LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Novels

 

There is far too little LGBTQ+ representation in literature. However, there are some really good middle grade novels (especially graphic novels) about sexual and gender identity. Here are my favorites!

 

Melissa by Alex Gino (previously titled George)

Melissa knows she's a girl. But everyone else sees her as a boy named George. When a performance of Charlotte's Web is announced at her school, Melissa is determined to try out as Charlotte. So that she can be seen as a girl for just a day, and then maybe she'll have the courage to tell everyone who she really is. But because she's seen as a boy, her teacher doesn't even let her try out for Charlotte. How will Melissa show the world who she truly is?

 

 

Gracefully Grayson by Amy Polonsky

Grayson has lived with her aunt, uncle, and cousins since an accident killed her parents. And while her aunt and uncle are loving and kind, Grayson can't tell them the secret that's burning a hole inside her: she may have been born in a boy's body, but she loves wearing dresses and she knows that she's a girl on the inside.

Grayson struggles to make friends at school, but a production of Persephone might be the escape she's looking for. If she can just land the role of Persephone, she can wear a dress onstage and be a girl in front of an audience. But will the school allow it?

 

Rick by Alex Gino

Rick has always let everyone else figure out who he is for him: his dad, who jokes with him about what girls he might want to date (though Rick has never had any interest in that, ever). His best friend, Jeff, who can be a total jerk sometimes, but that's just the way things are. So when Rick starts middle school, and finds himself joining the Rainbow Spectrum Club, he might be able to finally figure out who he is on his own. 

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake

Ivy Aberdeen's small town is shaken when a tornado destroys her and many other families' homes. Her family moves temporarily into a hotel in the town, and as Ivy's parents struggle to take care of their five children in their new situation, Ivy feels ignored and misunderstood. What's more, her secret notebook full of drawings of girls holding hands disappeared when her house was destroyed. 

In the aftermath of the storm, Ivy becomes friends with June, the town doctor's daughter. As Ivy develops a crush on June, her drawings start appearing in her locker, along with mysterious notes that encourage her to tell someone her secret. As Ivy and her family struggle to recover from the disaster, and Ivy is conflicted with her feelings for June, will she be able to show everyone who she truly is?

 

The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

After her heart surgery, Sunny St. James decides that she can use this opportunity to restart her life as well as her heart. On the top of her list for New Sunny are to make a new best friend after she fell out with her old one, do something new and exciting that her previous fragile self wouldn't be able to do, and kiss a boy. Meeting Quinn, who is visiting the island, accomplishes her first goal. And when Sunny's estranged mother makes an entrance and introduces Sunny to surfing, she's accomplishing goal number two. But even though she tells herself she wants to kiss a boy, as she gets to know Quinn better, she's not quite sure anymore. Will the new Sunny St. James be the person she wants to be? Or will she be someone different?

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Ray Tercerio and Bre Indigo

A modern, diverse reimagining of Little Women. 

With Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy's father in the military and their mother working overtime, their Brooklyn family is struggling to keep their heads above the water. The sisters find comfort in each other, and in their new neighbor Laurie, who lives with his grandfather. Meg struggles with her shame of being poor, Amy has difficulties at school where she's bullied, Beth works hard to keep the family together, and Jo struggles with a secret. But when Beth falls terribly ill, and their father is injured overseas, their precarious world is thrown out of balance.

Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

Morgan can't wait to escape the tiny island where she lives with her angry little brother and sad, divorced mom. She can't wait to leave her loving group of friends, who will never understand her, because Morgan is gay and knows she can't tell them. 

Then one day, a mysterious girl named Keltie saves Morgan from drowning. As the two girls fall in love, Keltie reveals that she's a selkie: a seal girl who can only come on land for her true love. But Keltie can't stay on land forever, not if she wants to fulfill her goal of protecting the seal family she loves.

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Melly Goodwin didn't expect to like the drums when her best friend, Olivia, made her join the school band. But surprisingly, introverted Melly fell in love with the powerful, rhythmic sounds that she can make when she's behind a drum set. So when she and Olivia sign up for music camp together, she's excited. Until her parents tell her that they're breaking up the morning before camp starts.

