June is PRIDE month, and we at Mixed-Up Files look forward to celebrating and amplifying voices from our friends and family in the LGBTQ + community. As always, books are a great way to create conversation and open up spaces for learning and community.
Pride Booklists
To start with, here’s an excellent book list.
Newer Titles from 2020-2021
THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE (Abrans Books 2021), by Chad Lucas;
((Read Chad’s guest post on our series We Need Diverse MG here.))
KING AND THE DRAGONFLIES (Scholastic 2020), by Kacen Callender
Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.
It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy – that he thinks he might be gay. “You don’t want anyone to think you’re gay too, do you?”
ANA ON THE EDGE (Little Brown 2020), by A. J. Sass
For fans of George and Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, a heartfelt coming-of-age story about a nonbinary character navigating a binary world.
Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin, the reigning US Juvenile figure-skating champion, is not a frilly dress kind of kid. So, when Ana learns that next season’s program will be princess-themed, doubt forms fast. Still, Ana tries to focus on training and putting together a stellar routine worthy of national success.
THE DEEPEST BREATH (Houghton Mifflin 2021), by Meg Grehan
An accessible and beautifully crafted middle-grade novel-in-verse by award-winning Irish author Meg Grehan about Stevie, a young girl reckoning with anxiety about the many things she has yet to understand – including her feelings about her friend Chloe. Perfect for fans of Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, Star Crossed, and George.
THIS IS OUR RAINBOW (Knopf 2021) edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby
The first LGBTQIA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym, including realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi stories by authors like Justina Ireland, Marieke Nijkamp, Alex Gino, and more!
Want to Buy the Book?
You can find all of these titles conveniently through independent bookstores around the nation at our one-stop-shop Bookshop link:
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Jennifer is also the creator and administrator of #STEMTuesday and #STEAMTeam2020
I have been hearing a lot about Thanks a Lot, Universe and hope to get to it soon. Thanks for the heads up on the others.