Read Harder 2017: Read a YA/MG by an Author Who Identifies at LGBTQ+

One of the book challenges I’m most excited about for the Book Riot 2017 Read Harder Challenge is “read a YA or MG book by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+”! Middle grade and YA books are more than diverse than ever (but we still have a ways to go), and while it’s great to see so many new books include LGBTQ+ characters of all ages, I’m excited that this challenge supports and highlights #ownvoices. And luckily for us, there are so many great books to choose from!

Before we dive in, I want to address why our YA list is going to be longer than the MG list. First off, YA authors tend to be a bit more visibly out in their public author lives than MG writers are. While every writer has their own personal and professional reasons for this, I highly encourage you to read Alex London’s article “Why I Came Out As a Gay Children’s Writer” to understand why being open about their sexuality can be difficult for some MG writers, and even detrimental to their careers (like I said, we’ve still got a ways to go!). In compiling this list, I don’t assume that because an author wrote a book in which a significant character is gay, they must also be gay. Therefore, the writers here are those who are publicly out, or those whom I know personally and have obtained their permission to include their names in this list. If I have missed anyone or overlooked them, it’s probably because I’m not aware that they identify as LGBTQ+, but if they’re out in their public lives, feel free to let us know in the comments!

YA:

Zac Brewer