Note: Each title in this booklist either has LGBTQIA+ characters, is about the LGBTQIA+ Movement, or was written by a member of the LGBTQIA+ Community.
Picture Books
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
In the zoo there are all kinds of animal families. But Tango’s family is not like any of the others.
Bunnybear by Andrea J. Loney
Although Bunnybear was born a bear, he feels more like a bunny. He prefers bouncing in the thicket to tramping in the forest, and in his heart he’s fluffy and tiny, like a rabbit, instead of burly and loud, like a bear. The other bears don’t understand him, and neither do the bunnies. Will Bunnybear ever find a friend who likes him just the way he is?
A Church For All by Gayle Pittman
This simple, lyrical story celebrates a Sunday morning at an inclusive church that embraces all people regardless of age, class, race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. All are welcome at the church for all!
The Flower Girl Wore Celery by Meryl C. Gordon
Emma can’t wait for her cousin Hannah’s wedding. She’s going to be the flower girl. That means she’ll wear a celery dress and walk down the aisle with the ring bear, leading the way for the happy bride and groom. Or at least, that’s what Emma assumes. But nothing turns out to be quite what she’s expecting, as Hannah’s new spouse turns out to be another bride!
I Love My Purse by Belle DuMont and Sonja Wimmer
Charlie loves the bright red purse that his grandmother let him have. One day, he decides to take it to school. First his father, then his friends, and even the crossing guard question him about his “strange” choice. After all, boys don’t carry purses. They point out that they, too, have things they like, but that doesn’t mean they go out in public wearing them. But Charlie isn’t deterred.
Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah Hoffman, Ian Hoffman, and Chris Case
Jacob loves playing dress-up, when he can be anything he wants to be. Some kids at school say he can’t wear “girl” clothes, but Jacob wants to wear a dress to school. Can he convince his parents to let him wear what he wants?
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino
Morris is a little boy who loves using his imagination. He dreams about having space adventures, paints beautiful pictures and sings the loudest during circle time. But most of all, Morris loves his classroom’s dress-up center – he loves wearing the tangerine dress. But the children in Morris’s class don’t understand. Dresses, they say, are for girls.
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer
Stella’s class is having a Mother’s Day celebration, but what’s a girl with two daddies to do? It’s not that she doesn’t have someone who helps her with her homework, or tucks her in at night. Stella has her Papa and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make her feel special and supported every day. She just doesn’t have a mom to invite to the party.
Chapter Books
Alan Cole is Not a Coward by Eric Bell
Alan Cole can’t stand up to his cruel brother, Nathan. He can’t escape the wrath of his demanding father, who thinks he’s about as exceptional as a goldfish. And-scariest of all-he can’t let the cute boy across the cafeteria know he has a crush on him.
The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy
Rahul Kapoor is heading into seventh grade in a small town in Indiana. The start of middle school is making him feel increasingly anxious, so his favorite person in the whole world, his grandfather, Bhai, gives him some well-meaning advice: Find one thing you’re really good at and become the BEST at it. Those four little words sear themselves into Rahul’s brain. While he’s not quite sure what that special thing is, he is convinced that once he finds it, bullies like Brent Mason will stop torturing him at school. And he won’t be worried about staring too long at his classmate Justin Emery. With his best friend, Chelsea, by his side, Rahul is ready to crush this challenge…. But what if he discovers he isn’t the best at anything?
Better Nate Than Ever by Tom Federle
A small-town boy hops a bus to New York City to crash an audition for E.T.: The Musical. Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he’d settle for seeing a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York.
George by Alex Gino
When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl. George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part…because she’s a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte–but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.
Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky
Grayson Sender has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: “he” is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender’s body. The weight of this secret is crushing, but sharing it would mean facing ridicule, scorn, rejection, or worse. Despite the risks, Grayson’s true self itches to break free. Will new strength from an unexpected friendship and a caring teacher’s wisdom be enough to help Grayson step into the spotlight she was born to inhabit?
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
Twelve-year-old Caroline is a Hurricane Child, born on Water Island during a storm. Coming into this world during a hurricane is unlucky, and Caroline has had her share of bad luck already. She’s hated by everyone in her small school, she can see things that no one else can see, and — worst of all — her mother left home one day and never came back.
My Life as a Diamond by Jenny Manzer
Ten-year-old Caspar “Caz” Cadman loves baseball and has a great arm. He loves the sounds, the smells, the stats. When his family moves from Toronto to a suburb of Seattle, the first thing he does is try out for the local summer team, the Redburn Ravens. Even though Caz is thrilled when he makes the team, he worries because he has a big secret. No one knows that back in Toronto, Caz used to live life as a girl named Cassandra.
My Mixed Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari
Twelve-year-old June Farrell is sure of one thing—she’s great at making pies—and she plans to prove it by winning a blue ribbon in the Champlain Valley Fair pie competition. But a backlash against Vermont’s civil union law threatens her family’s security and their business. Even when faced with bullying, June won’t give up on winning the blue ribbon; more importantly, she won’t give up on her family.
