Children's Book Suggestions | Pride Month 2025

A few of our favorite books about LGBTQ+ children and families published in 2024. For more book ideas, check out our Pride Month 2024 list, browse the library catalog, or search for a specific identity term like nonbinary, genderfluid, etc.

More great books are honored annually with the Stonewall Award and the Rainbow Project Book List.

Updated April 16, 2025
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
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Leo and the pink marker
Foster, Mariyka
Paper Book
It's fun to color outside the lines in this playful celebration of family, creativity, and the color pink! Leo LOVES doodling away with his pink marker! So when Mom and Mama aren't looking, he finds an opportunity to liven up the dusty, gray scrapyard. A splash of pink would look...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Just like my family
Molesso, Ashley
Paper Book
Celebrate all families in this inclusive picture book that breaks down gender stereotypes with positive messages for all ages. Whether a child wears pearls just like their daddy, grills with their mommy, braids hair like their baba, bakes yummy treats with their grandpa,...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Joyful song : a naming story
Newman, Lesléa
Paper Book
Best of the Year: School Library Journal - Publishers Weekly - The Horn Book - Boston Globe - NYPL - Chicago Public Library - Kirkus - CCBC What a happy day! Zachary's baby sister will have her naming ceremony. In the temple! With his...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The ribbon skirt : a graphic novel
Mukwa, Cameron
Paper Book
A joyful coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel by debut Indigenous creator Cameron Mukwa about the journey of a two-spirit kid who wants to create a ribbon skirt for the upcoming powwow.Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a ribbon skirt, a piece of clothing typically worn by girls in the...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

The curse of Eelgrass Bog
Averling, Mary
Paper Book
Dark secrets and unnatural magic abound when a twelve-year-old girl ventures into a bog full of monsters to break a mysterious curse. Nothing about Kess Pedrock's life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family's Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Crushing it
Becker, Erin (Children's author)
Paper Book
On the soccer field, Magic Mel is in her element. She's ready to lead her team to victory at the city championship in her new role as captain. Off the field, however, is a totally different story. Mel can't get a handle on her class presentation, her friend group has completely dissolved, and...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

13 ways to say goodbye
Fussner, Kate
Paper Book
A novel-in-verse about life after loss, 13 Ways to Say Goodbye beautifully renders the power of sibling bonds, the depth of grief, and the strength of learning to love again, perfect for fans of Everywhere Blue and The Distance to Home, from the author of The Song of Us. Nina always...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Gooseberry
Gow, Robin
Paper Book
Robin Gow's Gooseberry is a moving middle-grade novel about a young nonbinary person searching for family and finding it with a sweet rescue dog. There's a lot twelve-year-old B doesn't know--like what their new name should be after coming out as nonbinary. Or what it would feel...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Noah Frye gets crushed
Horne, Maggie
Paper Book
In this cute and queer contemporary middle grade comedy about friendship, first crushes, and first kisses, twelve-year-old Noah Frye comes up with a foolproof plan to teach herself how to have a crush on a boy to fit in better with her friends--only to discover she's been looking in the wrong...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Emma and the love spell
Ireland, Meredith
Paper Book
Witchlings meets The Parent Trap in this contemporary fantasy about a girl who tries to use her fickle witchy powers to keep her best friend (and secret crush!) from moving away. Twelve-year-old, Korean American adoptee Emma Davidson has a problem....

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Mallory in full color
Leahy, Elisa Stone
Paper Book
A funny, poignant middle grade novel about a tween who navigates questions of identity and friendship when her anonymous web comic goes viral, from the acclaimed author of Tethered to Other Stars. Mallory Marsh is an expert at molding into whatever other people want her to be...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The truth about triangles
Leali, Michael
Paper Book
2025 American Library Association Rainbow Round Table Rainbow Book A heartfelt contemporary middle grade novel perfect for fans of Front Desk, following Luca Salvatore, a young gay Italian American trying to save his family's pizza restaurant and a life that feels like it's falling apart...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

A world worth saving
Lukoff, Kyle
Paper Book
A groundbreaking, action-packed, and ultimately uplifting adventure that intertwines elements of Jewish mythology with an unflinching examination of the impacts of transphobia, from Newbery Honor winner Kyle Lukoff "Rare and beautiful-a novel that combines wondrous fantasy,...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Winnie Nash is not your sunshine
Melleby, Nicole
Paper Book
In this powerful novel by an award-winning author, 12-year-old Winnie Nash is forced to live with her grandma for the summer and finds herself torn between her family's secrets and the joy of celebrating Pride. Winnie Nash never used to have so many secrets. ...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Benji Zeb is a ravenous werewolf
Moulton, Deke
Paper Book
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....

