I put this list together assuming that most of the young folx reading this would be teens and not tweens. If you're a tween, see the middle grades book list in the adult section for things that would likely be better suited to you.

I used Goodreads as the place to link for a summary of and reviews on each book here. I wanted a user-focused website that wasn't associated with Amazon because, goodness knows, most of us spend way too much money there. But then, after i'd already linked probably 100 books to it, i found out that Goodreads is, in fact, owned by Amazon. Sigh.

Some of the books here are part of a series. In that situation, i've generally included only the firsts book.

Note that most, but not all, of the books below were intentionally written for young readers. Several were written for adults, notably those that recount our history, but can easily be read by youth with advanced reading skills.

(Do you have advanced reading skills? Only one way to find out: read a few books for adults and see how you do.)

Keep in mind, too, that some of these books, especially the ones for adults, can have some pretty difficult content, including physical and sexual violence. Don't tear off more than you can chew. But if you've discovered that a book you thought would be great is too much, please put it down. There's no shame in not finishing a book you've started, especially if stopping is the best way to support your mental health.

FYI, "et. al." means there are more than 2 authors to a book. In those situations, i've generally included the first person's name and then inserted "et. al." instead of pasting in more names.

Whether i put a book here or in the adult section was sometimes clear, like including books written for younger readers here. And it was sometimes arbitrary. For instance, non-fiction books written for adults are often in their section. But sometimes i put them here, especially in the case of books about history: few to no queer or trans folx learn our history until maybe when we go to college, which, of course, not everyone does.

