall, Christen
Paper Book
Three starred reviews! "Warm, witty, and wonderfully queer." --Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys From USA TODAY bestselling author Christen Randall comes a cozy, "authentic, and affirming" (Kirkus Reviews,...
Angelica and the Bear Prince
Nguyen, Trung Le
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . Being a teenager is no fairy tale . . . but that doesn't mean you can't find a little magic. A high schooler's journey to recover from burnout leads to a surprising romance with a twist from the bestselling author of The Magic Fish. A LOS ANGELES TIMES...
Banned together : our fight for readers' rights
Pérez, Ashley Hope
Paper Book
A dazzling YA anthology that spotlights the transformative power of books while equipping teens to fight for the freedom to read, featuring the voices of 15 diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators. Books are disappearing from shelves across the country. What does this...
Beyond magenta : transgender teens speak out
Kuklin, Susan
Paper Book
A 2015 Stonewall Honor Book A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used...
Breathe : journeys to healthy binding
Kobabe, Maia
Paper Book
The bestselling author of Gender Queer presents an illustrated guide to chest binding, blending real-life stories and research-backed advice from University of Michigan professor Sarah Peitzmeier. "A unique, thoughtful, and evidence-based book perfect for individuals of any...
I can't even think straight
Atta, Dean
Paper Book
In this emotional novel in verse by the Stonewall Award-winning author of The Black Flamingo, a queer biracial teen confronts issues of race, privilege, class, and sexuality on his journey to falling in love. Kai knows who he is to others: The good grandson, the reliable best friend, the...
Canto Contigo
Garza Villa, Jonny
Paper Book
STONEWALL BOOK AWARDS - MIKE MORGAN & LARRY ROMANS YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE AWARD WINNER THE PUBLISHING TRIANGLE AWARDS - JACQUELINE WOODSON AWARD FOR LGBTQ+ CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE WINNER When a Mariachi star transfers schools, he...
Clementine. Book one
Walden, Tillie
Paper Book
A 2022 Junior Library Guild Selection!
Compound fracture
White, Andrew Joseph
Paper Book
A Michael L. Printz Honor Book A queer Appalachian thriller that pulls no punches--following a trans autistic teen who's drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them. The INSTANT New York Times, USA Today, and Indie...
Fable for the end of the world
Reid, Ava
Paper Book
The Last of Us meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in this stand-alone dystopian romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything. By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects...
Flamboyants : the queer Harlem renaissance I wish I'd known
Johnson, George M.
Paper Book
From the New York Times-bestselling author of All Boys Aren't Blue comes an empowering set of essays about Black and Queer icons from the Harlem Renaissance. In Flamboyants, George M. Johnson celebrates writers, performers, and activists from 1920s...
Freddie and Stella Got Hot
Horne, Maggie
Paper Book
Jenny Han meets Mean Girls in Freddie and Stella Got Hot, Maggie Horne's YA rom com about getting revenge and falling in love. "Sick, twisted, and more than slightly unhinged in the absolute best way." --BCCB By the time...
Kirby's lessons for falling (in love)
Gao, Laura
Paper Book
"I'm once again blown away by Laura Gao's ability to make me relate to someone completely different from myself. Get ready to experience the epic highs and lows of high school rock climbing." --Sonora Reyes, National Book Award finalist and bestselling author of The Lesbiana's Guide...
Knucklehead : Poems
Keith, Tony, Jr.
Paper Book
dear Knucklehead, perhaps you are like me: always figuring out if your soul and your skin are thick enough to protect your body from sticky stones thrown from the mouths of those who know that spoken words have the power to spit out freedom and break-in...
Lady's knight
Kaufman, Amie
Paper Book
An undeniably fierce, unforgettably funny, unapologetically queer feminist romp through the England of medieval legend. Bestselling and acclaimed authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner bring readers along on an epic quest for valor, freedom, and, above all, love. A Knight's Tale meets...
The last bookstore on Earth
Braun-Arnold, Lily
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Two teen girls fall in love and fight for survival in an abandoned bookstore as they prepare for the end of the world in "the snarky sapphic dystopian of our dreams" (Jennifer Dugan, author of Some Girls Do). A YALSA BEST FICTION FOR...
The letter Q : queer writers' notes to their younger selves
Moon, Sarah
Ebook
Life-saving letters from a glittering wishlist of top authors.If you received a letter from your older self, what do you think it would say? What do you wish it would say?That the boy you were crushing on in History turns out to be gay too, and that you become boyfriends in college? That the bully...
Lies We Tell about the Stars
Nadler, Susie
A gorgeous speculative novel about friendship, grief, and new beginnings set in near-future San Francisco in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake and on the cusp of the first human mission to Mars. Celeste Muldoon is alone when the Big One finally hits, because, for the...
Most Ardently : A Pride & Prejudice Remix
Novoa, Gabe Cole
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A STONEWALL HONOR BOOK A trans boy searches for a future--and a romance--in which he can live and love openly as himself in this heartwrenching YA reimagining of Pride & Prejudice, perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Gwen...
Night owls
Vishny, A. R.
