In celebration of Pride Month, we asked our school Librarian, Miss Bratt to recommend some of her favourite books which cover LGBTQ+ issues. She’ll also be sharing some of her favourites on our Instagram channel throughout the month, so keep an eye out.

Nothing Ever Happens Here - Sarah Hagger-Holt

This Carnegie-nominated debut novel for 9-12 year olds is a warm-hearted story celebrating family and friendship.

Izzy's family is under the spotlight when her dad comes out as Danielle, a trans woman. Izzy is worried her family will be torn apart. Will she lose her dad? Will her parents break up? And what will people at school say? Izzy's always been shy, but now all eyes are on her. Can she face her fears, find her voice and stand up for what's right?

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives - Dashka Slater

Charting a true story of a chance encounter, covering race, class, gender, incarceration as two worlds collide and two young lives are changed completely.

Sasha, a genderqueer teenager falls asleep on their bus home from school. Richard, messing around with his friends plays a prank, attempting to scorch Sashas’s skirt. Instead, the skirt alights, and Sasha is left scarred. The ongoing story of Richard’s trial and imprisonment explores the impact such hate crimes have on those around them.

LGBTQ: The Survival Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, and Questioning Teens - Kelly Huegel Madrone

LGBTQ covers all manner of topics, terms and tales for teens and their allies. With information from experts, advice from advocacy groups and real life stories from those who have experienced many issues LGBTQ teenagers face first hand, it’s an invaluable resource to enter the adult world with, empowering teens to stand up for themselves and others.

Heartstopper -  Alice Oseman

Winner of the Young Adult Book Prize, Heartstopper covers the touching relationship of Nick and Charlie as they fall in love at school. Beautiful illustrations bring this graphic novel to life, as do diary entries, playlists and stat cards which will help to involve more reluctant readers.

Proud - Compiled by Juno Dawson

An anthology of short stories, bringing together a variety of queer life experiences. Covering love, pain, loss, struggle and success, it brings together short stories, poetry and diary entry style to offer constantly evolving and insightful tales of what it is to be LGBTQ in the UK today. It’s beautifully illustrated by Alice Oseman, too.

The Lies We Tell Ourselves - Robin Talley

One of my favourite books, the novel covers the lives of two girls in the USA in the 1950’s, and is inspired by true events. Sarah is one of the first black students to attend a white college in Virginia, and experiences extreme bullying and racism as she enters the school. While there (and where the story diverges from the truth) she meets the daughter of a segregationist, whose father has been at the forefront of the campaign to ban the black pupils. A tale of challenged perceptions, history and class, it’s an excellent way to explore LGBT issues in a historical context.

This Book Is Gay - Juno Dawson

A candid, funny and outspoken guide to the LGBT world, answering the questions you’ve always wanted to ask but may not have known how. Perhaps there are terms you’ve heard but aren’t sure what they mean, are worried about saying the wrong thing or want to know how to be a good ally. A must for both teenagers and parents.

If you’d like more recommendations, Ms Bratt has compiled a Padlet list, where you can check out even more brilliant books to read through Pride month and beyond.