Welcome to Pride Month! Pride is so many things: it’s about discovering and celebrating who you are, loving others for who they are, seeing yourself represented in the world around you, fighting for equality, and learning about shared history in order to build a community.
This June, introduce young listeners to all the meanings of Pride through the power of LGBTQ+ stories that are educational, enthralling, and full of heart.
One day in June, Emily goes to the Rainbow Parade with her two moms. She loves how all the people marching are extra loud, extra proud, and extra colorful. But when her mama suggests they join the parade, Emily isn’t so sure she belongs in the throng. The Rainbow Parade reminds us that pride takes practice and there’s no one way to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
When Donovan left his copy of The Adventurers on the kitchen counter, he didn’t think his mom would read it. But soon the entire town is freaking out about whether the book’s characters are gay, Donovan’s mom is trying to get the book removed from the school curriculum, and Donovan is caught in the middle. In Answers in These Pages, David Levithan delivers a story about taking action, being brave, and standing up for what’s right.
Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, Being You, a topic-driven audiobook, offers clear language and beautiful imagery that young children can grasp and adults can leverage for further discussion.
Annabelle fully expects this school year to be the same as every other, so she’s elated to discover there’s a new kid in town. To Annabelle, Bailey is a breath of fresh air. And it doesn’t hurt that Bailey has a cute smile, nice hands, and smells really good. In Different Kinds of Fruit, Annabelle, Bailey, and their families discover how categories that seem to mean so much—boy, girl, gay, straight, fruit, vegetable—aren’t so clear-cut after all.
When Andi is accepted to a music camp, she finds herself struggling to play her trumpet like she used to before her mother died. Meanwhile, Zora, a returning camper, is exhausted trying to please her parents. At Harmony Music Camp, Zora and Andi are the only two Black girls in a sea of mostly white faces. In In The Key of Us, the two begin to connect, and they may come to realize who they really need: each other.
This Is Our Rainbow is the first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym. From wind-breathing dragons to first crushes story after story there’s no shortage of joyful, proud LGBTQA+ representation. You will fall in love with this insightful, poignant anthology of queer fantasy, historical, and contemporary stories from your favorite authors.
With junior year starting in the fall, Harrison feels like he’s on the precipice of, well, everything. But at the end of the summer, Harrison’s best friend Linus delivers devastating news: He’s moving out of state at the end of the week. In Kings of B’more, Harrison and Linus make a pact to do all the things they’ve been too scared to do. But nothing feels scarier than saying goodbye to someone you love.