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.
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.
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.
Let’s keep the Olympic theme going this week with four queer-inclusive middle grade books about Winter Olympic sports (even if not all of the protagonists are quite at Olympic level yet).
The American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table has just announced its 2026 Rainbow Book List of over 160 librarian-approved titles that celebrate LGBTQIA+ youth and families. It’s the third-highest number since the list began in 2008. Let’s take a closer look, with some exclusive charts showing trends over the years.
LGBTQ-inclusive children’s and young adult books were among the titles honored at the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards today, winning not only Stonewall Awards for LGBTQ titles, but also awards in several other categories—proving again that those who wish to ban them are keeping kids from some of the best books around.
The LGBTQ-inclusive middle grade books of 2025 bring tales of adventure, magic, friendship, family, and personal growth. Here are some that stand out. Gift them for the holidays (or any time), recommend them to your local library, or just read them yourself!
Want new LGBTQ-inclusive middle grade books? We’ve got them! These titles include the latest from the award-winning Alex Gino, plus two drag-themed novels, sequels in two magical adventure series, and an inclusive non-fiction title about body literacy.
Get your family ready for Halloween with these recent books for all ages (including grown-ups) about spooky and not-so-spooky witches, vampires, werewolves, demons, and ghosts—and featuring LGBTQ people and families.
Sword-swinging nonbinary protagonists return in the next volumes of two of my favorite middle grade fantasy series. Each is very different, but both explore issues of privilege, power, and social justice even as they give us rousing adventures.
