Pride Month is almost finished, but here at the Horn Book, we celebrate all year long the best way we know how: by blowing the horn for children's and young adult books that center LGBTQIA+ creators and/or characters (and we hope you will too). 

We'd especially like to alert your attention to a new initiative by We Need Diverse Books called Magic Stories Are for Everyone. They're raising funds to offer a special edition of their Book-ish Care Packages (including books, mental health resources, and swag) for trans, nonbinary, and queer youth. Educators who work with members of these populations are encouraged to apply here. In conjunction with this initiative, WNDB is presenting a series of three free virtual panels. The first, co-hosted by Dhonielle Clayton and Shannon Messenger and featuring Charlie Jane Anders, Marti Dumas, Claribel A. Ortega, George Jreije, Lauren Magaziner, Dana Simpson, and Alby C. Williams, is now available here. The authors chat about why everyone should be invited to magical school and the responsibility of communities to make sure all their members can thrive; their own childhood fantasy faves; and of course, essential writing snacks. It’s like hanging out with a gaggle of friends who happen to be fantasy nerds; consider yourself invited!

Recent months have been especially difficult and dangerous for those in the LGBTQIA+ community, and that unfortunately has the potential to continue, so it’s critical to counter any hurtful rhetoric and actions with messages of support and love. Here are some LGBTQIA+-focused articles, interviews, and booklists from the Horn Book's archives to share with young readers in your life. Happy Pride!

Articles and Blog Posts

• "LGBTQIA+ Books That I Have Read" by Onyx H. (Family Reading)
• “Two, four, six, eight, don’t assume your kids are straight!" by Horn Book
• "Rule Breakers: Never a Rule to Begin With" and BGHB Award speech for King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
• Hill Saxton for Calling Caldecott on When Aidan Became a Brother
• On Julie Luecke’s “Reading Along the Gender Continuum” by Horn Book (Family Reading)
• "Orlando" by Christopher Paul Curtis
• "Louder and Prouder" by Shoshana Flax
• "Parrotfish Needed an Update" by Ellen Wittlinger
• Finding a Safe Space (Or, One Family’s Search for Middle Grade LGBTQIA+ Books) by Cynthia Platt (Family Reading)
• "The Genre of Gender: The Emerging Canon of Transgender-Inclusive YA Literature" by Ellsworth Rockefeller (September/October 2007 Horn Book Magazine)
• "The CCBC’s Diversity Statistics: Spotlight on LGBTQ+ Stories" by Madeline Tyner (November/December 2018 Horn Book Magazine)
• "Happy Anniversary: I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip." by Roger Sutton (January/February 2019 Horn Book Magazine)
• "Five Gay Picture-Book Prodigies and the Difference They’ve Made" by Barbara Bader (March/April 2015 Horn Book Magazine)
• "Transformers: Reimagining the World" by Malinda Lo (May/June 2015 Horn Book Magazine: Special Issue: Transformations)
• "On Spies and Purple Socks and Such" by Kathleen T. Horning (January/February 2005 Horn Book Magazine)
• "What Makes a Good YA Coming-Out Novel?" by Claire Gross (March/April 2013 Horn Book Magazine)
• "A Second Look: Annie on My Mind" by Roger Sutton (September/October 2007 Horn Book Magazine)

Select Interviews

• Publishers' Preview: Diverse Books: Five Questions for Sawyer Lovett about Shampoo Unicorn
• Five questions for E. K. Johnston about Titan of the Stars
• Five questions for Brian Selznick about Run Away with Me
• Joyful Song: Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour 2025 by Shoshana Flax
• Publishers' Preview: Picture Books and Graphic Novels: Five Questions for Kathryn Ormsbee and Molly Brooks about Turning Twelve
• Publishers' Preview: Fall 2024: Five Questions for George M. Johnson and Charly Palmer
• Publishers' Preview: Five Questions for Jen Wang about Ash's Cabin 
• Publishers' Preview: Diverse Books: Five Questions for Mariama J. Lockington
• Publishers' Preview: Diverse Books: Five Questions for Juno Dawson
• Publishers' Preview: Fall 2023: Five Questions for Jen Ferguson
• When the Angels Left the Old Country: Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour 2023 by Shoshana Flax
• Five questions for Talia Dutton about M Is for Monster (June 2022 Notes)
• Five questions for Elizabeth Acevedo about Clap When You Land by Elissa Gershowitz and Shoshana Flax (June 2020 Notes)
• Five Questions for Kyle Lukoff about When Aidan Became a Brother (July 2019 Notes)
• Publishers' Previews: Debut Authors: Five Questions for Aiden Thomas about Cemetery Boys 
• Publishers' Previews: Debut Authors: Five Questions for Kathryn Gonzales about Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You
• Five questions for Tim Federle about The Great American Whatever by Shoshana Flax (June 2016 Notes)
• Five questions for Ann Bausum about Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Elissa Gershowitz and Katie Bircher (June 2015 Notes)

Booklists

• Picture books, middle grade, and teen book recommendations from The Guide/Reviews Database for PRIDE Month
• Primary, intermediate, and older reader book recommendations from The Guide/Reviews Database for Transgender Day of Visibility
• Transgender Awareness Week 2024 from October 2024 Notes from the Horn Book
• LGBTQIA+ representation from June 2023 Notes from the Horn Book
• YA Pride from June 2022 Notes from the Horn Book
• Rainbow Reads by Sarah Threlkeld, Jake Koniszewski, and Cynthia K. Ritter (Out of the Box)
• Transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary characters from November 2021 Notes from the Horn Book
• LGBTQIA+ tweens and young teens from June 2021 Notes from the Horn Book
• 2020 YA Pride Fiction from June 2020 Note from the Horn Book
• "Transgender lives" booklist by Horn Book (Out of the Box)
• From The Guide: We Need Middle-Grade LGBTQ+ Books (November/December 2018 Horn Book Magazine)