SJPL Picks: LGBTQ+ Reads for Middle GradesLike this list

37 items

• The Curse of Eelgrass Bog

  Averling, Mary,

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  Nothing about Kess Pedrock's life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family's Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon's head in a jar named…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf

  Moulton, Deke,

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  Benji Zeb is good at keeping secrets. No one knows how badly he is drowning in his studies, not only for school but also his upcoming bar mitzvah. But the biggest secret of all? He and his entire family are werewolves, using the wolf…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lunar Boy

  Wibowo, Jessica,

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  A must-have heartwarming coming-of-age graphic novel about a young boy from the moon who discovers a home in the most unlikely places.

• Murray Out of Water

  Tracy, Taylor,

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  Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Natalie Lloyd, and Jasmine Warga, this beautiful novel in verse explores one girl's struggle to regain her magic after a hurricane forces her to move away from her beloved ocean that, she believes, has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gooseberry

  Gow, Robin,

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  Twelve-year-old nonbinary B forms a connection with an anxious stray dog, Gooseberry, prompting them to pursue their dream of becoming a dog trainer while navigating the complexities of trust and building a family in their newest foster…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Truth About Triangles

  Leali, Michael,

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  A heartfelt contemporary middle grade novel perfect for fans of Front Desk , following Luca Salvatore, a young gay Italian American trying to save his family’s pizza restaurant and a life that feels like it’s falling apart after he learns…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Emma and the Love Spell

  Ireland, Meredith,

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  Twelve-year-old Korean American Emma uses her fickle witchy powers to keep her best friend's parents together so they do not move away.

• Noah Frye Gets Crushed

  Horne, Maggie,

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  In this cute and queer contemporary middle grade comedy about friendship, first crushes, and first kisses, twelve-year-old Noah Frye comes up with a foolproof plan to teach herself how to have a crush on a boy to fit in better with her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Linus and Etta Could Use a Win

  Huntoon, Caroline,

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  A hot-headed cynic befriends the new kid--a shy trans boy--when she takes on a bet to get him elected student body president

• Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine

  Melleby, Nicole,

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  Winnie Nash, who has been keeping her sexual orientation a secret, spends the summer with her grandma in New Jersey as she struggles with her family's expectations while yearning to embrace her true self and attend the Pride Parade in New…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tegan and Sara

  Junior High

  Quin, Tegan, 1980-

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  Before Tegan and Sara took the music world by storm, the Quins were just two identical twins trying to find their place in a new home and new school. From first crushes to the perils of puberty, surviving junior high is something the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dear Mothman

  Gow, Robin,

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  After the death of his best friend and the only other trans boy at school, Noah starts writing letters expressing his feelings to the humanoid creature Mothman and risks everything when he treks into the woods to prove Mothman's existence.

• The Song of Us

  Fussner, Kate,

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  Love at first sight isn't a myth. For seventh graders Olivia and Eden, it's fate. Olivia is a capital-P Poet, and Eden thinks she wants to be a musician one day, but for now she's just the new girl. And then Eden shows up to Poetry Club…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Ojja-wojja

  a Horror-mystery, or Whatever

  Visaggio, Magdalene,

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  While working on a school project about Bolingbroke's supernatural history, best-friend eighth graders Val and Laurie accidentally unleash a demonic presence connected to a series of mysterious tragedies throughout their town's sordid…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Otherwoods

  Winans, Justine Pucella,

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  When twelve-year-old River's only friend is kidnapped and dragged to the terrifying spirit world of The Otherwoods, they have no choice but to face the world's monsters and their own fears to become the hero they were destined to be.

• Just Lizzie

  Wilfrid, Karen,

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  Eighth grader Lizzie's study of asexuality in science class leads her to understand her own asexual identity as she embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and self-advocacy.

• The House That Whispers

  Thompson, Lin,

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  Simon, an eleven-year-old coming to terms with his gender identity, is convinced that his grandmother's house is haunted.

• Alex Wise Vs. the End of the World

  Benton-Walker, Terry J.,

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  Alex Wise feels like his world is ending. His best friend, Loren, is leaving town for the summer, his former friend and maybe sort of crush Sky hasn't spoken to him since he ditched Alex on first day of sixth grade, and now his mom is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Deephaven

  Aldridge, Ethan M.,

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  Hoping for a fresh start at Deephaven Academy, Guinevere "Nev" Tallow instead finds something strange stalking its corridors and teams up with another first-year student to unravel the secrets of this exclusive boarding school and its…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Will on the Inside

  Eliopulos, Andrew,

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  After dedicated soccer player Will is sidelined from the season--and his friend group--due to complications from his newly diagnosed Crohn's disease, he finds himself figuring out who he really is on the inside in this heartfelt and…Read moreRead more of this annotation