LGBTQ Fiction and Nonfiction Recommended Reads for Teens

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For Teens

LGBTQ Fiction and Informational Reads

 

Chicago Public Library recommends the following books as some of the best fiction and nonfiction about some of the many experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning teens. For more ideas of outstanding things to read, please check out Teen Volume Reads, browse the Teen Volume collection at your neighborhood library or ask your librarian for assistance.

Quicklinks: Fiction | Informational | Other Recommendations

Fiction

7 Days at the Hot Corner book cover7 Days at the Hot Corner
By Terry Trueman
HarperTempest, 2007

a + e 4ever: A Graphic Novel book covera + e 4ever: A Graphic Novel
By I. Merey
Lethe Press, 2011

Almost Perfect book coverAlmost Perfect
By Brian Katcher
Delacorte, 2009

Absolute Brightness book coverAbsolute Brightness
By James Lecesne
HarperTeen, 2008

Annie on My Mind book coverAnnie on My Mind
By Nancy Garden
FSG, 1982
eAudio

Another Kind of Cowboy book coverAnother Kind of Cowboy
By Susan Juby
HarperTeen, 2007
eBook

Ash book coverAsh
By Malinda Lo
Little, Brown, 2009

Beauty Queens book coverBeauty Queens
By Libba Bray
Scholastic, 2011
Audiobook

The Best Little Boy in the World book coverThe Best Little Boy in the World
By John Reid (Andrew Tobias)
Modern Library, 1998

Between Mom and Jo book coverBetween Mom and Jo
By Julie Anne Peters
Little, Brown 2006
eBook

Black Rabbit SummerBlack Rabbit Summer
By Kevin Brooks
Scholastic, 2008

Boy Meets Boy book coverBoy Meets Boy
By David Levithan
Knopf, 2005
Audiobook Player | eAudio

Boyfriends with Girlfriends book coverBoyfriends with Girlfriends
By Alex Sanchez
Simon & Schuster, 2011

Brooklyn Burning book coverBrooklyn Burning
By Steve Brezenoff
Carolrhoda Lab, 2011

Dance on My Grave book coverDance on My Grave
By Aidan Chambers
Amulet, 2008

Dare Truth or Promise book coverDare Truth or Promise
By Paula Boock
Houghton Mifflin, 1999

Dishes book coverDishes
By Rich Wallace
Viking, 2008

Down to the Bone book coverDown to the Bone
By Mayra Lazara Dole
HarperTeen, 2008

Empress of the World book coverEmpress of the World
By Sara Ryan
Speak, 2003

Fancy White Trash book coverFancy White Trash
By Marjetta Geerling
Viking, 2008

Fat Hoochie Prom Queen book coverFat Hoochie Prom Queen
By Nico Medina
Simon Pulse, 2008

Freak Show book coverFreak Show
By James St. James
Dutton, 2007

Freaks and Revelations book coverFreaks and Revelations
By Davida Hurwin
Little, Brown, 2009

Gemini Bites book coverGemini Bites
By Patrick Ryan
Scholastic, 2011

Getting It book coverGetting It
By Alex Sanchez
Simon & Schuster, 2006

Girl from Mars book coverGirl from Mars
By Tamara Bach
Groundwood, 2008

The God Box book coverThe God Box
By Alex Sanchez
Simon & Schuster, 2007

Hero book coverHero
By Perry Moore
Hyperion, 2007

Hit the Road, Manny: A Manny Files Novel book coverHit the Road, Manny: A Manny Files Novel
By Christian Burch
Atheneum, 2008

The Hookup Artist book coverThe Hookup Artist
By Tucker Shaw
HarperCollins, 2005

How Beautiful the Ordinary book coverHow Beautiful the Ordinary
Edited by Michael Cart
HarperTeen, 2009

Huntress book coverHuntress
By Malinda Lo
Little, Brown, 2011

I am J book coverI am J
By Chris Beam
Little, Brown, 2011

I'll Get There, It Better Be Worth the Trip book coverI'll Get There, It Better Be Worth the Trip
By John Donovan
Flux, 2010

In Mike We Trust book coverIn Mike We Trust
By P. E. Ryan
HarperTeen, 2009

Is He or Isn't He? book coverIs He or Isn’t He?
By John Hall
Avon, 2006

Kissing Kate book coverKissing Kate
By Lauren Myracle
Speak, 2004

Last Exit to Normal book coverLast Exit to Normal
By Michael Harmon
Knopf, 2008

Love Drugged book coverLove Drugged
By James Klise
Flux, 2010

Love & Lies: Marisol's Story book coverLove & Lies: Marisol’s Story
By Ellen Wittlinger
Simon & Schuster, 2008

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend book coverA Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
By Emily Horner
Dial, 2010

Luna book coverLuna
By Julie Anne Peters
Little, Brown, 2006

M or F? book coverM or F?
By Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tebbetts
Razorbill, 2005

The Manny Files book coverThe Manny Files
By Christian Burch
Atheneum, 2006
Audiobook

Money Boy book coverMoney Boy
By Paul Yee
Groundwood, 2011

Mousetraps book coverMousetraps
By Pat Schmatz
Carolrhoda, 2008

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park book coverMy Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park
By Steve Kluger
Dial, 2008

My Tiki Girl book coverMy Tiki Girl
By Jennifer McMahon
Dutton, 2008

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List book coverNaomi and Ely’s No Kiss List
By Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Knopf, 2007

