Let’s roll into the holidays with 10 intriguing quotes from some of the year’s best LGBTQ middle grade books—they’re out of context to prevent spoilers, but I hope they stir your interest in these fun, insightful, and inspiring titles.
Click images or titles for full reviews—and see my Holiday Gift Guide to 2024’s Best LGBTQ Middle Grade Books for even more titles!
“The journey you’re on isn’t about making sure everyone loves you while you never make a single mistake, but instead about how you continue to love yourself while doing your best and also caring for the people around you—even when that’s incredibly hard and uncomfortable.”
— Alex Wise vs. the Cosmic Shift, by Terry J. Benton-Walker (Random House)
“There’s a big enough world for all of us, and trying to kill wolves or push out people who are different from you isn’t going to make the world better. It’s just going to make a world that’s based on hurting others.”
— Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf, by Deke Moulton (Tundra)
“But blood ain’t the only thing that’s important. And it sure ain’t the only way to decide who’s family.”
— The Flicker, by H.E. Edgmon (Feiwel & Friends)
“His mom had always said that children carried their parents’ hopes and fears for the world in each hand, and it was the parents’ job to ensure the hope wasn’t what they set down when life got too heavy.”
— The Ghostwing’s Lie, by Rebecca Mix (Balzer + Bray)
“Two women. They’re—they’re not straight! They’re queer! They’re queer like me!”
— Gooseberry, by Robin Gow (Amulet)
“Actually, being non-binary is great. It’s one of the things I like best about myself…. It’s only other people who make being transgender difficult at all.”
— Jamie, by L.D. Lapinski (Little Bee)
“I guess drag just lets people be whoever they want to be. No matter what everyone else thinks…. I mean, how many kids out there don’t have a chance to, like, try out different parts of themselves? Like read a frikkin pink book if they want?”
— Mallory in Full Color, by Elisa Stone Leahy (HarperCollins)
“People like us have always existed. And they exist now. We exist, and ours are the stories that will be told to others like us in the future. Our existence is very important.”
— Sir Callie and the Witch’s War, by Esme Symes-Smith (Labyrinth Road)
“For all the pain, there’s a support team out there for you. There are people who want to be in your corner no matter what.”
— Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine, by Nicole Melleby (Algonquin)
“Life is always unfair, but us queer kids are gonna win this time.”
— Wishbone, by Justine Pucella Winans (Bloomsbury)