1. * Ace of Spades, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
2. Alice on the Outside, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. * All Our Hidden Gifts, by Caroline O'Donoghue
4. Anger Is a Gift, by Mark Oshiro
5. * Another Country, by James Baldwin
6. * Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
7. The Art of Being Normal, by Lisa Williamson
8. Ash, by Malinda Lo
9. Ash's Cabin, by Jen Wang
10. * The Backstagers: Rebels Without Applause, by James Tynion IV, et. al.
11. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
12. Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray
13. Before The Sunset Ends: Two Boys, One Truth, and the Sea Between, by Vivek Mohan
14. Being Emily, by Rachel Gold
15. Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition, by Tee Franklin, et. al.
16. Brooklyn, Burning, by Steve Brezenoff
17. * Can't Take That Away, by Steven Salvatore
18. * Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas
19. * Check, Please!: Year One, by Ngozi Ukase
20. * Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms, by Crystal Frasier, et. al.
21. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
22. Darius the Great Deserves Better, by Adib Khorram
23. The Difference Between You and Me, by Madeleine George
24. Double Exposure, by Bridget Birdsall
25. Dreadnought, by April Daniels
26. * Eighty Days, by A. C. Esguerra
27. * Even If We Break, by Marieke Nijkamp
28. Felix Ever After, by Kacen Callender
29. * Fence, by C.S. Pacat, et. al.
30. * Flamer, by Mike Curato
31. For Today I Am a Boy, by Kim Fu
32. Freakboy, by Kristin Elizabeth Clark
33. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg
34. Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, by Isabel Quintero
35. Geek Out: A Collection of Trans and Genderqueer Romance, by Cecil Wilde
36. * The Gender Dysphoria Bible, by Jocelyn
37. Geography Club, by Brent Hartinger
38. * Girls of Paper and Fire, by Natasha Ngan
39. * Heartstopper, by Alice Oseman
40. * The Henna Wars, by Adiba Jaigirdar
41. I am J, by Cris Beam
42. * I Think Our Son Is Gay, by Okura (うちの息子はたぶんゲイ [Uchi no Musuko wa Tabun Gay])
43. * I Wish You All the Best, by Mason Deaver
44. Ida, by Alison Evans
45. * If I Was Your Girl, by Meredith Russo
46. Imogen, Obviously, by Becky Albertalli
47. In Other Lands, by Sarah Rees Brennan
48. It's Not Like It's a Secret, by Misa Sugiura
49. Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story, by Sonia Patel
50. Kate in Waiting, by Becky Albertalli
51. Kiss, by Jacqueline Wilson
52. The Last 8, by Laura Pohl
53. Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo
54. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
55. * Like Other Girls, by Britta Lundin
56. Lizard Radio, by Pat Schmatz
57. The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali, by Sabina Khan
58. Love in the Time of Global Warming, by Francesca Lia Block
59. * Loveless, by Alice Oseman
60. * Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy, by N.D. Stevenson, et. al.
61. Luna, by Julie Anne Peters
62. * The Magic Fish, by Trung Le Nguyen
63. Mask of Shadows, by Linsey Miller
64. The Meaning of Birds, by Jaye Robin Brown
65. Moonstruck, Vol. 1: Magic to Brew, by Grace Ellis, et. al.
66. The Music of What Happens, by Bill Konigsberg
67. Nearly Roadkill, by Caitlin Sullivan and Kate Bornstein
68. * Nick and Charlie, by Alice Oseman
69. None of the Above, by I.W. Gregorio
70. On a Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden
71. * Out Now: Queer We Go Again!, ed. by Saundra Mitchell
72. * Parrotfish, Ellen Wittlinger
73. Patience & Sarah, by Isabel Miller
74. Pet, by Akwaeke Emezi
75. Peter Darling, by Austin Chant
76. * The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang
77. Ramona Blue, by Julie Murphy
78. * Rock and Riot, by Chelsey Furedi
79. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli (This is the book that Love, Simon is based on.)
80. * Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo
81. * So This Is Ever After, by F.T. Lukens
82. * The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
83. Squad, by Mariah MacCarthy
84. Stage Dreams, by Melanie Gillman
85. Summer Bird Blue, by Akemi Dawn Bowman
86. SuperMutant Magic Academy, by Jillian Tamaki
87. * Symptoms of Being Human, by Jeff Garvin
88. Taproot, by Keezy Young
89. * They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera
90. This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story, by Kacen Callender
91. The Tiger's Watch, by Julia Ember
92. Two Boys By The Pond, by Vivek Mohan
93. Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
94. Under The Udala Trees, by Chinelo Okparanta
95. The Unintentional Time Traveler, by Everett Maroon
96. An Unkindness of Ghosts, by Rivers Solomon
97. The Upside of Unrequited, by Becky Albertalli
98. Wandering Son, Vol. 1, by Takako Shimura and Rachel Balzora Thorn (Translator)
99. * Waterways, by Kyell Gold
100. * We Set the Dark on Fire, by Tehlor Kay Mejia
101. Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block
102. What I Know Now, by Rodger Larson
103. What If It's Us, by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
104. What We Left Behind, by Robin Talley
105. When the Moon Was Ours, by Anna-Marie McLemore
106. Where We Go From Here, by Lucas Rocha
107. Wish Upon a Satellite, by Sophie Labelle
108. * The Witch King, by H.E. Edgmon
109. You Should See Me in a Crown, by Leah Johnson
110. * Ziggy, Stardust and Me, by James Brandon

1.  All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages, ed. Saundra Mitchell
2. Before I Had the Words: On Being a Transgender Young Adult, by Skylar Kergil
3. Being Jazz, by Jazz Jennings
4. A Cup of Water Under My Bed: A Memoir, by Daisy Hernández
5. Defiant Moments: Unyielding queer voices. Unstoppable change, by Paul Iarrobino (ed.)
6. Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
7. Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today, by Alice Wong (Editor)
   1. Note that not all the essays in this collection are by or about queer or trans young people with disabilities.
8.   Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe (this book has been banned for its depiction of sex)
9. The Last Time I Wore a Dress, by Daphne Scholinski/Dylan Scholinski and Jane Meredith Adams
10. Letter To My Little Trans Self, ed. by Libro Levi Bridgeman & Serge Nicholson (Not sure what to say about where or when to get this book. As of fall 2025, it's listed as out-of-stock on this British webpage and isn't anywhere on Goodreads or Amazon.)
11. Letters to My Younger Queer Self: Inspiring, influential voices from the LGBTQIA+ Community, by Daniel Harding
12.  Lou Sullivan: Daring To Be a Man Among Men, by Brice D. Smith
13.  Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson, by Tourmaline
14. Mean, by Myriam Gurba
15. Mean Little deaf Queer: A Memoir, by Terry Galloway
16. None of the Above, by I. W. Gregorio
17. Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, by Dylan Mulvaney
18.  Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World, by Sarah Prager and Zoe More O'Ferrall (Illustrator)
19. Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, by Janet Mock
20. Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition, by Katie Rain Hill with Ariel Schrag
21. Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story, by Jacob Tobia
22. * Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen, by Arin Andrews and Joshua Lyon
23. Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality, by Sarah McBride
24.  Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett
25. * Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure, by Lewis Hancox