Nothing Pink book coverNothing Pink
By Mark Hardy
Front Street, 2008

The Order of the Poison Oak book coverThe Order of the Poison Oak
By Brent Hartinger
HarperTempest, 2005

Out of the Pocket book coverOut of the Pocket
By Bill Konigsberg
Dutton, 2008

Parrotfish book coverParrotfish
By Ellen Wittlinger
Simon & Schuster, 2007

Pink book coverPink
By Lili Wilkinson
HarperTeen, 2011
eBook

Pretty Things book coverPretty Things
By Sarra Manning
Dutton, 2005

Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy book coverPutting Makeup on the Fat Boy
By Bil Wright
Simon & Schuster, 2011

Rage: A Love Story book coverRage: A Love Story
By Julie Ann Peters
Knopf, 2009

A Really Nice Prom Mess book coverA Really Nice Prom Mess
By Brian Sloan
Simon & Schuster, 2005

Saints of Augustine book coverSaints of Augustine
By P. E. Ryan
HarperTeen, 2007

She Loves You, She Loves You Not book coverShe Loves You, She Loves You Not
By Julie Ann Peters
Little, Brown, 2011

Shine book coverShine
By Lauren Myracle
Abrams, 2011

Sister Mischief book coverSister Mischief
By Laura Goode
Candlewick, 2011

So Hard to Say book coverSo Hard to Say
By Alex Sanchez
Simon & Schuster, 2004

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You book coverSomeday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
By Peter Cameron
FSG, 2007
Audiobook | eAudio

Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies book coverSplit Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies
By Brent Hartinger
HarperTempest, 2007
eBook

Suicide Notes book coverSuicide Notes
By Michael Thomas Ford
HarperTeen, 2008

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea book coverSwimming in the Monsoon Sea
By Shyam Selvadurai
Tundra, 2005

A Tale of Two Summers book coverA Tale of Two Summers
By Brian Sloan
Simon & Schuster, 2006

Target book coverTarget
By Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
Roaring Brook, 2003

Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend book coverTips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend
By Carrie Jones
Flux, 2007

Tripping to Somewhere book coverTripping to Somewhere
By Kristopher Reisz
Simon Pulse, 2006

Twelve Long Months book coverTwelve Long Months
By Brian Malloy
Scholastic, 2008

Two Parties, One Tux and a Very Short Film about the Grapes of Wrath book coverTwo Parties, One Tux and a Very Short Film about the Grapes of Wrath
By Steven Goldman
Bloomsbury, 2008

The Vast Fields of Ordinary book coverThe Vast Fields of Ordinary
By Nick Burd
Dial, 2009

Vintage: A Ghost Story book coverVintage: A Ghost Story
By Steve Berman
Lethe, 2008

The Way He Lived book coverThe Way He Lived
By Emily Wing Smith
Flux, 2008

What They Always Tell Us book coverWhat They Always Tell Us
By Martin Wilson
Delacorte, 2008

Wide Awake book coverWide Awake
By David Levithan
Knopf, 2006

Will Grayson, Will Grayson book coverWill Grayson, Will Grayson
By John Green and David Levithan
Dutton, 2010
Audiobook | Audiobook Player | eAudio | eBook

With or Without You book coverWith or Without You
By Brian Farrey
Simon Pulse, 2011

Nonfiction

Being Gay, Staying Healthy book coverBeing Gay, Staying Healthy
By Jaime A. Seba
Mason Crest, 2011

Coming Out: Telling Family and Friends book coverComing Out: Telling Family and Friends
By Jaime A. Seba
Mason Crest, 2011

The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities book coverThe Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities
Edited by David Levithan and Billy Merrell
Knopf, 2006

Gay America: Struggle for Equality book coverGay America: Struggle for Equality
By Linas Alsenas
Amulet, 2008

Gay Power!: The Stonewall Riots and the Gay Rights Movement, 1969 book coverGay Power!: The Stonewall Riots and the Gay Rights Movement, 1969
By Betsy Kuhn
Twenty-First Century, 2011

GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens book coverGLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens
By Kelly Huegel
Free Spirit, 2011

Hear Us Out!: Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress and Hope, 1950 to the Present book coverHear Us Out!: Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress and Hope, 1950 to the Present
By Nancy Garden
FSG, 2007

The Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004 book coverThe Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004
By Michael Cart and Christine A. Jenkins
Scarecrow, 2006

Homosexuality Around the World: Safe Havens, Cultural Challenges book coverHomosexuality Around the World: Safe Havens, Cultural Challenges
By Jaime Seba
Mason Crest, 2011

It Gets Better book coverIt Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying and Creating a Life Worth Living
Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller
Dutton, 2011

Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know About Their Legal Rights book coverOut Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know About Their Legal Rights
By Lisa Keen
Beacon, 2007

Queer book coverQueer: The Ultimate LBGT Guide for Teens
By Katy Belge and Marke Belge
Zest, 2011

>What If Someone I Know Is Gay?: Answers to Questions About What It Means to Be Gay and Lesbian book coverWhat If Someone I Know Is Gay?: Answers to Questions About What It Means to Be Gay and Lesbian
By Eric Marcus
Simon Pulse, 2007

Other Recommendations

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best

The Rainbow Project
GLBTQ books recommended by the American Library Association