Middle Grade Books with Trans and Nonbinary Characters
A space cadet on a desperate mission, a rollicking Wild West adventure, a pair of twins facing deadly magic and murder, a young athlete who simply wants to swim—these are just some of the stories you'll find on our list below!
Tiger Honor
by Yoon Ha Lee
Thirteen-year-old tiger spirit Sebin must decide where their loyalties lie when their traitorous uncle hijacks the battle cruiser that happens to be Sebin's first assignment in the Cadet Program.
Ellen Outside the Lines
by A. J. Sass
When a school trip to Barcelona to reconnect with her best friend doesn’t go as planned, Ellen, a neurodivergent 13-year-old, must expand her horizons as she makes new friends and learns to let go of old ones.
Stage Dreams
by Melanie Gillman
In this rollicking queer western adventure, readers are in the saddle alongside Flor and Grace, a Latinx outlaw and a trans runaway, as they team up to thwart a Confederate plot in the New Mexico Territory.
Obie is Man Enough
by Schuyler Bailar
Diving into a new swim team, transgender tween Obie is determined to prove he can be one of the fastest boys in the water—to his coach, his bullies, and his biggest competition: himself.
Rabbit Chase
by Elizabeth LaPensée; illustrated by KC Oster; Anishinaabemowin translation by Aarin Dokum
When Aimée accidentally wanders off on a class trip, the middle-schooler is transported to an alternate dimension populated by traditional Anishinaabe figures. Aimée must face the Queen and her robotic guards and fight the dark water spirits in order to find the way back home.
Too Bright To See
by Kyle Lukoff
In the summer before middle school, eleven-year-old Bug must contend with best friend Moira suddenly caring about clothes, makeup, and boys; a ghost haunting; and the truth about Bug's gender identity.
The Deep & Dark Blue
by Niki Smith
When a political coup causes them to flee, Hawke and Grayson assume new identities as Hanna and Grayce to find the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women, and the twins hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their home.
Moonflower
by Kacen Callender
Overwhelmed by their depression, Moon escapes into the spirit realm every night where their friend Wolf lives, but when the realm is threatened, they embark on a magical adventure of love and acceptance that spills over into the real world.
Both Can Be True
by Jules Machias
This book explores identity, gender fluidity, and the power of friendship and acceptance in this dual-narrative story about two kids who join forces to save a dog...but wind up saving each other.
Frankie & Bug
by Gayle Foreman
In the summer of 1987 in Venice, California, ten-year-old Bug and her new friend Frankie learn important lessons about life, family, being your true self, and how to navigate in a world that is not always just or fair.
The Prince and the Dressmaker
by Jen Wang
An illustrated fairy-tale set in Paris at the dawn of the modern age, where a cross-dressing prince hides his identity as a popular fashion icon and falls for a brilliant dressmaker who knows his secret at the same time his royal parents begin searching for a traditional bride for him to marry.
This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us
edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby
The first LGBTQA+ 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.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.