I’m continuing my roundups of this year’s LGBTQ kids’ books, this time with a look at the sometimes-forgotten range of titles for readers aging out of picture books, but not quite ready for the longest middle grade reads.
Click titles or images for full reviews and check out my Holiday Gift Guide of this year’s LGBTQ-inclusive picture books, too! Also, note that these are just the books published in 2023—filter my Database of LGBTQ Family Books by the Early readers/chapter books tag for titles from previous years.
Age ranges are approximate—choose what you feel is appropriate for your kid(s)!
Ages 4 to 6
A New Friend: An Acorn Book (Mermaid Days #3), by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kat Uno (Scholastic). A delightful undersea adventure with octo-kid Beaker and mermaid Vera. Beaker uses they/them pronouns, although this is not part of the plot and is not even mentioned in this volume, although fans of the characters will know and will want to have this one in their collection.
Ages 6 to 9
Monster and Me 4: Too Cool for School and Monster and Me 5: The Impossible Imp by Cort Lane, illustrated by
Ankitha Kini (Little Bee). The latest volumes in the early reader series starring science-loving Freddy von Frankenstein, monster big brother, F.M., and were-cat sister, Riya, who live on a supernatural mountain in Nepal. Their friend Binsa is trans, and while the stories don’t dwell on her trans identity, neither do they ignore it when it feels relevant for the character.
Ghost Girl, by Brooke Carter, illustrated by Alyssa Waterbury (Orca). Ages 6 to 8. Ten-year-old Sly is visiting their grandmother while their mom gets their new home ready after a recent divorce. When Sly and their grandmother hear a voice calling to them from within the house, they discover the girl in the mirror, caught between our world and the place where spirits go to rest. When Sly and Grandma get trapped in the mirror, too, Sly must figure out the ghost girl’s riddles in order to free them. Sly’s nonbinary identity is not a core part of the plot, but neither is it ignored, and there’s a thread of affirmation about being “between” things. Engagingly told, with light touches of humor, fun riddles, and a dash of spookiness.
Batcat: The Ghostly Guest (Batcat #1), by Meggie Ramm (Amulet). When a ghost starts haunting Batcat’s treehouse on Spooky Island, Batcat must go collect the ingredients for a Ghost-B-Gone potion. Along the way, various creatures try to tell them they can’t be both bat and cat—until two wise griffins, half-bird, half-lion, help Batcat to see their own uniqueness as a blend of two things. When Batcat gets home, with a newly confident sense of self, they just might have to reevaluate whether they want to shoo away the ghost or reach out to make friends. There are clear messages in this graphic novel, but they’re made enjoyable by the whimsical world and Batcat’s own endearing cuteness.
The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink, by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Candlewick). Part of the bestselling Princess in Black early chapter book series, this volume includes a gender-creative prince as well as ongoing protagonist Princess Magnolia (and her alter ego, the Princess in Black). The two royals must work together to solve a near-disaster at the Flower Festival Ball.
Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake, by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts (Amulet). Part of the bestselling “The Questioneers” series that includes Ada Twist, Scientist, this story of Aaron and his two moms is a parable that applies to to book bans and other attempts at censorship. There’s plenty of silliness and fun woven in, and the lesson on censorship is not didactic, but the book offers young readers and their adults important language and concepts for discussing the topic.
Wednesday Wilson Connects the Dots, by Bree Galbraith, illustrated by
Morgan Goble (Kids Can Press). Eight-year-old Wednesday Wilson continues her quest to be an entrepreneur in this third book of this early chapter book series. Galbraith keeps the action moving and continues to delight with Wednesday’s original voice and tidbits of business vocabulary and concepts, as applied to an elementary-school entrepreneur. More important that the business concepts, though, are the themes of friendship (formed, broken, and remade), communication, and perseverance.
She Persisted: Rachel Levine, by Lisa Bunker, illustrated by Gillian Flint (Philomel). Part of the chapter book series inspired by the number one New York Times bestseller She Persisted, by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, this biography of Admiral Rachel Levine is thoughtful and informative. Bunker, who is not only a writer but was one of the first few transgender people elected to a state legislature, brings both an awareness of trans identities and an understanding of politics to bear in covering Levine’s life from birth to her appointment as U.S. assistant secretary for health.
