Reading With Pride 2026 - Young Adult, Rainbow Male Character

Need a hand finding pukapuka for the Reading With Pride challenge? Look no further!

This is a list of books that will help you complete the first section of the challenge - reading a book with a rainbow male character.

This is the Young Adult list.

Updated May 11, 2026
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The corruption of Hollis Brown
Ancrum, K.
Ebook
From acclaimed author K. Ancrum comes a queer romantic thriller in which the lives of Hollis, a boy in search of meaning, and Walt, a spirit with unfinished business, collide when Walt takes possession of Hollis's body...and maybe his heart. For fans of Adam Silvera and Aiden Thomas! Now in...
Icarus
Ancrum, K.
Ebook
* FIVE STARRED REVIEWS * * A LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST * Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, this suspenseful queer YA romance from critically acclaimed author K. Ancrum reimagines the tale of...
All that's left in the world
Brown, Erik J.
Paper Book
Jamie and Andrew are strangers, but they're two of the last people left alive. They don't know what they'll find on their dangerous journey ... but they might just find each other. The genre-bending queer dystopian romance about courage, hope and humanity for fans of The Last of Us,...
If I see you again tomorrow
Couch, Robbie
Ebook
From the author of The Sky Blues and Blaine for the Win comes a speculative young adult romance about a teen stuck in a time loop that's endlessly monotonous until he meets the boy of his dreams. For some reason, Clark has woken up and relived the same monotonous...
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love
Croucher, Lex.
Paper Book
'Exactly what I needed right now - a delightful, heartwarming, hilarious historical romp, overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it' - ALICE OSEMAN, bestselling author of HEARTSTOPPER 'Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate...
Hazelthorn
Drews, C. G.
Paper Book
Knives Out meets Belladonna in this gorgeously gothic queer YA horror and dark romance about an inherited estate, murderous relatives, and a garden with a taste for blood, from the New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In and The Boy Who...
Those Pink Mountain nights
Ferguson, Jenny
Ebook
In her remarkable second YA contemporary novel following her Governor General's Award-winning debut, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, Jen Ferguson writes about the hurt of a life stuck in past tense, the hum of connections that cannot be severed, and one week in a small, snowy town that...
If this gets out
Gonzales, S.
Paper Book
"If This Gets Out is an absolute showstopper! Equal parts edgy and adorable, this bright, joyful book has everything I look for in a queer YA romance." - Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us One of the world's biggest boy bands. A secret love....
The forest demands its due
Jackson, Kosoko
Paper Book
A Lesson in Vengeance meets The Taking of Jake Livingston in this page-turning YA horror/fantasy set in dark academia about a queer Black teen who discovers the sinister history of his boarding school and the corrupt powers behind it all. Regent Academy has a long and storied...
This fatal kiss
Jasinska, Alicia
Paper Book
Spirit away with dark magic and flirty, polyamorous romance in this whimsical fantasy--and witness a sinister plan take shape in a BONUS chapter added to this special deluxe paperback edition that features gorgeous sprayed edges ! Cursed to haunt the river running through the...
Magical boy : a graphic novel. Volume 1
Kao Studios
Paper Book
A breathtakingly imaginative fantasy series starring Max--a high schooler chosen to become the next "Magical Girl." There's just one catch . . . he's a trans boy!Although he was assigned female at birth, Max is your average trans man trying to get through high school as himself. But on top of...
The extraordinaries
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
Now, conjurers
Kölsch, Freddie
Paper Book
"This sensational YA debut blends tense, terrifying horror with dark humour, queer romance and hugely original storytelling." Guardian November 1999, North Dana, Massachusetts. The body of Bastion Attia - high school quarterback, secret witch, and Nesbit Nuñez's even-more...
Meet cute diary
Lee, Emery
Audiobook
Felix Ever After meets Becky Albertalli in this swoon-worthy, heartfelt rom-com about how a transgender teen's first love challenges his ideas about perfect relationships. Noah Ramirez thinks he's an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of...
Good Young Men
Lonesborough, Gary
A brilliant contemporary YA coming-of-age novel about three small-town Aboriginal friends finding their way towards adulthood, from the multi-award-winning author of The Boy from the Mish, We Didn't Think It Through and I'm Not Really Here.
The summer Hikaru died. 1
Mokumokuren
Paper Book
It has Hikaru's face. It has Hikaru's voice. It even has Hikaru's memories. But whatever came down from the mountains six months ago isn't Yoshiki's best friend. Whatever it is, it's dangerous. Carrying on at school and hanging out as if nothing has changed--as if Hikaru isn't gone--would be crazy.....
The summer Hikaru died. 2
Mokumokuren (Manga writer)
Paper Book
Yoshiki tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but the truth cannot be ignored. Hikaru is gone. "Hikaru" is here. This new version is dangerous...or perhaps not? One thing's for sure--Yoshiki doesn't seem to be in harm's way. In fact, "Hikaru" seems to want nothing more than to befriend and protect him...
Only this beautiful moment
Nazemian, Abdi
Ebook
2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and...
Heartstopper. Volume 1
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR* *Heartstopper Forever movie coming July 17 from Netflix* *HEARTSTOPPER: fastest ever selling graphic novel* *Winner of Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again...
