June is LGBTQIAP+ Pride Month, so in this post I’m sharing some of my favorite chapter books for kids and teens starring Queer characters. Of course, I hope that you’ll offer books like these to kids year-round, not just during Pride Month!
Some of the books in this list focus on coming out or experiencing bias, bullying, or discrimination. It’s important, especially for kids who are not Queer, to understand these experiences. But that’s not the entire LGBTQIAP+ experience! It’s important for young people to also read books where Queer characters are accepted as they are. You’ll also find books in this list where a character’s gender or sexual orientation is not the primary focus of the story and is simply one facet of who they are.
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Realistic fiction chapter books for LGBTQ Pride Month
Second Chance Summer by Sarah Kapit.
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Maddie has been looking forward to her month-long theater camp, and not only because she’ll be able to take screenwriting classes. She’ll finally be away from people who saw a disastrous viral video of her performance in the school play. That was back when she was still best friends with Chloe, a child actor who’s different than Maddie in just about every way. Maddie can’t believe her terrible luck when it turns out that not only is Chloe enrolled in the camp; the former friends even have to share a cabin.
Because the story is told from alternating viewpoints, readers can see the fractures this friendship was developing long before Chloe was aware of it. Chloe is insensitive to the challenges of Maddie’s dyspraxia, thinking if Maddie just tried harder, she could dance and be athletic like other kids.
While Maddie is tired of what she views as a one-way friendship, Chloe is so wrapped up in the pressures her mom puts on her about acting that stepping into characters’ lives feels like her only escape. The real Chloe is never supposed to complain and never stand out. She especially worries what her mother would ever think if she found out that she has a crush on another girl at camp.
I enjoyed this book because it’s a far more nuanced portrayal of middle school friendships than is typical. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Jewish Autistic author.)
This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby.
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This short story collection is delightfully diverse in terms of LGBTQIAP+ identities, race and ethnicity, and type of story. There are realistic fiction stories, fantasies, and graphic novel-style stories. Sometimes Queer identity is a major part of the storyline, while in others it provides a backdrop for childhood experiences like finding a new pet after a beloved one has died, or experiencing a first crush.
In “The Makeover,” nonbinary Jes is new at school and it quickly adopted by a Queer friend group that calls themselves the Porcupines. When Jes isn’t sure what they want their style to be, the Porcupines take them on a trip to the thrift store to find the perfect outfits.
A short story by Lisa Bunker describes how an online friendship that crosses an ocean gives a transgender girl the courage to speak up to her parents about who she is.
Even in stories where characters face bias and harassment, these tales lead with joy and resilience. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Authors of the short stories are of many different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and genders.)
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
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When King’s older brother Khalid passed away suddenly from a heart condition no one knew he had, King believes Khalid became a dragonfly. Sometimes Khalid visits King when he’s asleep, but he longs to hear from Khalid more directly during his frequent visits to a dragonfly-filled bayou near his house.
King also obsesses over one of Khalid’s last pieces of advice about his friend Sandy. Khalid tells King that he should stop hanging out with Sandy, who recently shared with King that he’s gay. Khalid is sure King wouldn’t want people thinking that he’s gay too. Lately though one of King’s biggest questions is what will happen with his family and friends if it does turn out that, like Sandy, he is gay.
When Sandy goes missing, King regrets cutting off their friendship and must wrestle with questions about himself that he’s been avoiding. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Afro Caribbean Queer nonbinary author.)
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Mallory in Full Color by Elisa Stone Leahy.
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As a recovering people pleaser, I identified with main character Mallory Marsh so much (even when her desire to avoid conflict made her do things that were to no one’s benefit.)
In almost all areas of her life, Mallory’s main concern is making other people happy. She is a different version of herself to each of her friends and works hard not to express her own preferences. Mallory’s parents are newly divorced, and as her mother takes on more at work, Mallory spends a lot of time taking care of her twin brothers and doing anything else she can to relieve her mom’s stress.
Meanwhile, no one knows that Mallory is publishing a popular web comic. If anyone finds one, her account could be shut down since she lied about being 13. Her mother has signed her up for swim team again this year, but Mallory ditches practice to join a comic club at the library. There she meets Noa, an outgoing nonbinary kid who also loves comics and quickly becomes Mallory’s crush. Because she wants to spend time with Noa, she agrees to join them in a lip-syncing performance for an upcoming Drag Story Time, but she’s terrified of being in the spotlight.
Related post: Avoiding Queer erasure in history lessons
All of Mallory’s fibs about herself, along with her bigger lies about the web comic and swim team and wanting to lip sync, eventually lead to multiple disasters. Will Mallory be able to figure out who she really is and tell the truth to the people she cares about? (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Queer Peruvian American author.)
Cross My Heart and Never Lie by Nora Dåsnes
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This graphic novel, first published in Norwegian, captures the often confusing and awkward transition from childhood to adolescence with humor and heart.