1. * The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives, by Dashka Slater
2. * The ABC's of LGBT+, by Ashley Mardell
3. ABCs of LGBT+ Guided Journal: A Companion Guide to Ash Hardell’s The ABC’s of LBGT, by Ash Hardell
4. After Silence: A History of AIDS through Its Images, by Avram Finkelstein
5. American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era, by Nico Lang
6. And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, by Randy Shilts
7. The Apartheid of Sex: A Manifesto on the Freedom of Gender, by Martine Rothblatt
8. The Awesome Autistic Guide for Trans Teens, by Yenn Purkis and Sam Rose
9. Be Gay, Do Comics, ed. Matt Bors
10.  Beyond Bananas and Condoms: The LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Sex Education You Never Got at School, by Dee Whitnell
11. Beyond the Gender Binary, by Alok Vaid-Menon and Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrator)
12. Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
13. Black Girl Dangerous on Race, Queerness, Class and Gender, by Mia McKenzie
14.   Body Alchemy: Transsexual Portraits, by Loren Cameron (contains some nudity, although none of it is done for titillation)
15. Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community, by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madeline D. Davis
16. Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
17. Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military, by Randy Shilts
18. Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, by C.J. Pascoe
19. Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation, by Eli Clare
20. Eyes of Desire 2: A Deaf GLBT Reader, by Raymond Luczak
21. Feminist, Queer, Crip, by Alison Kafer
22. * Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel (see also the fantastic musical that's based on the book)
23. Future Gender: Aperture 229 (Aperture Magazine), by Aperture and Zackary Drucker (Ed.)
24. The Gender Frontier, by Mariette Pathy Allen
25. Gender Identity Workbook for Teens: Practical Exercises to Navigate Your Exploration, Support Your Journey, and Celebrate Who You Are, by Andrew Maxwell Triska MSW LCSW
26. Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman
27. The Gender Quest Workbook: A Guide for Teens and Young Adults Exploring Gender Identity, by Rylan Jay Testa PhD, et. al.
28. Gender Transition For Dummies, by Adrien Lawyer, et. al.
29. GIRL: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You, by Karen Rayne, et. al.
30. Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration, ed. Rose Brock
31. How Queer! Personal narratives from bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, sexually-fluid, and other non-monosexual perspectives, byFaith Beauchemin
32. I Am Trans Coloring Book: Color Your Pride Celebration Of Love With Inspirational Affirmations Pages, by Kingsley Publihing
33. * In Their Shoes: Navigating Non-Binary Life, by Jamie Windust
34.   Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human, by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
35.  The LGBTQ + History Book, by D.K. Publishing
36. LGBTQ: The Survival Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens, by Kelly Huegel Madrone
37. The Little Book of LGBTQ+: An A–Z of Gender and Sexual Identities, by Harriet Dyer
38. Making a Way: Lesbians Out Front, by Joan E. Biren
39.   My New Gender Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World Peace Through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivity, by Kate Bornstein
40. Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America, by Lillian Faderman
41. Pinned Down By Pronouns, ed. by Toni Amato, Mary Davies, and Tynan Power
42. * The Pride Guide: A Guide to Sexual and Social Health for LGBTQ Youth, Jo Langford
43. Pride! LGBTQ Inspirational Gay Pride Adult Coloring Book, by Parker Street Books
44.  Pride: Photographs After Stonewall, by Fred W. McDarrah
45. * Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens, by Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke
46. * The Queer and Trans Resilience Workbook: Skills for Navigating Sexual Orientation & Gender Expression (PDF), by Annelids Singh
47. * Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality, by Eliot Schrefer
48. * A Queer History of the United States for Young People, by Michael Bronski
49. * 🔥 Queer Sex: A Trans and Non-Binary Guide to Intimacy, Pleasure and Relationships, by Juno Roche
50.  Queerstory: An Infographic History of the Fight for LGBTQ+ Rights, illustrated by Rebecca Strickson
51. Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, by Samantha Allen
52.   S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College, Heather Corinna (There's a second edition of this book, which Goodreads doesn't have for some reason. You can find it on That Other Site.)
53. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, by Audre Lorde
54. Spectrums: Autistic Transgender People in Their Own Words, ed. Maxfield Sparrow
55. Stonewall, by Martin Duberman
56.  The Stonewall Reader, by New York Public Library and Jason Baumann
57.  Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present, by Lillian Faderman
58. Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South, by E. Patrick Johnson
59. The T Guide: Our Trans Experiences and a Celebration of Gender Expression―Man, Woman, Nonbinary, and Beyond, by Gigi Gorgeous, et. al.
60. * This Book Is Gay, by Juno Dawson
61. Trans/Forming Feminisms: Trans/Feminist Voices Speak Out, ed. by Krista Scott-Dixon (I have an essay here, which is super exciting.)
62. Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You, by Kathryn Gonzales, et. al.
63. Trans and Autistic: Stories from Life at the Intersection, by Noah Adams and Bridget Liang
64. Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community, ed. by Laura Erickson-Schroth (I have a short, sidebar-type piece in the first edition of this amazing book.)
65. Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue, by Leslie Feinberg
66. The Trans Self-Care Workbook, by Theo Lorenz
67. Trans Teen Survival Guide, by Owl Fisher and Fox Fisher
68.  Transgender History, by Susan Stryker
69.  Transgender Warriors : Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman, by Leslie Feinberg
70. We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride In The History of Queer Liberation, by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown
71. Yay! You're Gay! Now What?: A Gay Boy's Guide to Life, by Riyadh Khalaf and Melissa McFeeters (illustrator)
72. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, by Audre Lorde