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship–only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, whom Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby.
The Pants Project by Cat Clarke
“My name is Liv (Not Olivia)…I’m not technically a girl. I’m Transgender. Which is a bit like being a transformer. Only not quite as cool because I probably won’t get to save the world one day.” Liv knows he was always meant to be a boy, but with his new school’s terrible dress code, he can’t even wear pants. Only skirts. Operation: Pants Project begins! The only way for Liv to get what he wants is to go after it himself. But to Liv, this isn’t just a mission to change the policy-it’s a mission to change his life. And that’s a pretty big deal.
Rick by Alex Gino
From the award-winning author of GEORGE, 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 father joke with him about which hot girls he might want to date even though that kind of talk always makes him uncomfortable. And he hasn’t given his own identity much thought, because everyone else around him seemed to have figured it out. But now Rick’s gotten to middle school, and new doors are opening.
See You At Harry’s by Jo Knowles
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s Charlie: three years old, a “surprise” baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern, but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn.
The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean
Rowan has too many secrets to write down in the pages of a diary. And if he did, he wouldn’t want anyone he knows to read them. He understands who he is and what he likes, but it’s not safe for others to find out. Now the kids at school say Rowan’s too different to spend time with. He’s not the right kind of girl, and he’s not the right kind of boy. His mom ignores him. And at night, his dad hurts him in ways he’s not ready to talk about yet.
The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
How do you punish an immortal? By making him human. After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favor. But Apollo has many enemies-gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed.
Zenobia by Morten Durr
Zenobia was once a great warrior queen of Syria whose reign reached from Egypt to Turkey. She was courageous. No one gave her orders. Once she even went to war against the emperor of Rome. When things feel overwhelming for Amina, her mother reminds her to think of Zenobia and be strong. Amina is a Syrian girl caught up in a war that reaches her village. To escape the war she boards a small boat crammed with other refugees.
Nonfiction
The ABCs of LGBT by Ashley Mardell
In “The ABCs of LGBT+”, Ashley Mardell, a beloved blogger and YouTube star, answers many of your questions about: • lgbt and lgbt+ • gender identity • sexual identity • teens in a binary world • the LGBT family • and more. In the last few years the overturning of DOMA, the SCOTUS ruling in favor of the Marriage Equality Act, American transgender politicians elected to office, and landmark moments such as Apple becoming the most valuable company in the world under the leadership of an openly gay CEO have advanced LGBT awareness and understanding.
Facing Homophobia by Robert Robi
The horrific 1998 murder of 21-year-old college freshman Matthew Shepard brought the issue of hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to the attention of the American people. The Matthew Shepard Foundation lobbied hard along with other LGBT groups, and in 2009 the federal hate crimes law was amended to include violence against LGBT people for the first time. In spite of the legal victory, however, the fear and hatred of LGBT people persists around the world. Learn about the fight for LGBT civil rights and why an end to prejudice against LGBT people is important for all Americans.
Gay & Lesbian History for Kids by Jerome Pohlen
Who transformed George Washington’s demoralized troops at Valley Forge into a fighting force that defeated an empire? Who cracked Germany’s Enigma code and shortened World War II? Who successfully lobbied the US Congress to outlaw child labor? And who organized the 1963 March on Washington? Ls, Gs, Bs, and Ts, that’s who.
Gay Rights Movement by Stephanie Watson
In the face of injustice, people band together to work for change. Through their influence, what was once unthinkable becomes common. This title traces the history of the gay rights movement in the United States, including the key players, watershed moments, and legislative battles that have driven social change. Iconic images and informative sidebars accompany compelling text that follows the movement from before the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York City through activists’ work to end prejudice and up to new legislative triumphs in the twenty-first century.
The Gay Rights Movement by Eric Braun
A lot has changed throughout the history of the gay rights movement. In 1969, the Stonewall Riots brought light to a movement that would later establish gay pride parades and persist in the fight for same-sex marriage. But allies and LGBTQ+ community members are still fighting for progress today. What are the gay rights movement’s main concerns today?
LGBTQ Human Rights Movement by Theresa Morlock
People who identify as LGBTQ are often treated with inequality and violence. Until recently, they were viewed as sick or even criminals. This volume gives important insight into the injustices faced by LGBTQ individuals, activists, and groups.
Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle by Robin Stevenson
Like the original version, this new edition of Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle celebrates the LGBTQ+ community’s diversity and the incredible victories of the past 50 years-but it also has a larger focus on activism, the need to keep fighting for equality and freedom around the world and the important role that young people are playing.
Pride Colors by Robin Stevenson
Through gentle rhymes and colorful photographs of adorable children, Pride Colors is a celebration of the deep unconditional love of a parent or caregiver for a young child. The profound message of this delightful board book is that love is love. Be yourself, and be with whomever you choose; you’ll always be loved.
The Stonewall Riots by Gayle Pittman
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, New York City. The Riots are attributed as the spark that ignited the LGBTQ+ movement.