Bausum, Ann  Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights
Middle school, high school     120 pp.     Viking    2016

Bausum begins with a detailed, nuanced exposition of the June 1969 Stonewall riots as a galvanizing moment for the gay rights movement, then traces the movement's evolution (in a somewhat more cursory way) for the second half of the book. Bausum's narrative integrity makes her conclusions about the persecution and resilience of the LGBTQ community all the more powerful. Bib., ind.
Subjects: Government, Economics, and Education; Homosexuality; Civil rights; Activism; New York (NY)

Harrington, Claudia  My Two Dads
Gr. K–3     32 pp.     ABDO/Magic Wagon (ABDO)

Harrington, Claudia  My Two Moms
Gr. K–3     32 pp.     ABDO/Magic Wagon (ABDO)

Illustrated by Zoe Persico. Looking Glass Library: My Family series. In each book, second grader Lenny interviews a "Student of the Week" at home, highlighting what's special about the classmate's family. The cheery if somewhat formulaic stories differ in the particulars (and occasionally reinforce stereotypes), but underscore what all families ideally have in common: everyone's parents/guardians love them best. The cartoony pictures of diverse groups (oddly featuring lots of winking) match the upbeat tone.
Subjects: Picture Books; Family—Same-sex parents; Homosexuality; Family; Family—Father and daughter; Family—Mother and daughter

Jennings, Jazz  Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen
Gr. 4–6, middle school     265 pp.     Crown

TV personality/activist Jennings writes openly and (very) honestly about her life as a transgender girl (and what that means). In an upbeat, conversational text, Jennings covers the challenges she faces, her family's unconditional support and advocacy work, and her hopes for the future. A black-and-white photo opens each chapter. The back matter includes an extensive list of resources and annotated lists of websites, books, movies, and TV shows.
Subjects: Individual Biographies; Television personalities; Transgender persons; Women—Biographies; Autobiographies; Women—Autobiographies; Women—Television personalities; Gender identity

Moon, Sarah, ed.  The Letter Q: Queer Writers' Notes to Their Younger Selves
Middle school, high school      282 pp.     Scholastic/Levine

With contributing editor James Lecesne. Editor Sarah Moon asked sixty-four gay, lesbian, and bisexual writers, illustrators, and publishing professionals to write letters to themselves at a younger age — including Marion Dane Bauer, Jacqueline Woodson, Brian Selznick, and a host of others. The resulting letters — which will be a life-saver for some — combine advice, reminiscence, funny stories, and encouragement for readers struggling with their sexuality.
Subjects: Families, Children, and Sexuality; Authors; Children's literature; Identity; Adolescence; Illustrators; Publishers and publishing; Letters; Homosexuality; Self-acceptance

Thrash, Maggie  Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir
High school      270 pp.      Candlewick

This graphic memoir traces Thrash's transformative final summer of sleepaway camp, during which she falls for a counselor, comes out, and weathers the mixed response. The muted pastels of Thrash's loose-lined watercolor-pencil and pen illustrations reinforce a contemplative tone, and teenage Maggie's inner journey is heartfelt and thoughtfully drawn. Substantial textual "voice-overs" skew the balance between action and retrospection.
Subjects: Individual Biographies; Women—Biographies; Autobiographies; Women—Autobiographies; Homosexuality; Camps and camping; Appalachia; Kentucky; Cartoons and comics; Graphic novels

From the May 2017 issue of Nonfiction Notes from the Horn Book. For more on this topic, click on the tags LGBTQIA+, Pride 2017, and Pride Month.