Witches, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and monsters abound in 2023’s LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books! These spooky stories show protagonists confronting their fears, both inner and outer, to save themselves and those around them. Read them for Halloween or any time!
Click images for full reviews, where I go into more detail on the plots, representation, and things I particularly liked (or disliked).
And yes, the below titles are just the ones that have been published in 2023! It was a very spooky year. See my 2022 Halloween roundup for even more titles, including picture books, or just search the Database of LGBTQ Family Books for words like “ghost,” “witch,” “vampire,” and “monster.”
Chapter Books and Graphic Novels for Younger Readers
A supernatural mountain, a monster brother, and a trans friend in an early chapter book.
The characters return, with more fantastical creatures and mayhem, in an early chapter book.
Batcat learns to see their own uniqueness as a blend of two things—and how to make a friend.
Offbeat fun with a nonbinary vampire kid.
A nonbinary protagonist and their grandmother’s spooky house.
Middle Grade
The sequel to The Devouring Wolf gives us werewolves and witches, plenty of queer inclusion, and engaging characters.
The magical sequel to Witchlings, with seamless queer inclusion and themes of friendship and social justice.
The sequel to The Gingerbread Witch. Inspired by classic fairy tales, this original story involves a sleeping curse and the search for true love.
A girl with two moms must harness her witch powers from the Indian deity Durga Ma to save the town.
Two girls (one with two dads), a magical town, a haunted bookstore, and an evil witch.
A two-mom vampire family and a story that looks at who the real monsters are.
A nonbinary protagonist at a secretive boarding school where a monster stalks the halls.
A queer protagonist at a school for those who can control the spirits of the dead.
A nonbinary protagonist must rescue a friend from the realm where monster spirits reign.
A story about family change of many types, a possibly haunted house, and one trans boy navigating it all.
Two friends (one transgender; one autistic) must save their town after one accidentally summons the mysterious spirit Ojja-Wojja.
(I recognize that Halloween has its origins in Christian practice, but I am including Shakti and Don’t Want to Be Your Monster above, despite their Hindu and Jewish perspectives, to offer some spooky examples from various cultures.)
