Book Lists: LGBTQ

Mena, ostracized at church, home, and school for writing a letter of apology to a gay teen who was harassed into trying to kill himself by her fundamentalist friends, struggles to find her way when new friends and school experiences force her to think about what she really believes.

An eighth-grader who dreams of performing in a Broadway musical concocts a plan to run away to New York and audition for the role of Elliot in the musical version of "E.T."

School outsider Jesse, a lesbian, is having secret trysts with Emily, the popular student council vice president, but when they find themselves on opposite sides of a major issue and Jesse becomes more involved with a student activist, they are forced to make a difficult decision.

As a school assignment, a thirteen-year-old boy writes an alphabiography, and explores issues of friendship, family, school, and the challenges of being a gay teenager.

While working as a film production designer in Los Angeles, Emi Price finds a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend which leads her to Ava, who is about to expand Emi's understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

Relates, from various points of view, events from the night of October 6, 1998, when twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was lured out of a Wyoming bar, savagely beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die.

In alternating chapters, eighteen-year-old Darcy Patel navigates the New York City publishing world and Lizzie, the heroine of Darcy's novel, slips into the "Afterworld" to survive a terrorist attack and becomes a spirit guide, as both face many challenges and both fall in love.

The author chronicles his experiences as a boy growing up in the body of a girl, and his transition from a female to a male public identity.

A collection of essays and testimonials written to LGBT teenagers from celebrities, political leaders and everyday people.

"Melly only joined the school band because her best friend, Olivia, begged her to. But to her surprise, quiet Melly loves playing the drums. It's the only time in her life she doesn't feel like a mouse. Now she and Olivia are about to spend the next two weeks at Camp Rockaway, jamming under the stars in the Michigan woods. But this summer brings big changes for Melly: her parents split up, her best friend ditches her, and Melly finds herself falling for a girl at camp named Adeline. To top it off, Melly's not sure she has what it takes to be a real rock n' roll drummer. Will she be able to make music from all the noise in her heart?"--OCLC.

Eleven-year-old Liv fights to change the middle school dresscode requiring girls to wear a skirt and, along the way, finds the courage to tell his moms he is meant to be a boy.

Grishka has grown up in the closed world of a puppet theater in Russia, but now that world seems to be falling apart--his best friend needs an operation, financial difficulties are forcing people out, his homosexual friend Sam, the jester, is leaving for Holland and Grishka no longer knows what role he himself is playing.

When Monty buys the Eye of Know for six bucks online, it comes with a curious instruction: "In sight not see black light not be." It becomes the topic of discussion at the Mystery Club, made up of Monty and her friends Thomas and Naoki, who share a love for the unexplained. When Monty puts the Eye of Know on, strange things start happening, mostly toward the people she dislikes. However, the Eye may end Monty's friendships at the same time it takes down her enemies.

Fifteen-year-old Ruby Milliken leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother's grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star who divorced her mother before Ruby was born.

In a near-future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people, a creature emerges from a painting seventeen-year-old Jam's mother created, a hunter from another world seeking a real-life monster.

"It's the first day of summer and Rachel's thirteenth birthday. She can't wait to head to the lake with her best friend, Micah. But as summer unfolds, every day seems to get more complicated. Her 'fun' new job taking care of the neighbors' farm animals quickly becomes a challenge, whether she's being pecked by chickens or having to dodge a charging pig at feeding time. At home, her parents are more worried about money than usual, and their arguments over bills intensify. Fortunately, Rachel can count on Micah to help her cope with all the stress. But Micah seems to want their relationship to go beyond friendship, and though Rachel almost wishes for that too, she can't force herself to feel 'that way' about him. In fact, she isn't sure she can feel that way about any boy--or what that means.

When Mattie is cast as Romeo in an eighth-grade play, she is confused to find herself increasingly attracted to Gemma, a new classmate who is playing Juliet.

Outspoken thirteen-year-old Addie Carle learns about love, loss, and staying true to herself as she navigates seventh grade, enjoys a visit from her grandmother, fights with her boyfriend, and endures gossip and meanness from her former best friend.