A Kids Book About Puberty, by Heather Chow (A Kids Book About). Author and pediatrician Chow conversationally discusses some of the changes readers might experience in their bodies and minds as they move into and through puberty, and is inclusive of all genders throughout. The book doesn’t go into as much detail as some other volumes on puberty and bodies, but that’s fine. It’s a shorter work intended to be an introduction to the topic. With its affirming tone and reassurances, it does so splendidly.
Ages 7 to 10
The Apartment House on Poppy Hill: Book 1, by Nina LaCour, illustrated by Sònia Albert (Chronicle). Nine-year-old Ella lives with her two moms in a small, old apartment house in San Francisco. In this series starter, she welcomes new neighbors, wonders if she’ll ever know more about the mysterious couple on the top floor, and walks the dogs for the two-man couple across the hall. Each illustrated chapter offers a connected vignette in Ella’s life and reveals a little more about this close-knit community. Ella has enough spunk to be fun but enough kindness to be a charming role model.
Riley Reynolds Takes Care of Business; Riley Reynolds Slides Into Summer; Riley Reynolds Pumps Up the Party; Riley Reynolds Conquers Spring Cleaning, by Jay Albee (Stone Arch). Fourth-grader Riley is a kid who loves lots of things: their parents, cousins, friends, all kinds of animals, making cool stuff (as well as messes), and being nonbinary. In volumes 5 to 8 of this early chapter book series, Riley continues to have low-stakes adventures with their family and community. Each volume starts with two graphic-format pages in which Riley introduces themself, and two pages of definitions related to gender and queer identities. Other than on those pages, however, gender identity is never mentioned, and Riley’s nonbinary identity is completely incidental to these cheerful, slice-of-life books with gentle lessons about friendship, helping, and cooperation, and importantly, a nonbinary child being unconditionally accepted by family and friends.
Gender Identity for Kids, by Andy Passchier (Little, Brown). Passchier has already cowritten or illustrated several excellent picture books about gender identity (among various LGBTQ topics), but this one offers a slightly deeper dive for children moving beyond simple picture books into (still illustrated) chapter books. Along with the clear and accessible text, Passchier’s always-cheery illustrations help explain topics and add interest to the pages.
Abby Wambach: Super Striker, by Percy Leed (Lerner Pub Group). A simple but clear biography of the soccer superstar. While it doesn’t discuss her lesbian identity per se, it does mention her marriage to Glennon Doyle.
Ages 8 and Up
These books slide into the early end of middle grade territory, but I’m going to include them here, as they are shorter than many other middle grade titles and might also make good family reads for slightly younger children.
The House on Sunrise Lagoon: Sam Makes a Splash and Marina in the Middle, by Nicole Melleby (Algonquin). Meet the Ali-O’Connor family: Mom, Mama, Harbor, Sam (Samantha), Marina, and twins Cordelia and Lir, who live on the eponymous lagoon on the Jersey shore. In the first volume, 11-year-old Sam, the most recent addition to the family (although not the only adopted child), wants to prove her place there; in the second, the perspective shifts to 9-year-old Marina, who unexpectedly became the middle child after Sam was adopted, and who increasingly feels like the odd one out.
Melleby deftly shows the personal and inter-sibling questions and challenges that may arise in a family formed in multiple ways, as well as ones that may happen in families of any type as children grow and change. She doesn’t dwell on “issues,” but nor does she avoid moments when they might naturally arise. The series celebrates family in all of its wonderful, messy, silly, aggravating, and loving variety, blending fun with a thoughtful exploration of adolescence and growing up.
Dotson: My Journey Growing Up Transgender, by Grayson Lee White, illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson. “Why did God make me a girl?” Grayson Lee White asked his mother at age 2, insisting, “I am supposed to be a boy.” In this memoir, he takes us on his transition journey from then to the present. He is now 13, a young man who plays video games, rides his bike, and likes snowboarding, though he admits to sometimes being socially awkward. Through a trans youth’s own words, it shows how trans youth can thrive when they have support and affirmation.
Who Is Megan Rapinoe? by Stefanie Loh and Who HQ, illustrated by Andrew Thomson (Penguin Workshop). Part of the popular Who HQ series, this biography of the soccer superstar covers not only her skills and dedication on the field, but also her realization that she was gay and her advocacy for LGBTQ people and for other aspects of social justice.
Flor Fights Back: A Stonewall Riots Survival Story, by Joy Michael Ellison, illustrated by Francesca Ficorilli (Stone Arch Books). An engaging novel of historical fiction with a young trans protagonist of color, set in New York City at the time of the Stonewall Riots.