And Camp Rockaway isn't everything Melly expected. She and Olivia, who pride themselves as being close as BFFs can be, seem to be growing apart. Melly starts to develop feelings for one of her bandmates, Adeline, and she isn't sure if she has what it takes to be a real rock drummer. Will Melly be able to sort out her feelings before camp is over?

Star Crossed by Barbara Dee

Mattie is excited about the eighth grade performance of Romeo and Juliet, and even more excited to perform with Juliet, aka Gemma Braithwaite, the new British girl who is funny and pretty and smart. Mattie struggles with her feelings as she develops a crush on Gemma: after all, Mattie has had crushes on boys before, too. Can she have crushes on boys and girls? 

 

The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor

Mei's work as the daughter of the cook of a Sierra Nevada logging camp keeps her busy, and she spends her free time telling the younger kids stories about Auntie Po, the elderly Chinese woman version of Paul Bunyan. But life as a Chinese American in the years after the Chinese Exclusion Act can't be peaceful, and as trouble arises in the camp and Mei starts to feel a growing attraction towards her best friend, Bee, Auntie Po seems to come alive in a way that Mei never could have expected. 

Hurricane Season by Nicole Melleby

Fig's pianist father's strange habits and unfortunate tendency to wander out into the middle of hurricanes don't take away from Fig's love for him and for the small beach town where they live. But Fig wants more than anything to be able to protect and understand her father, so she enrolls in an art class at school to see the world as he does: as an artist. But when Fig's dad shows up at school looking for her, and social services calls, Fig is positive that she alone can't protect her father forever. But she doesn't have anyone who can, until a surprisingly friendly neighbor takes charge and enters her father's life. Through the ups and downs of hurricane season, Fig finds her place in her family and comes to terms with herself and her father's identity. 

 

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill

Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, stumbles upon a tea dragon in the market and follows it home to its owners, Hesekiel and Erik, who are master tea makers. Greta also meets Minette, the tea makers' gentle ward who has lost her memory. As Greta learns more about the dying art of tea dragon caretaking, and about Minette's past, her small world grows. 

Princess Princess Ever After by Kay O'Neill

Neither Sadie nor Amira expects to find a true friend when Amira rescues Sadie from her tower prison. After all, Amira is brave and quick-moving, while Sadie is gentle and kind. But as their paths lead them across the kingdom together, they grow closer, and when Sadie's life is threatened by an evil sorceress, Amira doesn't hesitate to step in. Eventually, the two princesses discover their own meaning of happily ever after. 

 

The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson

Faith is excited when one of the popular girls in her new middle school urges her to join the girls' soccer team, but the team does more arguing than playing, and no one can make a single goal. Faith finds refuge in her drawings and the stories she creates in her head, and over time, she makes friends among the other girls on the team--each of which has more to her than meets the eye. In the end, the team's friendships and rivalries may be more important than actually winning a game. 

 

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Theater is Cassie's favorite thing in the whole world. Unfortunately, she can't sing or act. So she's happy being the set designer for her middle school's upcoming play. However, things get more complicated than she expected as the semester goes on--the school play is struggling, as ticket sales are down and the budget won't cover a complicated set. And then there's the drama that ensues after the cast is chosen, and when a set of cute brothers enter the scene, it gets even crazier!

 

 

Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

Aster's family has magic. For generations, boys have learned to shapeshift while girls learned witchcraft. But Aster can't shapeshift no matter how hard he tries, and he's truly happy when spying on the girls' magic lessons. Aster knows that there has been one witch boy in the past...but that he turned into a monster and was banished from the family. During a shapeshifting ritual, however, the other boys start to go missing, and Aster knows he can help them with magic. He meets Charlie, a non-magical girl who convinces him to use the powers he has to save his family, and stand up for himself. 

 

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Prince Sebastian spends his days meeting eligible young women his parents want him to marry. But he spends his nights as Lady Crystallia, a daring fashion icon who wears dresses of the like no one has ever seen before. Sebastian's secret weapon is Frances, a dressmaker ahead of her time. But while Frances loves making dresses for Sebastian, who has become her best friend, she wants more: she wants to become a famous fashion designer, and she can't do that while hiding in Lady Crystallia's shadow. Will Frances be able to make a decision that will protect Sebastian and help her follow her dreams?