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Asking for a friend
Riley, Ronnie
Paper Book
Eden Jones has exactly three friends. And they're all fake. From a web of lies and anxiety to true friendship and queer joy; this is the wonderful second book from the author of the Indies Introduce and Indie Next List pick, Jude Saves the World. Why go through...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Mountain upside down
Ryan, Sara
Paper Book
A funny and heartfelt LGBTQIA+ middle grade novel set against the backdrop of family drama and a library funding campaign in a small town. Alex Eager lives in Faillin, OR with her grandmother, a retired librarian. Life should be great for Alex, since she finally worked up the...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Murray out of water
Tracy, Taylor
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Natalie Lloyd, and Jasmine Warga, this beautiful novel in verse explores one girl's struggle to regain her magic after a hurricane forces her to move away from her beloved ocean that, she believes, has given her special powers. Bighearted...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Upstaged
Easter, Robin
Paper Book
★ "Sharply written and evocative" -- Publishers Weekly, starred review "This theater camp has plenty of captivating drama both on stage and off!" --Kayla Miller, New York Times bestselling creator of the Click graphic novel series ...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Becoming who we are : real stories about growing up trans
Lisel, Sammy
Paper Book
Becoming who you are is a journey, and all journeys start somewhere.

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

A song for you and I
O'Neill, Kay (Cartoonist)
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Being a ranger means adventure, action, and protecting the weak. But who protects the ranger when they lose their way? From the bestselling author of The Moth Keeper and the Tea Dragon Society comes a must read MG graphic novel for fans of soft sweeping fantasy...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Camp prodigy
Palmer, Caroline (Comics creator)
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Victoria Jamieson and Raina Telgemeier, this heartwarming middle grade graphic novel follows two nonbinary kids who navigate anxiety and identity while having fun and forming friendships at their summer orchestra camp. After attending an incredible concert,...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Tegan and Sara. Crush
Quin, Tegan
Paper Book
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--perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier's...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Lunar boy
Wibowo, Jessica
Paper Book
Stonewall Children's Literature Award Winner 2025 Rainbow Book List Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2024 NPR's Books We Love of 2024 GLAAD Media Awards Nominee 2024 Harvey Awards' Best Children's Book Nominee For fans of The Witch Boy and Squished,...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Glenn Burke, game changer : the man who invented the high five
Bildner, Phil
Paper Book
A "Best Book of the Year" from School Library Journal and Chicago Public Library A People's Pick for the Best LGBTQ+ Kids Books for Pride Month A Book Riot Best Recent LGBTQ+ Picture Books Selection An American...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 6-9)

Rainbow allies : the true story of kids who stood against hate
Churnin, Nancy
Paper Book
A true story of allyship and standing up to anti-LGBTQ hate. A 2025 Notable Social Studies Trade Book Winner When a lesbian couple comes home one day to find their Pride flag stolen and their front porch egged, the sense of belonging they had felt in their community is threatened....

Children's Nonfiction (Age 4-8)

Love of the half-eaten peach : inspired by a true story
Wind, Lee
Paper Book
Journey back in time to the ancient kingdom of Wei, where the legendary Yuan, Duke Ling, and his beloved Mi Zi Xia captured the hearts of generations with their epic love story. It was circa 500 BCE when fate brought them together, and a simple act - sharing a peach - ignited a love that would...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 8-12)

The ABCs of queer history
Yasmin, Seema
Paper Book
A Through-the-Alphabet Celebration of Queer History in the US, from the Publisher of the New York Times Bestseller The ABCs of Black History   In a beautiful picture book brimming with P for Pride, writer and poet Seema Yasmin and...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 6-9)

Marley's pride
Retener, Joëlle
Paper Book
A 2025 American Library Association Stonewall Children's Honor Book! ALA Rainbow Book List - Top 10 Titles for Younger Readers, 2025 ★ "A Black nonbinary child finds ways to navigate their sensory sensitivities...

Holiday Book (Age 4-8)

Miles comes home
Brannen, Sarah S.
Paper Book
Miles wakes up on his adoption day feeling excited, nervous, and even a little sad, but when his supportive new dads pick him up from his foster home they bring warmth and understanding. This is a joyful and heartwarming celebration of LGBTQ families, adoption, kindness, and love.

Parenting Book (Age 4-8)


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