PRIDE; LGBTQIA+ Voices for Young Teens

Updated May 28, 2024
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Almost flying
Arlow, Jake Maia
Paper Book
In this Stonewall Honor book, a week-long amusement park road trip becomes a true roller coaster of emotion when Dalia realizes she has more-than-friend feelings for her new bestie. A Stonewall Honor Book Cover may vary. "Dalia's journey to...
The year my life went down the toilet
Arlow, Jake Maia
Paper Book
A hilariously honest book about surviving middle school while navigating a chronic illness from the Stonewall Honor-winning author of Almost Flying. Twelve-year-old Al Schneider is too scared to talk about the two biggest things in her life- 1. Her stomach...
The mighty heart of Sunny St. James
Blake, Ashley Herring
Paper Book
Twelve-year-old Sunny St. James navigates heart surgery, reconnecting with her lost mother, first kisses, and emerging feelings for another girl in this stunning, heartfelt novel--perfect for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly.   When Sunny St. James receives a new heart, she...
King and the dragonflies
Callender, Kacen
Paper Book
A 2021 Coretta Scott King Honor Book! Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature! Winner of the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry! In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him...
Cross my heart and never lie
DÃ¥snes, Nora
Paper Book
★ WINNER of the 2024 Stonewall Book Award, American Library Association Perfect for fans of The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag, HeartStopper by Alice Oseman, and Jen Wang's The Dressmaker and the Prince. In this fresh, sensitive,...
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 ...
Green
Gino, Alex
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of MELISSA, a new book putting a non-binary kid named Green at center stage. CRUSHES ARE CONFUSING. Green is very lucky. They've got a supportive dad, friendly neighbors, and good friends. They've figured out a lot of things... but they can't...
Rick
Gino, Alex
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of Melissa, the story of a boy named Rick who needs to explore his own identity apart from his jerk of a best friend. Rick's never questioned much. He's gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff's acted like a bully and a jerk. He's let his...
Dear Mothman
Gow, Robin
Paper Book
Halfway through sixth grade, Noah's best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. Lewis was adventurous and curious, always bringing a new paranormal story to share with Noah. Together they daydreamed about cryptids and shared discovering their genders...
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...
A-Okay
Greene, Jarad
Paper Book
A-Okay by Jarad Greene is a vulnerable and heartfelt semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel about acne, identity, and finding your place.   When Jay starts eighth grade with a few pimples he doesn't think much of it at first...except to wonder if the...
Linus and Etta could use a win
Huntoon, Caroline
Paper Book
A hot-headed cynic befriends the new kid--a shy trans boy--when she takes on a bet to get him elected student body president in this new middle grade contemporary novel from Caroline Huntoon, author of Skating on Mars. Linus is the new boy at school, and he's trying to...
Skating on Mars
Huntoon, Caroline
Paper Book
A heartwarming debut from author Caroline Huntoon about a young figure skater discovering who they are on and off the ice. Life isn't easy on twelve-year-old Mars. As if seventh grade isn't hard enough, Mars is also grappling with the recent death of their father and a...
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....
Ellie Engle saves herself
Johnson, Leah (Young adult author)
Paper Book
From award-winning YA author Leah Johnson comes her magical middle grade debut: a laugh-until-you-cry, cry-until-you-laugh story about an ordinary girl whose life is turned upside down by some extraordinary powers. Kirkus Best of 2023 Chicago Public Library...
Snapdragon
Leyh, Kat
Paper Book
Kat Leyh's Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town's witch and discovers the strange magic within herself. Snap's town had a witch. At least, that's how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks...
This is our rainbow : 16 stories of her, him, them, and us
Locke, Katherine
Paper Book
The first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym, including realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi stories by authors like Justina Ireland, Marieke Nijkamp, Alex Gino, and more! A boyband fandom becomes a conduit to coming out. A former...
In the key of us
Lockington, Mariama
Paper Book
STONEWALL HONOR BOOK ● From the author of the critically acclaimed novel For Black Girls Like Me and the Schneider Family Book Award Winner Forever Is Now, comes a coming-of-age story surrounding the losses that threaten to break us and the friendships that make us...
Different kinds of fruit
Lukoff, Kyle
Paper Book
In this funny and hugely heartfelt novel from a National Book Award finalist, a sixth-grader's life is turned upside down when she learns her dad is trans Annabelle Blake fully expects this school year to be the same as every other- same teachers, same classmates, same, same,...
Too bright to see
Lukoff, Kyle
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book . Winner of the Stonewall Book Award . A National Book Award Finalist "A gentle, glowing wonder, full of love and understanding." -The New York Times Book Review It's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend...
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. ...
The Insiders
Oshiro, Mark
Paper Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * An ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 Title for Young Readers Three kids who don't belong. A room that shouldn't exist. A year that will change everything. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from...
The girl from the sea
Ostertag, Molly
Paper Book
From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family, romance, and first love.Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little...
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,...
The best at it
Pancholy, Maulik
Paper Book
From award-winning actor Maulik Pancholy comes a hilarious and heartfelt middle grade debut about a gay Indian American boy coming into his own. One of Time Out's "LGBTQ+ books for kids to read during Pride Month," this is perfect for fans of Tim Federle's Nate series. A ...
Tegan and Sara Junior High
Quin, Tegan/ Quin, Sara/ Walden, Tillie (ILT)
Paper Book
From indie-pop twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara comes their bestselling contemporary middle grade graphic novel about growing up, coming out, and finding yourself through music and sisterhood--perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier's Sisters and Sweet Valley Twins. ...
The sun and the star
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro. Percy Jackson fans, rejoice! Nico and Will...
Just shy of ordinary
Sass, A. J.
Paper Book
In this heartfelt novel about family, friendship, and identity perfect for fans of The List of Things That Will Not Change and Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World, a thirteen-year-old nonbinary kid discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan--especially when they start...
Small town pride
Stamper, Phil
Paper Book
From acclaimed author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us and As Far as You'll Take Me) comes a poignant coming-of-age, contemporary middle grade debut novel about finding your place, using your voice, and the true meaning of pride. Perfect for fans of Rick by Alex Gino and The...
Lumberjanes
Stevenson, Noelle
Paper Book
Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp...defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons...what's not to love?! Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together...and they're not...
Becoming Who We Are : Real Stories about Gro
Sunmi
Paper Book
Becoming who you are is a journey, and all journeys start somewhere.
Sir Callie and the champions of Helston
Symes-Smith, Esme
Paper Book
In a magical medieval world filled with dragons, shape-shifters, and witches, a twelve-year-old nonbinary hopeful knight battles for the heart of their kingdom. This USA Today bestselling series explores identity and gender amid sword fights and magic, and proves anyone can be a hero.
The language of seabirds
Taylor, Will (Children's literature author)
Paper Book
A sweet, tender middle-grade story of two boys finding first love with each other over a seaside summer. Jeremy is not excited about the prospect of spending the summer with his dad and his uncle in a seaside cabin in Oregon. It's the first summer after his parents' divorce, and he hasn't...
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...
Lunar Boy
Wibowo, Jes/ Wibowo, Cin
Paper Book
For fans of The Witch Boy and Squished, Lunar Boy is a must-have heartwarming coming-of-age graphic novel about a young boy from the moon who discovers a home in the most unlikely places, from debut twin creators Jes and Cin Wibowo. Indu, a boy from the moon, feels like he...
The otherwoods
Winans, Justine Pucella
Paper Book
A Stonewall Honor Winner Indie Next Pick PW Best Book of the Year Booklist Editor's Pick The Otherwoods is calling. And it won't be ignored. Some would call River Rydell a 'chosen one': born with the...

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