Paper Book
In this thrilling paranormal YA romance debut steeped in folklore, two estries--owl-shifting female vampires from Jewish tradition--face New York's monstrous underworld to save the girl one of them loves with help from the boy one of them fears before they are, all of them, lost...
Other ever afters / New Queer Fairy Tales
Gillman, Melanie
Paper Book
Once upon a time . . . happily ever after turned out differently than expected. In this new, feminist, queer fairy-tale collection, you'll find the princesses, mermaids, knights, barmaids, children, and wise old women who have been forced to sit on the sidelines in classic stories taking center...
Queen of Faces: Deluxe Edition
Lord, Petra
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! This limited deluxe edition is printed with one-of-a-kind etched, gold foil edges, stunning foil on the case, and a striking printed endpaper map! "Absolutely soars and proves Petra to be a new...
Queer ducks (and other animals) : the natural world of animal sexuality
Schrefer, Eliot
Ebook
NPR's "All Things Considered," calls Queer Ducks "teenager-friendly. It's a Printz Honor young adult book filled with comics and humor and accessible science, and it's filled with research on the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world." This groundbreaking illustrated YA...
A queer history of the United States for young people
Bronski, Michael
Paper Book
Named one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 by School Library Journal Queer history didn't start with Stonewall. This book explores how LGBTQ people have always been a part of our national identity, contributing to the country and culture for over 400 years.
A quick & easy guide to coming out
Russo, Kristin
Paper Book
"A valuable package, both for young people exploring their own lives as well as anyone wishing to support them." --Booklist Whether you're queer, trans, questioning, or anything in between, coming out to the folks in your life can be nerve-racking and stressful. Luckily,...
Rainbow revolutions : power, pride, and protest in the fight for queer rights
Lawson, Jamie
Paper Book
Around one o'clock in the morning on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York, sparking days of intense rioting. What happened at Stonewall sent shockwaves around the world, and became a defining moment for the LGBTQ+ community. From the impassioned speeches of bold...
Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions
Saber, Ahmad
Paper Book
"An ode to the courage it takes to live with authenticity." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A "sparkling...ambitious, thoughtful, and funny" (Teen Vogue) debut novel about a gay Muslim teen who has to choose between being true to himself or...
The romantic tragedies of a drama king
Trevaldwyn, Harry
Paper Book
Heartstopper meets Derry Girls in this wonderfully hilarious rom-com about finding your first love when your personality might be too big for the world around you. Patch Simmons has decided that this is the year he will get a boyfriend, so it's goodbye to...
Run away with me
Selznick, Brian
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Brian Selznick, a profoundly romantic YA novel about two boys finding each other and falling in love over one summer in Rome. "I'm going to call you Danny. What are you going to name me?" "Angelo." Danny is spending...
The Stonewall Riots : coming out in the streets
Pitman, Gayle E
Paper Book
This book is about the Stonewall Riots, a series of spontaneous, often violent demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBTQ+) community in reaction to a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan,...
Strange bedfellows
Ries, Ariel Slamet
Ebook
Sync
Hopkins, Ellen
Paper Book
From #1 NYT bestselling author Ellen Hopkins comes a new heartbreaking young adult novel in verse about twins separated in the foster care system and the different paths their lives take. Seventeen-year-old twins Storm and Lake have always been in perfect sync. They faced the...
This book is gay
Dawson, Juno (Young adult fiction writer)
Paper Book
"The book every LGBT person would have killed for as a teenager, told in the voice of a wise best friend. Frank, warm, funny, USEFUL." --Patrick Ness, bestselling author Lesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual...
Time and time again
Greenfield, Chatham
Ebook
Trans history : from ancient times to the present day
Combs, Alex L.
Paper Book
"Combs and Eakett do a fantastic job of providing readers an incredibly comprehensive and strongly researched--yet somehow compact--look into the history of trans identity." --School Library Journal (starred review) An essential introduction to trans history, from...
Transmogrify! : 14 fantastical tales of trans magic
Davis, G. Haron
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of All Out and Cemetery Boys, this anthology claims a seat at the table of fantasy literature for trans and gender nonconforming stories. Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you'll embark on fourteen different...
Under the same stars : a novel
Bray, Libba
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller * A USA Today Bestseller * An Indie Bestseller * A Good Morning America Book Club Pick * Edgar Award Winner * Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee * An Audible Best Audiobook of the Year *...
Vesuvius
Biehn, Cass
Ebook
This thrilling historical fantasy set days before Mount Vesuvius destroys Pompeii is a meet cute with an explosive fallout. An exploration of ambition and class, autonomy and religion, survival and love, Vesuvius combines the romantic angst of They Both Die at the End<...
What the woods took : a novel
Gould, Courtney
Ebook
A January Indie Next Pick! "A visceral, unflinching, and emotionally powerful horror novel...this is Gould at her most poignant and most electric." -Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning Yellowjackets...
Where There's Room for Us
Kiyoko, Hayley
Ebook
In WHERE THERE'S ROOM FOR US, #1 New York Times bestselling author Hayley Kiyoko brings us a young adult novel set in a reimagined 1880s Victorian England where everyone is free to love whoever they choose. When her brother unexpectedly inherits an English estate, the...

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