Not every LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ book needs to be “about” being LGBTQ—but that doesn’t mean there isn’t also room for engaging, insightful coming out stories, like this week’s two excellent new middle grade titles.
Artemis II is making its moon flyby today—so I’m rounding up some LGBTQ-inclusive picture, chapter, and middle grade books involving astronomy and/or space. (I was an astronomy major, so this was particularly fun for me.) Share them with the young people in your life who dream of the stars!
In this week of religious holidays for many, here are three new picture books showing that LGBTQ identities and faith don’t always stand in opposition. One stars a queer-parented family exploring the concept of God, another stars a two-dad family active in their church, and the third stars a Jewish trans girl.
To mark this year’s Trans Rights Readathon, here are six recent trans-inclusive chapter book and middle grade titles, including the second volume in a magic-school series with a transgender boy protagonist, and another about a trans girl who discovers she’s a witch—perfect if you’re seeking alternatives to She Who Must Not Be Named.
Ursula Nordstrom had an outsized impact on American children’s literature as editor of Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte’s Web, Goodnight Moon, and many other classics. A new middle grade biography also shows her as a queer woman, a champion of books centering marginalized identities, and an opponent of censorship.
For Women’s History Month, let’s take a trip back to 1985, when a book for lesbians considering parenthood—one of the first books about queer parents—offered some wisdom that still feels relevant today.
As a queer mom who started my family via assisted reproduction in a doctor’s office, I’m tired of my son being exposed at school to stories of heterosexual families, most of whom were created via sexual intercourse.
Two terrific new middle grade novels out today offer different looks at queer tweens who feel invisible—figuratively or literally. One protagonist is a genderqueer youth on a dark, fantastical adventure (just don’t call him the hero); the other is a girl beginning to realize her asexual identity.
This week’s new LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books include a delightful trans-led chapter book from the incomparable Kyle Lukoff; a book for LGBTQ families (and others) exploring faith; and the U.S. edition of a funny tale about a girl, a unicorn, and her magical veterinarian dads.
It’s not Halloween season, but it’s always a good time of year for gripping stories of LGBTQ youth, youth with LGBTQ parents, and their friends tackling—and overcoming—monsters, beasts, and curses. Two standalone titles join four sequels to ongoing series for a wealth of spooky, exciting, and empowering reading for tweens.
