Pride month goes through the end of June, and we have a list of small press comics for young readers to continue the celebration.
Holiday House and Peachtree have a list of books for readers ages 3 to 18, and each features an authentic representation of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Take a look below!
Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White (Peachtree Teen/Peachtree, for ages 14 and up)
This instant New York Times bestseller is a furious debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Annihilation, in this post-apocalyptic thriller, trans boy Benji teams up with an LGBTQ+ youth center to take down the fundamentalist cult who turned him into a monster. Queer, trans author White can’t wait to follow up this William C. Morris Award finalist with The Spirit Bares Its Teeth later this year.
Constellations by Kate Glasheen (Holiday House, for ages 14 and up)
Set in the 1980s, this graphic novel follows a queer teen’s search for identity and support in a hostile culture. Are you supposed to be a boy or a girl? It’s a question that follows 16-year-old Claire everywhere. But as long as they have a drink in their hand and a party to go to, Claire can manage. Right? When the latest party goes disastrously wrong, Claire tips too close to the edge. A stay at rehab offers new friends and a chance to do the impossible: to tell the truth. Will Claire will take it?
Saint Juniper’s Folly by Alex Crespo (Peachtree Teen/Peachtree, for ages 14)
Alex Crespo’s queer haunted house mystery debut is equal parts spine-tingling thrills, a celebration of found family, and must-read for paranormal romance fans. For Jaime, returning to the tiny town of Saint Juniper means returning to a past he’s spent eight years trying to forget. For Theo, Saint Juniper means being stuck. For Taylor, it’s a mystery. The Folly and its ghosts will draw these three. But can they each face their demons to forge a bond strong enough to escape the Folly’s shadows?
Things I’ll Never Say by Cassandra Newbould (Peachtree Teen/Peachtree, for ages 14 and up)
A beautifully raw coming-of-age story, examining what it means to crush on your two best friends at the same time. The Scar Squad promised each other nothing would tear them apart. Even when Casey lost her twin and their foursome became a threesome. But when Casey’s feeling for the remaining members—Francesca and Benjamin—develop into romantic attraction, she worries the truth will dissolve them. Since Sammy’s death, Casey has spilled all the things she can’t say to him in journals. She wishes he were here to help her decide whether she should guard her heart or bet it all on love.
The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora (Peachtree Teen/Peachtree, for ages 14 and up)
This queer contemporary YA with a speculative twist effortlessly tackles heavy topics such as suicide and depression with a vibrant voice and deeply resonant humor. Fifteen-year-old Brynn is obsessed with death, and her severe anxiety leaves her feeling isolated; but when her parents decide she’s going to spend the summer on her dad’s houseboat, she meets—and starts crushing on—sultry and confident Skylar, who is hiding a dark secret.
No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado (Holiday House, for ages 14 and up)
Influencer Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, tons of followers, and a glittering life of pure aesthetic. Except it’s all fake. “Max” is actually 17-year-old Kat Sanchez: funny, sarcastic, good at photography. When one of Max’s posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the person Kat’s been stealing photos from, well . . . Let the apocalypse begin. This raw, laugh-out-loud YA novel is full of messy friendships, heart-squeezing first love, complex racial dynamics, painful family secrets, coming out, and living for THE GRAM. No Filter and Other Lies is also available in paperback in both English and Spanish! Maldonado will be back this fall with The Fall of Whit Rivera.
The Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweis (Peachtree, for ages 8–12)
A debut contemporary middle grade novel loaded with STEM content. Eighth graders Evelyn and Allie are each dealing with sensitive issues at home while they struggle to figure out how to work together. It all leads up to a robotics competition that, win-or-lose, could have serious consequences for both. Told in dual point of view, this story earnestly explores themes of teamwork, friendship, and queer identity. This narrative provides age-appropriate introductions to the LGTBQ+ spectrum. The Trouble with Robots universe will expand later this year with The Problem with Gravity.
Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt (Peachtree Teen/Peachtree, for ages 14 and up)
Aces Wild is packed with internet friend hijinks and asexual representation galore! Some students join chess club. Jack Shannon—the son of a Las Vegas casino mogul—runs a secret blackjack ring. When his mom is arrested, Jack knows his mom was sold out by Peter Carlevaro: rival casino owner and jilted lover. With the help of his closest friends—the ace support group he met through fandom forums— Jack hatches a plan to find the truth. All he has to do is infiltrate a high stakes gambling club and dodge dark family secrets, while hopelessly navigating what it means to be in love while asexual. For more ace representation, check out DeWitt’s upcoming offering, Wren Martin Ruins It All.
Forget This Ever Happened by Cassandra Rose Clarke (Holiday House, for ages 14 and up)
There’s nothing too remarkable about Indianola: it’s run-down, shabby, and sweltering, a pin-dot on the Gulf Coast. Except there is something remarkable. Memories shimmer and change. Lizards whisper riddles under the pecan trees. And worst of all, a red-lightning storm from beyond our world may just wipe the whole town off the map, if Claire and her maybe-girlfriend Julie can’t stop it. Surprising, brilliant, and, like, totally tight, Forget This Ever Happened is speculative horror at its finest, featuring an authentic Queer romance and dark, dazzling world-building.
Tuesday Is Daddy’s Day by Elliot Kreloff (Holiday House, for ages 3–7)
Based on the author’s own family, this book is a reminder that family comes in many forms, but always comes with love. Becky has two rooms: one at Mommy’s house and one at Daddy’s apartment, which he shares with his partner Harry. Daddy usually picks her up after school on Tuesdays, but one Tuesday mommy is there instead! What’s going on? Becky likes everything to be the same, but soon learns change can lead to a happy surprise!
Adventures with My Daddies by Gareth Peter, illus. Garry Parsons (Peachtree, for ages 4–8)
Set off on a series of incredible adventures with an endearing, diverse family as the bedtime stories they read burst into colorful life. In this authentic picture book, the daddies and their little one battle dragons, dodge deadly dinosaurs, zoom to the moon, and explore the world in a hot air balloon, before winding down to sleep in a wonderfully cozy ending.
