Middle Graders Need LGBTQ+ Books

When I was in elementary school in the 2000s, I don’t recall there being any LGBTQ+ representation in the middle grade novels, or “chapter books,” that I read or was assigned. Characters like Henry and Beezus were free to have cute childhood crushes on each other, but they were boys and girls.

Indeed, while the young adult genre has a rich history of queer representation dating back several decades, it appears that middle grade fiction—intended for readers between the ages of 8 and 12—has only become privy to books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters since the 2010s. Before then, LGBTQ+ middle grade books were quite rare, and they were years away from being normalized in any way, shape, or form.

In an age of intense book banning in the United States, much debate can be found on the subject of whether children in the age range of middle grade’s demographic are “old enough” to be reading books with queer characters or themes. But as many a queer person can attest, many of us figure out that we aren’t straight long before we are considered old enough to read YA books, where queer representation is more likely to be found.

“Queer kids need an alternate, positive message to counteract all the negative ones they’re bombarded with on a daily basis,” says Greg Howard, author of The Whispers. “These kids have every right to feel seen, heard, and loved just as much as other kids.”

As a queer person myself, I often wonder what my childhood reading life would have been like if I had access to LGBTQ+ middle grade novels. Being gay wasn’t something I remember being celebrated when I was that age, so it most likely would have felt overwhelming for me, and I might have even avoided them altogether. But two decades later, with queer visibility having increased positively in all the ways that it has, it’s vital that middle grade readers have the opportunity to read age-appropriate books with responsible LGBTQ+ representation. And not just the kids who might already identify as queer or with the queer characters should be reading these books, either.

“I don’t believe that only queer kids should read middle grade books with LGBTQ representation. Cisgender, heterosexual kids need to read them,” wrote Howard. “Adults, parents, and teachers do too. Because through reading these books, including them in a class library, teaching them as a whole-class text, recommending them to students, children, and other adults, we promote and champion the most world-changing of all superpowers — empathy.”

Especially at a time when rights and privileges for queer people are continuously under attack, kids of all ages need to be reading books that not only teach them how to empathize, but also that there’s nothing wrong with being “different” in the way that being queer is.

As HarperCollins points out, children are often already introduced to concepts of romance and sexuality by way of heterosexual narratives by the time they are reading middle grade novels (see above: Henry and Beezus):

“These actions are centered around a conforming cisgender and heterosexual norm and are considered acceptable in our society. The truth is that children are often talking about attraction, sexual orientation, and gender identity early. The children who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community are often stifled because they don’t see themselves represented in society and are even told that they’re too young to know better. When these children are deprived of books that mirror their sexual and gender diversity, we clearly message that they aren’t valued. We tell them they’re not normal by eliminating or not including LGBTQ+ books.”

The fact of the matter is that queer representation matters on all levels, but we’re often quick to discount LGBTQ+ visibility for children because of a long history of moral panic surrounding queerness and childhood. This is, after all, widely believed to be the reason PBS has never officially chosen to label Bert and Ernie as a same-sex couple, fearful of the backlash that might ensue because children have historically been viewed as “too young to understand” the concept of being queer.

The reality is that it’s never been hard for children to understand or grasp—it’s the adults around them who complicate things—and in 2026, with kids coming to terms with their potentially queer identities earlier and earlier in life, it’s necessary that these children see themselves reflected in the books they read. They shouldn’t have to go digging for these types of books, either; they should be readily available in their classrooms and school or public libraries.

“Schools, libraries, and homes need to be spaces where students feel safe, supported, and seen,” wrote HarperCollins. “Having LGBTQ+ literature available for students increases their feeling of belonging and self-worth and helps them feel more connected to their community. LGBTQ+ books benefit all students by providing them with meaningful messages of acceptance and encouragement.”

As important as they are for young queer readers, LGBTQ+ middle grade books are important for all readers as they learn that being different doesn’t immediately equate being less than. As author Joanna Ho wrote in her novel The Silence That Binds Us, “People who won’t listen to arguments or facts can still be changed by stories.”

You might also be interested in these Book Riot articles: Kids Need Queer Books (2015) and Saying It Louder for the People in the Back: Kids NEED Queer Books (2021).