Tuva has a long list of goals for 7th grade, including finishing her diary (the graphic novel itself) and falling in love. When her friend Linnéa announces that she has a boyfriend, Tuva begins thinking through the boys in her class (none of whom seem like promising candidates.) She keeps her love goal from her other best friend, Bao. Bao is disgusted with Linnéa for abandoning their group’s favorite pastime – playing war in a fort they built in the woods near their school – for a boy.
Tuva watches as the girls in her grade seem to divide into two camps; the first wants to act like teenagers, while the other are still enjoying childhood. When Bao snaps at Tuva for how much she talks about Mariam, a new classmate, Tuva wonders if maybe she has fallen in love and just didn’t realize it. How is she supposed to act cool around Mariam? Is there anything she can do to bring Bao and Linnéa back together? (Recommended for ages 9 – 13. Norwegian author.)
Related post: Diverse middle grades graphic novels
Rick by Alex Gino
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Rick is a particularly fitting book for LGBTQIAP+ Pride Month because it explores and explains many forms of Queer identity, particularly what is means to be asexual, aromantic, or questioning.
Fans of Gino’s book Melissa (previously published as George) will recognize Rick’s jerky friend Jeff. Jeff is Rick’s best and only friend, and he’s always nice to Rick. Rick’s discomfort with Jeff’s behavior, especially his objectifying comments about girls and his homophobic “pranks”, grows throughout the book.
Rick has questions about himself he’s never shared with anyone. His father is always making remarks about how he’ll be interested in girls soon, with his mom interjecting “or boys!” every time. But Rick doesn’t really have romantic feelings for anyone, and after attending the Rainbow Spectrum Club he learns that some people aren’t romantically attracted to others. When he tells his older sister he thinks he might be ace (short for asexual), she dismissively tells him he’s too young to know whether that’s true.
Related post: Children’s books that challenge gender stereotypes
However, Rick’s growing relationship with his Grandpa Ray, who he’s never known well before this year, allows him to talk about problems with Jeff and his questions about his own identity. Will his experiences with Grandpa Ray and with the Rainbow Spectrum kids give Rick the courage to look for friends who actually care? (Recommended for ages 10 – 13. White Genderqueer author.)
Need fresh ideas for summer reading? My 2026 Summer Reading Guide can help!
Obie Is Man Enough by Schuyler Bailar.
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This is a hopeful yet heart wrenching story of a young trans athlete. At a time when trans kids, especially athletes, are under increasing attack, I consider it a must read for LGBTQIAP+ Pride Month.
Obie is a competitive swimmer hoping to make his way to the Junior Olympics, but his world is flipped upside down when Coach Bolton kicks him off the team for wanting to swim against the boys. His parents are quickly able to find a new team with a supportive coach, but Coach Bolton’s son Clyde – who also used to be one of Obie’s best friends before he came out – is determined to bully Obie at school and at swim meets. Their mutual close friend Lucy, also a swimmer, seems to be slowly fading out of Obie’s life.
Related post: Children’s books starring transgender and nonbinary characters
As Obie navigates Clyde’s bullying, he’s also figuring out whether and how to tell people like his new teammates that he’s trans. With his goofy older brother’s guidance, Obie also starts dating for the first time. Will Charlie’s feelings about him change if she knows that he’s trans? When Lucy realizes she was wrong to abandon Obie at his toughest moment, can Obie find a way to forgive her? (Recommended for ages 12+. Biracial Korean American & white trans masculine author.)
Content/age recommendation note: Obie is called anti-gay and anti-trans slurs by Clyde in multiple scenes of the book. Also, I had a really hard time deciding on the appropriate age range for this book. For the most part I would say it will resonate with ages 10+. However, adults should be aware that there is more profanity in this book than is typical of a middle grade book. That’s why I gave it an age range of 12+.
Fantasy chapter books for LGBTQ Pride month (or that have supernatural elements)
Too Bright To See by Kyle Lukoff
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Bug’s best friend Moira thinks that they should re-invent themselves before middle school begins in the fall. Doesn’t Bug want to try out a new style of clothing, makeup, or maybe get involved in a club? For the sake of their friendship, Bug tries to act interested, but nothing Moira talks about feels right for Bug.
Meanwhile, Bug is grieving the recent loss of Uncle Roderick, the most important person in Bug’s life besides Mom. Uncle Roderick and Bug always believed their home had ghosts, and lately Bug is seeing a lot of signs that there’s a new one. It doesn’t take long before Bug realizes the ghost is Uncle Roderick, and he wants Bug to understand something important. What could he possibly be trying to communicate? (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. White trans masculine author.)
Ellie Engle Saves Herself! by Leah Johnson
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So much of Ellie’s world revolves around her best friend and neighbor Abby. Since Ellie’s dad left a few years ago, her mom has to work long hours at two different jobs. Her Poppy, the person who got her hooked on comics and superhero stories, has passed away. Ellie is an introvert who prefers to stay in the background, while Abby is an outgoing aspiring Olympic gymnast who loves the spotlight. While Abby has started talking a lot about the boys she thinks are cute, Ellie wonders if Abby has any idea that Ellie likes her as more than a friend.