Heartstopper. Volume 2
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR* *Heartstopper Forever movie coming July 17 from Netflix* *HEARTSTOPPER: fastest ever selling graphic novel* *Winner of Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again...
Heartstopper. Volume 3
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR* *Heartstopper Forever movie coming July 17 from Netflix* *HEARTSTOPPER: fastest ever selling graphic novel* *Winner of Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again...
Heartstopper. Volume 4
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR* *Heartstopper Forever movie coming July 17 from Netflix* *HEARTSTOPPER: fastest ever selling graphic novel* *Shortlisted for Book of the Year at the British...
Heartstopper. Volume 5
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR* *Heartstopper Forever movie coming July 17 from Netflix* *HEARTSTOPPER: fastest ever selling graphic novel* *Winner of Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again...
Dark heir
Pacat, C. S.
Paper Book
In this riveting sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel Dark Rise, Will and his allies have survived the Dark's first assault, but at a terrible cost.
Dark rise
Pacat, C. S.
Paper Book
The first book in a brilliant YA fantasy trilogy from internationally acclaimed Australian author CS Pacat.
The Honeys
La Sala, Ryan
Paper Book
From Ryan La Sala, the wildly popular author of Reverie, comes a twisted and tantalizing horror novel set amidst the bucolic splendor of a secluded summer retreat. Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline's radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific...
The darkness outside us
Schrefer, Eliot
Paper Book
They Both Die at the End meets The Loneliest Girl in the Universe in this mind-bending sci-fi mystery and tender love story about two boys aboard a spaceship sent on a rescue mission, from two-time National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer. Stonewall Honor Award...
The first to die at the end
Silvera, Adam
Paper Book
The second book and prequel in the No. 1 global bestselling They Both Die at the End series. What if you could find out your death date from a single phone call? Death-Cast is calling . . . will you answer? 'If They Both Die at the End broke your heart and...
The survivor wants to die at the end
Silvera, Adam
Paper Book
Two strangers, each with their own complicated relationship to Death-Cast, help each other learn to live. Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn't have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a...
They both die at the end
Silvera, Adam
Paper Book
The first book in the No. 1 global bestselling They Both Die at the End series. What if you could find out your death date from a single phone call? Death-Cast is calling . . . will you answer? 'If They Both Die at the End broke your heart and put it back...
The gravity of us
Stamper, Phil
Paper Book
_______________ "I'm so starry-eyed for this wise, romantic gem of a book." - Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 'A big-hearted, witty, and intensely relatable debut about reaching for your dreams without...
Cold
Tamaki, Mariko
Paper Book
This is the story of a boy who died-and a girl who wants to know why.Todd Mayer is dead. Now he's some sort of ghost, hovering over his body, which has just been found in the town park, naked and frozen in the snow. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people who are...
Celestial monsters
Thomas, Aiden
Paper Book
A heart-stopping duology finale, in which three young semidioses travel through a dark monster-infested world, facing down chaotic Obsidian gods, in a quest to save their friends and return the sun to the sky. Celestial Monsters is the sequel to mexican inspired YA fantasy The...
Cemetery boys
Thomas, Aiden
Paper Book
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature! A New York Times Bestseller! A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten pick! "Goundbreaking." -Entertainment Weekly A trans boy determined to prove his gender to...
The Sunbearer Trials
Thomas, Aiden
Paper Book
Welcome to The Sunbearer Trials, where ten semidioses compete in a series of challenges with the highest of stakes, in this breathtaking, Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the author of the bestselling Cemetery Boys. Only the most powerful and honorable will be...
The backstagers. Volume one, Rebels without applause
Tynion, James, IV
Paper Book
When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he's taken in by the only ones who don't treat him like a new kid, the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Not only does he gain great, lifetime friends, Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the...
Compound fracture
White, Andrew Joseph
Paper Book
On the night Miles Abernathy--sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian--comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county's Sheriff Davies was responsible for...
Hell followed with us
White, Andrew Joseph
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. "A long, sustained scream to the various strains of anti-transgender legislation multiplying around the world...
The spirit bares its teeth
White, Andrew Joseph
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! A Stonewall Honor Book in Young Adult Literature! A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White...
Iron widow
Zhao, Xiran Jay
Paper Book
Ace of spades
Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah
Paper Book
How can you play the game when the cards are stacked against you? AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE 2021 BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS' AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT FICTION NOMINATED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL 2022 "One of 2021's biggest books." gal-dem...

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