Pride 2021 is here and we’re kicking it off with reading lists of new & recently released LGBTQ+ titles! Some are specifically about queerness, and for others, queerness is just one part of the author’s intersectional identity. This month, we will have book lists for all reading levels and ages, so be sure to check out Read the Rainbow: Celebrating Pride Month with Board, Picture, and Juvenile Books, posted earlier this month! We hope that you’ll find something here that resonates with you!
Oftentimes, we look for ourselves in what we read. We want characters who struggle, preserve, inspire, and motivate. We want to know that we are not alone and that there are others like us. Books help us grow and process the world around us, too. More and more, amazing and intuitive authors are writing some of the best books–realistic fiction and fantasy–for tweens and teens searching for strong and relatable YA LGBT+ novels.
On these lists, you will find some of the best LGBTQ+ YA books that will bring tears to your eyes, make your heart swell, and reinforce self-love, tolerance, and acceptance (because you are perfect, btw!). Some may also tick you off–the world can be stuffed with bullies and close-minded people–until our main characters triumph!
Below, find a diverse list of YA LGBT books perfect for tween & teens (& adults, too… YA is for everyone!). And don’t worry, we have all genres of YA LGBTQ+ books, including science fiction, graphic novels, fantasy, realistic fiction, and so much more.
Let’s get started!
Below you will find curated lists of both print and digital materials that CCPL has to offer. Print materials can be requested and picked up via our Curbside Appointments and digital materials just require a library card to check out (don’t have a library card? Click here!). Click the blue link on the slide to go to the item in our catalog.
Tween Books
Slideshow Presentation: Read the Rainbow: Tween Books
- Slide 2: A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
- Slide 3: King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
- Slide 4: A Home for Goddesses & Dogs by Leslie Connor
- Slide 5: Birdie & Me by J. M. M. Nuanez
- Slide 6: Into the Tall, Tall Grass by Loriel Ryon
- Slide 7: Ana on the Edge by A. J. Sass
- Slide 8: The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
- Slide 9: The Lumberjanes Series by Noelle Stevenson & Shannon Watters
- Slide 10: Jo: An Adaption of Little Women (Sort Of) by Kathleen Gros
- Slide 11: Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
- Slide 12: Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
- Slide 13: The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith
Teen Books
Slideshow Presentation: Read the Rainbow: Teen Books
- Slide 2: The New Queer Conscience by Adam Eli
- Slide 3: Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
- Slide 4: Queerfully and Wonderfully Made by Leigh Finke
- Slide 5: All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir by George M. Johnson
- Slide 6: Out! How to Be Your Authentic Self by Miles McKenna
- Slide 7: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Slide 8: The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- Slide 9: The Never Tilting World Series by Rin Chupeco
- Slide 10: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
- Slide 11: Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram
- Slide 12: The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
- Slide 13: You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
- Slide 14: Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
- Slide 15: The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
- Slide 16: Monster of the Week by F.T. Lukens
- Slide 17: Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore
- Slide 18: Out Now: Queer We Go Again! by Saundra Mitchell
- Slide 19: Wilder Girls by Rory Powers
- Slide 20: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
- Slide 21: Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye
- Slide 22: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
- Slide 23: Check, Please! Series by Ngozi Ukazu
- Slide 24: Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow by Makoto Hagino
Resources for Parents & Caregivers
- LGBTQ Youth Resources | CDC’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
- Loving Families | PFLAG [Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays]
- Resources for Parents and Families of LGBTQ Individuals | ALA [American Library Association]
- Resources for Families of LGBTQ Youth | DHHS’s Child Welfare Information Gateway
- Family + Friends | The Trevor Project
- International LGBT Linked Vocabulary | Homosaurus
