Courage Moonflower Sometimes the best way to approach and engage with a serious topic is through stories. Genre fiction does this particularly well. For instance, consider A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness, or The Ghost
Graphic Novel Popular Graphic Novels with 2SLGBTQ+ Characters In the past few months, my students have become entranced with the Heartstopper series. They have binged the Netflix series, read through the webcomic online, and devoured the copy of Volume One that
Courage I Am Not Starfire There are a lot of reasons to love I Am Not Starfire, written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani. The art is fantastic, the characters are sharp, and it is both
LGBTQ Felix Ever After Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead Felix Ever After, by Kacen Callender, tells the story of Felix, a seventeen year old student going to art school in New York. At the outset of the book,
LGBTQ The Stone Rainbow The Stone Rainbow, by Liane Shaw, tells the story of Jack Pedersen, a gay teenager who is living a small town. A few people know he is gay, but otherwise Jack is committed
Graphic Novel The Magic Fish The Magic Fish, written by Trung Le Nguyen, is a beautiful graphic novel about Tiến and his mother, a Vietnamese refugee. Tiến wants to come out to his parents as gay, but he
Courage Pet Pet, written by Akaeke Emezi, tells the story of a Black transgender girl who must uncover a monster who is endangering her friend. The main character Jam lives in a city that seems
feminism The Cardboard Kingdom The Cardboard Kingdom is a graphic novel by Chad Sell about the power of imagination and being yourself. The book is a collection of short stories that follows children of the cardboard kingdom,
Canadian Surviving the City: From the Roots Up Surviving the City Vol. 2: From the Roots Up, written by Tasha Spillett and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, is a graphic novel that explores the intersections of Indigenous culture and gender identity. It
LGBTQ Rick Rick, by Alex Gino, is the sequel to the award winning middle grade novel George. In Rick, characters from the first book have moved onto middle school, which brings new questions about identity,
LGBTQ The Derby Daredevils I love when I can read a middle grade book and learn something entirely new. This is particulary true when it involves female protagonists who rise to a challenge. The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie
Human Rights Anger is a Gift Anger is a Gift, by Mark Oshiro, tells the story of Moss Jefferies, a black Latinx teen, and his activism against police brutality at his high school. Traumatized by the murder of his
LGBTQ Rainbow and Pride Picture Books This blog has recommended a number of books that include LGBTQ characters, particularly books geared for middle years students. For students who are LGBTQ, who are questioning, or who have LGBTQ family members,
LGBTQ Moon at Nine Earlier this year I was asked to read Moon at Nine, written by Deborah Ellis. Our school inherited a number of copies and my principal thought they might be a good fit in
LGBTQ Maiden & Princess Last week, I was reading Daniel Haack's Prince & Knight to my three year old. When we reached the last page, where the two main male characters get married and live happily ever
LGBTQ Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World As a middle school teacher, I have tried to fill my classroom library with books that are representative of LGBTQ students' experiences. I have collected a variety of books relating to trans youth,
feminism The Poet X I am a sucker for narrative books in verse, and the newest addition to my collection, The Poet X, is a powerful one. Written by slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo, it tells the story
LGBTQ Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is the coming of age story of two teenage boys as they embark on a friendship that gradually becomes a deeper relationship. With beautiful
LGBTQ Two Boys Kissing Two Boys Kissing, by David Leviathan, is a novel that explores what it is like being gay for today's teens. It follows several gay teens over the course of two days, showing a
LGBTQ 2SLGBTQ+ Books in Middle School I recently got a request for recommendations of 2SLGBTQ+ books for middle school. Below I have compiled a list of books in my classroom library that prominently feature 2SLGBTQ+ characters or themes. Younger
LGBTQ Marriage Equality in Picture Books When selecting books for our students, it is important to include diverse families. Some students have families with same-sex parents and it is powerful for them to see their lives represented in the
LGBTQ The 57 Bus: A Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives Summer is an excellent time to catch up on reading, so stay tuned for book reviews of texts that belong in the classroom and beyond. Today's review is on The 57 Bus, by
LGBTQ Pride in Middle School Over the last two years, I have been one of the teacher advisors for my middle school's Gay Straight Alliance or GSA. Started last year by student request, the group decided to focus
LGBTQ Lily and Dunkin Recently, I started hunting for novels for an identity themed literature circle. Lily and Dunkin, by Donna Gephart, was a recurring suggestion. The book has been on my list for a while, so
LGBTQ Lumberjanes: A Book for Hardcore Lady Types When I was a kid, good comic books were just for boys. The only comics I ever managed to read were Archie comics, and even back then I was pretty skeptical about Betty