The start of 2025 has seen a wide range of terrific new middle grade books starring transgender and nonbinary youth, in contemporary settings, a near-future community on Mars, and fantastical worlds of excitement and wonder. Share these with the young people in your lives.
Click titles or images for full reviews!
A World Worth Saving, by Kyle Lukoff (Dial): Newbery honoree and two-time Stonewall Award winner Lukoff’s latest novel is an exciting tale of a Jewish, transgender boy trying to save the world from anti-trans demons—but it’s also a powerful story of self-growth, the many ways of transformation, and the complexity of human relationships. Jewish folklore, values, traditions, and history underpin the story in multiple ways, but one doesn’t have to be Jewish to appreciate the themes that Lukoff surfaces from Jewish thought: the holy nature of being trans and the spiritual power of being oneself.
Ollie In Between, by Jess Callans (Feiwel & Friends): Twelve-year-old Ollie is on the brink of puberty, but knows they don’t want to become a woman or a man. Were they made wrong? When Ollie connects with other queer students who are forming a book club, however, they slowly start to be more comfortable with themself and their nonbinary (and possibly asexual) identity. Through Ollie’s perspective, we see the importance of queer peers, mentors, and representation—but also the ongoing risks to queer youth because of stigma and hate. The introspective, first-person narration is reminiscent of Judy Blume’s classic Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, a debt Callans acknowledges. Ollie’s story and voice are distinctly their own, however, creating a story that is deeply insightful and lightly humorous, showing us a nuanced journey to self-awareness, self-acceptance, and finding community.
Halfway to Somewhere, by Jose Pimienta (Random House): In this warm and insightful graphic novel, tween Ave, their mom, and their younger brother are relocating to the U.S. from Mexico, while Ave’s teen sister and their dad are staying behind. Ave has a difficult time adjusting at first, but gradually starts to connect with other kids of Mexican heritage, and with one who is also nonbinary, although each youth’s stories and feelings happily differ. Pimienta thoughtfully explores the connections among identity, language, culture, and place, set against the background of a major familial shift and the broader landscape of changing border and immigration policies.
Glitch Girl! by Rainie Oet (Kokila): Powerful and poignant, this novel in verse follows J—, a nonbinary girl (she/they), from fifth through seventh grade, as they use the help of a computer game to better understand themself, their ADHD diagnosis, and their relationships with parents and classmates. The story is difficult in that it looks at abuse, trauma, and their effects, but feels important in depicting life through the eyes of one trans, neurodivergent tween finding growth and healing. While not every trans or neurodivergent youth’s story is one of such trauma, and this shouldn’t be the only story of either identity that we share, the book may help youth with similar experiences feel seen and offer hope for similar change.
Ice Apprentices, by Jacob North (Simon & Schuster): On a harsh ice world where magic holds the key to survival, “stray” foundling Oswin, a trans boy, must master new skills at a school where he never thought he’d belong. North has created a compelling and original world that keeps the story from feeling like a tired rehash of the “magic school” trope. Notably, too, Oswin’s trans identity is a non-issue, as are the queer identities of several other characters. There’s a definite message about belonging here, but refreshingly, it doesn’t center around queerness. Put on a warm sweater and curl up with this tale.
A Song for You and I, by K. O’Neill (Random House): Warm and cozy worldbuilding and thoughtful characters fill the fantasy setting of this graphic novel about nonbinary ranger and flying-horse rider Rowan and violin-playing, gender-creative shepherd Leone. It’s a lovely story of accepting ourselves and others as they are and of persevering when life’s path takes unexpected turns. O’Neill tells the tale as much through the soft, earth-toned images as through the words, keeping the mood soothing and sweet for the most part, with a few scenes of action made all the more powerful.
Unboxing Libby, by Steph Cherrywell (Little, Brown): Libby Maxwell (“Max”) is an A.I.Cademy Girl™ social robot. “Always chipper, cheerful, and sweet, Libby™ makes the perfect friend,” says her packaging. Max doesn’t feel like a Libby, however, nor like any of the other A.I.Cademy Girl models. As she tries to figure out what she really is, she uncovers secrets about her programming—and about disturbing corporate plans for every A.I.Cademy Girl in her Mars community. Max must lean into her uniqueness while reaching out to the other models in order to save them all. While there are no explicitly queer characters, there are obvious queer overtones in Max’s feelings about being more than one defined thing and in one character’s complaint, “You can’t just make up new model types whenever you want and expect other people to pretend they’re real”—a clear echo of rhetoric against gender diversity. Cherrywell smartly avoids making the whole plot an allegory about being nonbinary, however, but instead embeds this thread into a broader look at what makes anyone an individual, with additional messages about corporate bureaucracy and greed, socioeconomic privilege, and more. It’s creative and fun.
(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column.)