A variety of students at the same high school describe their ideas, experiences, and relationships in a series of interconnected free verse stories.

After his older brother is killed, David turns to anger and his parents to religion, but just as David's life is beginning to make sense again his parents press him and his sister to join them in cutting worldly ties to prepare for the Rush, when the faithful will be whisked off to heaven.

Amanda is best friends with Cat, who is great to hang out with, but not always a good friend. She also loves spending time with her Catholic father. But then a secret is revealed-her grandmother was actually a trans activist who transitioned late in life and then went on the run. As Amanda wonders about her own sexuality and her attraction to Cat, she meets a group of diverse friends who help her understand what's in her heart.

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

Celia Door begins her high school freshman career with thick eyeliner, Goth boots, and a chip on her shoulder against Sandy Firestone--the former-friend who humiliated her in eighth grade. She has planned all the ways she wants to get revenge, but all those plans seem petty when Drake, the cool, cute new kid from New York, walks into her life. Celia's quest for revenge threatens to strain a tenuous new friendship with Drake, and she must weigh what she wants more--revenge, or relationship.

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

Tired of being known as "the gay kid," Rafe Goldberg decides to assume a new persona when he comes east and enters an elite Massachusetts prep school--but trying to deny his identity has both complications and unexpected consequences.

Privileged and sheltered Knox has everything he could ever want including a proxy, Syd, who takes all his punishments for him; but still his life isn't his own. The boys decide to flee together in hopes of changing the system, and are pursued across the country in a chase that tests the boys' friendship and resolve.

Grayson, a transgender twelve-year-old, learns to accept her true identity and share it with the world.

Sixteen-year-old Carlos Duarte is on the verge of realizing his dream of becoming a famous make-up artist, but first he must face his jealous boss at a Macy's cosmetics counter, his sister's abusive boyfriend, and his crush on a punk-rocker classmate.

Sixty-four authors and illustrators write letters to their younger selves about their LGBT lives today and offer consolation and advice on how to move forward.

An autobiography of Jazz Jennings in which she shares her experiences of transitioning for male to female and becoming an advocate for transgender youth.

Thor's hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon--the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants

Lily Jo McGrother, born Timothy McGrother, is a girl. But being a girl is not so easy when you look like a boy. Especially when you're in the eighth-grade. Norbert Dorfman, nicknamed Dunkin Dorfman, is bipolar and has just moved from the New Jersey town he's called home for the past thirteen years. This would be hard enough, but the fact that he is also hiding from a painful secret makes it even worse. One summer morning, Lily Jo McGrother meets Dunkin Dorfman, and their lives forever change.

Seventh grader Alan Cole struggles to deal with his cruel father, his bullying older brother Nathan, and his feelings for the boy at school. When Nathan discovers Cole's secret crush, he announces a high-stakes competition between them. Each brother must complete seven nearly impossible tasks and whoever finishes the most wins. Alan, with the help of his two misfit friends, is determined to win and to prove to Nathan, to himself, and to the world that he is not a coward.

Born on Water Island in the Virgin Islands during a hurricane, which is considered bad luck, twelve-year-old Caroline falls in love with another girl--and together they set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother.

A graphic novel memoir depicting the author's teenage experiences at summer camp where she fell in love with an older girl.

Four teenagers have the power to protect their town from a monster, but only if their families' secrets do not destroy them first.

A boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother's death.

Troubled by family problems, Henry finds his life taking a whole new dimension when he and his friend, old Mr. Fogarty, become involved with Prince Pyrgus Malvae who has been sent from the faerie world in order to escape the treacherous Faeries of the Night.

Seventh-grader Ben, always an outsider, is led into a deep friendship with Halley, who is being treated for cancer, by the special dog he and his adoptive mother take in.

Ben has high expectations for himself--good grades, a scholarship to college for basketball, a date with the beautiful girl at the neighboring school. What he doesn't expect are the feelings he has for his homosexual friend Rafe. It's not that Ben has anything against people being gay, he just never imagined he'd find himself--the captain of the basketball team--in love with a boy.

