LGBTQ-Inclusive Books for All Ages
A list of nine stories the whole family will love.
If you’d like to get lost in an imaginary world written by authors who identify within the LGBTQ community or support it with their acceptance and allyship, where should you start?
I asked several parents and families with LGBTQ kids for recommendations. Below is a list of nine books that will help convey the message of equality and acceptance that you can share with your little ones, tweens, teenagers, and the whole family.
(Note: None of the links provided are affiliate links. They are only included to make it easy for you to find the recommended books.)
Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall (pre-K/kindergarten)
As family and friends try to help the blue crayon in this book match his ‘Red’ label, the large lesson in this story becomes clear. This book is all about having the courage to be your true self.
The author has said the story is reflective of growing up dyslexic and the struggles surrounding that, however, the theme throughout the book easily lends itself to embracing one’s authenticity. This is why it’s a favorite of mine and so many other parents of transgender kids.
And if you’re an Amazon Prime member the ebook version is actually free right now!
I believe that most of the damage we do to each other is the result of ignorance rather than cruelty. — Michael Hall
Neither by Airlie Anderson (preK/kindergarten)
This picture book’s pages are filled with colorful illustrations and a heart-warming story. The author-illustrator gives us a story with a genderfluid character who struggles to be accepted.
The story’s theme circles around inclusion and being free to be your most authentic self. Some say the story is about race, gender, and social acceptance. As a teacher, Anderson has referenced a transgender student having inspired some of the book’s direction. She prefers, though, to think of Neither as a place to start talking about what it means to be different in any aspect, not just gender identity.
I try to make books for everyone…Someday my son may experience exclusion or pressure to make a choice one way or the other, when it’s his in-betweenness that should be celebrated. — Airlie Anderson
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan (middle grade/young adult)
As with all of Rick Riordan’s books, this series is filled with diverse characters. The second book in the series, The Hammer of Thor, was awarded the Stonewall Award from the American Library Association for “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.”
This author’s name always comes up in conversation when discussing LGBTQ kids and their reading preferences. He’s a fantastic writer who is very conscious of the messages his stories portray to his young audience. He has been the author most recommended to me throughout all my research. Kids and parents alike love him.
As important as it is to offer authentic voices and empower authors and role models from within LGBTQ community, it’s is also important that LGBTQ kids see themselves reflected and valued in the larger world of mass media, including my books. — Rick Riordan
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (middle grade)
The main character in this book, Jam, is a trans girl who lives in a utopia where it’s told that angels saved the town from all monsters many years earlier. But then a creature that looks like a monster emerges from her mother’s painting and introduces itself to Jam as Pet.
This hardcover is on my bookshelves awaiting my future grandkids. Its beautiful story lingers in my mind. I love the idea of such an honest, open-minded, all-accepting world as the utopia of Lucille, how the story delves into the young girl’s transition, and the lesson regarding the world’s monsters. This is one of the best kids’ books I’ve ever read.
Her mother focused on her, cupping her cheek in a chalky hand. “Monsters don’t look like anything, doux-doux. That’s the whole point. That’s the whole problem.” — Akwaeke Emezi, Pet
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (middle grade/young adult)
This book is the first in the series, Song of the Lioness. It is filled with questions surrounding traditional gender roles. The main character, Alanna, wishes to be a knight and consequently hides her identity to follow her dream. The story explores gender identity as well as bullying, self-doubt, feminism, and social acceptance.
Although this book is most reviewed by young female readers I found an interesting essay from a young gay man expressing what a huge impact the book had on him into his high school years. He states, “In Alanna, I found a heroine who thrives despite her inability to come out, and despite the psychological costs of remaining in the closet.”
Let us abandon our bigotries and hatreds. Let us give and not take. Let us be kind, not cruel. — Tamora Pierce
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (young adult)
Out only recently, this book follows a high school girl whose only dream is to get out of the small town she grew up in and move on to her dream college. While trying to secure a scholarship by winning the title of prom queen, she begins having feelings for a girl in direct competition with her.
This story explores understanding one’s sexuality as a teenager. It’s both a fun read and insightful.
No matter how many people in the world tell you that because of who you are you don’t deserve beautiful things, you absolutely deserve beautiful things. You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be cared for. You deserve to take up space. — Leah Johnson
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (young adult)
This book explores the friendship of two Mexican-American boys coming of age. Both boys try to better understand their own identities and sexuality.
This is a great book for starting important — and difficult — conversations with your older teen. Because it touches on things like drug use, drinking, sex, masturbation, and sexuality, I recommend reading it first and deciding whether it’s right for your younger family member.
This book received the Printz Honor Award based on its literary merit for young adult readers. Whether it’s because of its lyrical prose or enlightening characters, this book has been highly recommended by many.
I didn’t think it was my job to accept what everyone said I was and who I should be. — Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Carry On: Simon Snow Series, Book 1 by Rainbow Rowell (young adult)
This author writes for both teens and adults. This particular book is a young adult fantasy featuring a gay romance between the main character, Simon Snow, and his nemesis, Baz, during Snow’s final year at magic school.
[A]s I was writing Baz and Simon and their love story, I was thinking about the people in my life, especially the people I’ve know for a long time, and how we all sort of figured ourselves out. Or didn’t…it felt very natural, in Carry On, to have one character be very sure of his sexuality, and to have another character who’s never stopped to think about it — and who isn’t sure where to start. — Rainbow Rowell
Dreadnought by April Daniels (young adult)
Every reading list is improved with a superhero story and this book is an exceptional one. Dreadnought follows a fifteen-year-old trans girl who accidentally inherits superpowers. And her new powers transform her body into what she always knew it should be.
While the main character, Danny, battles the supervillain throughout the story, she also has to navigate a new world — one where she is out to her family and friends as a transgirl.
I see a world that is terrified of me. Terrified of someone who would reject manhood. Terrified of a girl who knows who she is and what she’s capable of. They are small, and they are weak, and they will not hurt me ever again. — April Daniels, Dreadnought
And here’s a bonus book for parents and older family members!
I added the book below because it is amazing and I can’t recommend it to enough people. I’ve separated it from the rest of the list because it is not appropriate for the entire family. It is definitely an adult book.
In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado (adult)
This has been my favorite adult read so far this year. As a lover of short stories, the structure of this memoir made each chapter a delectable bite-sized meal. Machado’s prose is stunning and beautiful.
This author is brave in the exploration of her own feelings of love, confusion, and heartache surrounding an abusive lesbian relationship. Her imagery and poetic words kept me glued to the page and I will definitely be revisiting this book. She is an author I will follow closely and whose works I devour.
Your female crushes were always floating past you, out of reach, but she touches your arm and looks directly at you and you feel like a child buying something with her own money for the first time. — Carmen Maria Machado, In The Dream House
Authors deserve to be paid for their work and creativity. So why not use your hard-earned dollars to support those writers who use their platform in support of our LGBTQ loved ones?
As a parent of a transgender young man, I alone may not be able to convince the world that equality matters. But I can choose what authors I support with the money in my pocket. I encourage everyone to do the same.
Here are 10 Questions Every Parent Should Ask Their Transgender Teen. Zada Kent is co-founder of LGBTQueer-ies & proud parent to her transgender son.