1. 20 Must-Read Happy Queer Books for Pride
2. 34 Books That Make LGBTQ+ Teens Feel Seen
3. Allstora
   • Allstora an online book store, rather than a book list. It was founded by LGBTQA+-identifying people, initially to help provide access to queer- and trans-themed books and to split profits equally with authors (which you can bet doesn't happen with Amazon). It has since expanded to other marginalized authors.
   • Under the Book Clubs drop-down, you'll find about a half-dozen online book clubs, including Dylan Mulvany's and RuPaul's.
   • The Genre's drop-down includes a section for youth readers.
   • The Communities drop-down contains many queer and trans identities, as well as ones for folx who are BIPOC, disabled, and neurodivergent.
4. Assigned Male Etsy store
5. Books Featuring Queer Siblings
6. GLSEN's Rainbow Library
7. Intergenerational contact and queer YA, a guest post by Hal Schrieve (Not quite halfway through this article, you'll find a list of books for youth.)
8. JKP books on gender diversity
9. LGBTQ Kids’ Books Lauded With Youth Media Awards in Multiple Categories
10. LGBTQ Reads
11. Pride and Less Prejudice: LGBTQ+ Books for Teens
12. Pride Month: A Banned Book Reading List
13. Queer Liberation Library
    • This is actually an online lending library with a ton of relevant books. You can view books for tweens and teens. You can also join for free, although there may be a waiting list.
14. Social Justice Books: LGBTQ+
15. Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award
16. Trans Youth Equality Foundation book lists
17. TransParent bookshop.com page