When fourteen-year-old Sophie Sophia journeys to New York with a scientific boy genius, a Kerouac-loving bookworm, and a giant shaman panda guide, she discovers more about her visions, string theory, and a father who could be the key to an extraordinary life.

Ari can't wait to escape his home town and the boredom of working in his family's bakery. He has plans to move to the city and hopes to make it big with his band. But before he can move forward, his family needs to find a replacement for him at the bakery. That's when he meets Hector, one of the candidates for his job. And the more they get to know each other, the more obvious it becomes that there could be a love connection if Ari plays his cards right.

Eighteen-year-old Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, realizes her heavy responsibility and the futility of relying on advisors who surround her with lies as she tries to help her people to heal from the thirty-five-year spell cast by her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities.

Feeling humiliated and confused when his best friend Tessa rejects his love and reveals that she's a lesbian, high school senior Luke must decide if he should stand by Tessa when she invites a female date to the prom, sparking a firestorm of controversy in their small Indiana town.

When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.

Caught in the midst of a hectic home life, twelve-year-old Fern turns to her best friend, Ran, for support. When a sudden turn of events wrench her family apart, however, she realizes she will need more than Ran's calm, meditative teachings to make things right.

In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy cursed to love her and the King's Huntress whom she loves.

Fourteen-year-old Nick has a three-legged dog named Lucky 2, some pet fish, and two mothers, whose relationship complicates his entire life as they face prejudice, work problems, alcoholism, cancer, and finally separation.

Sixteen-year-old Ava does not know who she is or where she belongs, but when she tries out a new personality--and sexual orientation--at a different school, her edgy girlfriend, potential boyfriend, and others are hurt by her lack of honesty.

Liz Prince chronicles her efforts to reject a "girly" identity as a child and young adult, and her later realization that she can be comfortable with being a woman without embracing an ultra-feminine identity.

Six teens tell what it is like for them to be members of the transgender community.

A tornado rips through town and, in demolishing her family's home, flings Ivy Aberdeen's secret notebook of drawings of girls holding hands she knows not where. Those drawings begin showing up in Ivy's locker with notes telling her she should open up about her identity, and Ivy dares to hope they are from the girl she has developed a crush on.

An autobiographical comic of ten years in the life of cartoonist, Tillie Walden, focusing on her time as a figure skater.

This anthology of short stories gives voice to the rising generation as they define what it means to grow up queer in the twenty-first century.

Although not thrilled when her summer plans are upended for a surprise cross-country train trip with her family and embarrassed because one of her moms is writing a tell-all book about the trip, twelve-year-old Sara Johnston-Fischer finds herself changing along with the landscape outside the train windows.

Almost-fourteen-year-old Melanin Sun's comfortable, quiet life is shattered when his mother reveals she has fallen in love with a woman.

A collection of short stories about homosexuality by such authors as Bruce Coville, M.E. Kerr, William Sleator, and Jane Yolen.

Harriet Price, a prefect at elite Rosemead Grammar, risks her perfect life by joining forces with bad-girl Will Everhart in a hoax to expose the school's many problems.

In a post-apocalyptic United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro gains the power of a technopath--the ability to control technology--after a viral magic killed his immigrant family and put him in a hospital. Carolina's minister of defense recruits Noam because of his abilities, and seeing a chance to affect change for the undocumented immigrant community, which is subject to brutal treatment under Carolina's government, Noam agrees, secretly hoping to use the minister's technology against them. But when Noam meets the minister's dangerous, impossibly alluring son, Dara, Noam's mission becomes muddled.

Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

When sixteen-year-old Tegan is killed in the year 2027, she is put in a frozen state from which she wakes up 100 years later. The future that Tegan wakes up to is not how she imagined it would be, and soon she discovers information that forces her to make a choice between staying quiet and living in this new world or fighting for a new one.

Relates the adventures of a family with two fathers, four adopted boys, and a variety of pets as they make their way through a school year, Kindergarten through sixth grade, and deal with a grumpy new neighbor.