After a strange earthquake in their Indiana town, Ellie discovers that she has powers that allow her to (accidentally) reanimate her dead beta fish. When she confides in Abby, Abby insists that Ellie only practice using her powers around Abby and never alone. A disastrous event in their science classroom causes Ellie’s secret to go viral and fractures her friendship with Abby. While Ellie is devastated at the sudden loss of their friendship, she discovers there are other people who might be willing to accept her as she is.
This is a great read for any kid who’s ever felt like their differences make them stick out. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Black Queer author.)
Jasmine Is Haunted by Mark Oshiro.
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Ever since Jasmine’s father died four years ago, every home she and Mami have lived in has been haunted. They’ve moved often, and she can’t even make friends because she never knows when the ghost will start throwing objects around the place and scaring people off. Jasmine desperately hopes this new house will be different, and they can finally stay somewhere for more than a year.
When a kind teacher invites her to join the GSA at her new school, she’s not sure Bea and Jorge (the only two other members) want her there. But she soon discovers that they have an obsession with the supernatural, so much so that they’ve secretly renamed the club the Gay Supernatural Alliance.
Oshiro deftly weaves together spooky experiences with much deeper themes of grief and loss, and how keeping our pain bottled up inside has many unintended consequences. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Chapter book. Latine Queer nonbinary author.)
The Insiders by Mark Oshiro
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When his family lived in San Francisco, Héctor always felt comfortable in his own skin, but in his new town, nothing feels right. The school has no drama program, Mike (a homophobic bully) torments him at school, and a harsh teacher blames Héctor for Mike’s actions.
Héctor starts hiding in the janitor’s closet, but one day finds it transformed into a space filled with whatever he needs in that moment. Eventually, this includes two other Queer kids from other states who face their own struggles.
Oshiro’s carefully crafted narrative will, at various times, make your heart both break and explode with joy. They don’t simplify how difficult it is to stand up to bullying, or how much it takes for young teens to realize that they are never alone. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Latine Queer nonbinary author.)
A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff
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When I say that this fantasy book is rooted partly in mythology, you might think of Percy Jackson, but A World Worth Saving is so much more than that!
14-year-old A is a transgender boy whose parents drag him to Save our Sons and Daughters (SOSAD) every weekend. A describes it as a “support group that offers zero support,” because it’s focused on convincing trans kids that they are not, in fact, trans. A’s parents are not conservative Christians; they are liberal Jews who’ve been swept up in a parent panic that assumes kids are coming out as trans because it’s “trendy.”
Most of the time the kids stay silent in the SOSAD meetings while their parents rattle on. When A’s friend Yarrow stands up and speaks the truth to her parents, group leader Joanna takes Yarrow away. Sal, another kid in the group, explains to A that this has happened before, and the kids who are taken away are never seen again. A sneaks out to Yarrow’s house that night and overhears Yarrow’s parents talking about a residential treatment program. While the news shakes A, he gets a much bigger shock when a golem forms out of the trashcan by Yarrow’s driveway.
The golem (a figure from Ashkenazi Jewish mythology) explains to A that he is destined to challenge great wrongs. Gifting A with a special type of vision that allows him to see sheydim (demons) that are influencing many of the adults around him, A tries to recruit Sal in his mission of saving Yarrow, with limited success. The golem tells them that they only have a short amount of time, because in the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the sheydim are at their weakest.
This is a breathtakingly beautiful book that asks deep spiritual questions as it issues a clarion call for supporting transgender youth, through characters who are relatable and all too human (including the “hero” of the story.) (Recommended for ages 11 – 15. White trans masculine author.)
Related post: Children’s books about LGBTQ history
The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro.
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Demigod Nico Di’Angelo has experienced plenty of trauma and darkness in his life. After all, he is a son of Hades who lived for a time in Tartarus, the lowest part of the Underworld. Finally, he’s experiencing some happiness and stability, thanks to his relationship with his boyfriend, Will Solace, son of the Greek sun god Apollo.
Nico is often tormented by nightmares, including a recurring one where a voice cries out to him for help. He realizes this could only be the voice of Bob, a reformed Titan who is trapped in Tartarus. As Nico and Will undertake a quest to rescue Bob, their relationship is tested. The Underworld is a place where your greatest fears about yourself and the people who you care about are amplified to an excruciating level. Nico worries whether Will can accept that sadness and darkness will always be a part of him. Will worries that Nico will abandon him.
Readers are sure to appreciate the meticulous world-building, filled with complex and humorous characters. In the midst of this fast-paced adventure, the authors also explore themes of loss, acceptance, trust, and love at a surprisingly deep level. (Recommended for ages 12+. Straight white author and Queer Latine nonbinary author.)
Related post: Diverse fantasy books for ages 7 – 14