Fourteen-year-old Sylvie, having dreamt that one day she will marry her best fried Carl, is hurt when she begins to realize that he might be more interested in boys then girls, and when Carl acts on his feelings for his classmate, Paul, and becomes the victim of homophobia, Sylvie and her friend, Miranda, help him overcome the difficult situation.

When high schooler Brendan Chase decides to confront his occasional desire to become a woman, he begins a life-changing journey to discover where he sits on the transgender scale. Meanwhile, his girlfriend fights to keep their relationship alive, and his new friend, Angel, deals with her own personal troubles.

Liza puts aside her feelings for Annie after a scandal at school, but eventually she allows love to triumph over the ignorance of people. Includes an interview with the author at the end of the book.

A group of gay and lesbian teenagers finds mutual support when they form the "Geography Club" at their high school.

Unable to confide in her parents, Astrid Jones looks into the sky and speaks with the people onboard planes flying overhead. In the process, she forms an unexpected connection with these strangers that not only allows her to work through her personal problems but changes her life for the better.

In the beach town of Neptune, New Jersey, Phoebe's life is changed irrevocably when her gay cousin moves into her house and soon goes missing.

When hunky Kevin Keller moves to Riverdale, all the girls especially Veronica, set their sights on him, unaware that he is unattainable because he is gay.

Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.

Friendships are forged on prom night, when four teens help each other through disappointment, near-arrest, parental interference and panic attacks.

A collection of stories in which seventy authors share their experiences with and feelings about bullying, including selections from Lauren Kate, R. L. Stine, Melissa Walker, Laura Kasischke, Amy Reed, Kurtis Scaletta, Carolyn Mackler, and others.

Brynn Harper idolizes liberal television host and political commentator Rachel Maddow. After writing to her once for a school project and receiving a reply, Brynn decides to draft emails to Maddow--but never send them--about all her problems: breaking up with her first girlfriend, her brother Nick's death, her parents, and trouble at school. Then Brynn decides to run against her archnemesis Adam and her ex-girlfriend Sarah for student representative to the board that selects the next school superintendent. When things turn ugly, Brynn asks herself: What would Rachel Maddow do?

The author, a transgender girl, shares her personal journey of growing up as a boy and then undergoing gender reassignment surgery as a teen.

Thirteen-year-old brilliant but socially challenged Stewart and mean-girl Ashley must find common ground when, two years after Stewart's mother dies, his father moves in with his new girlfriend--Ashley's mother, whose gay ex-husband lives in their guest house.

Archer has four important role models in his life--his dad, his grandfather, his uncle Paul, and his favorite teacher, Mr. McLeod. When Uncle Paul and Mr. McLeod get married, Archer's sixth-grade year becomes one he'll never forget.

Allie and Samantha, two middle school girls in the 1970s American South, struggle with their growing feelings for each other, and find challenges and support from unlikely places.

Twelve-year-old Sunny St. James must navigate heart surgery, reconnections with a lost mother, the betrayal of a former best friend, first kisses, and emerging feelings for another girl.

Seventeen-year-old Laurel Graham has a singular, all-consuming ambition in this life: become the most renown nature photographer and birder in the world . . . One day Gran drags Laurel out on a birding expedition where the pair hear a mysterious call that even Gran can't identify. The pair vow to find out what it is together, but soon after, Gran is involved in a horrible car accident. Now that Gran is in a coma, so much of Laurel's world is rocked . . . Laurel's confusion isn't just a group of warblers--it's about what means the most to her, and what she's willing to do to fight to save it. Maybe--just maybe--if she can find the mystery bird, it will save her gran, the conservatory land, and herself.

Eleven-year-old December waits to sprout wings and fly away, until a new foster mother changes her perspective on home and family.

Twelve-year-old Fella is swept away on a wild road trip by her older sister Zany to fulfill their late mother's dying wish.

Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.

After a chance meeting with a psychic, Olivia, a teen cook living in Los Angeles with her two dads and misfit brother, finds a vintage cookbook with handwritten notes inside and pieces together a story that turns a normal summer into a search for her birth mother.

Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him? The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.