10 LGTBQ+ Books You Should Have In Your Classroom Library

Have you ever read a book and thought, "wow I'm just like the main character"? Have you ever read a book and wished that one of the characters was a real person because they would be your best friend? Shouldn't everyone feel that way at one point or another? Having a diverse collection of books in your classroom library is extremely important. Often teachers can't control the list of books they teach to the whole class, but teachers can make sure that diverse books are available to meet the needs of their students. Here are some suggestions of LGTBQ+ young adult books that would make a great addition to any secondary classroom library. 

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo: Camino and Yahaira are half-sisters, but neither has any idea the other exists until a plane crashes, taking their shared father with it. Camino, who lives in the Dominican Republic, was used to rarely seeing her father, while Yahaira, a lesbian who lives in New York City, knew her father took a lot of business trips. Finally meeting means piecing together his life of lies, but it also means finding someone who understands exactly what they're going through, and maybe that's exactly what they each need to help them get through it.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green: Two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name. The boys are complete opposites, but their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend. The book is told from both characters’ point of view in alternating chapters. 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: Fifteen-year-old Aristotle (Ari) has always felt lonely and distant from people until he meets Dante , a boy from another school who teaches him how to swim. Ari’s world opens up while they discuss life, art, literature, and their Mexican-American roots. Additionally, the influence of Dante ’s warm, open family is shaping Ari’s relationship with his parents, particularly in regard to a family secret; Ari has an older brother in prison, who no one ever mentions. The story swells to a dramatic climax as Ari’s loyalties are tested, and he confronts his most deeply buried fears and desires. 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: It’s Simon Snow’s last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and it’s not going as planned. His magic, always unstable, has been even more unpredictable, which is bad news with the magical world’s most infamous bad guy after him. His girlfriend is distant, and he’s afraid he’ll lose touch with his best friend after graduation. But most unsettling of all, Simon’s frustrating, evil, pretty-sure-he’s-a-vampire nemesis/roommate hasn’t come back to school. Baz is probably just off plotting somewhere, but what if he’s really in trouble? And why does Simon care so much, anyway? 

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar Bengali: Irish teen Nishat can be anything she wants to be—anything except a lesbian, that is. Her parents think she can simply "choose" to be straight. Nishat's childhood friend Flávia, a Brazilian Irish girl comes back into her life, and she instantly has a crush on her. Nishat needs to figure out if her all-consuming feelings are worth defying her parents over. 

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper: Cal is a Brooklyn teen and a social media phenomenon. When his passenger-pilot father gets the call from NASA to join a Mars probe program, Cal and his mother, who suffers from severe anxiety, have to move with him to Houston. Cal develops a crush on new neighbor Leon, who is battling depression. The boys fall in love but their parents are both competing for the same spot in NASA’s mission.

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron: It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her stepsisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew.  

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo: After surviving a brutal attack, Amanda moves from Georgia to Tennessee for the new school year. She plans to stay focused and get through senior year, but kind, attractive Grant causes a distraction that wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for her deepest secret. Amanda is transgender and no one in her new school knows. Amanda struggles to live the life of a “normal” teen. The story goes back and forth between present day and the past before Amanda moved. 

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle: Sixteen-year-old Quinn Roberts is hiding from the world because her sister died in a car crash six months ago. Quinn is ready to give up his dreams of writing screenplays. Quinn’s best friend Geoff insists it’s time for Quinn to go out and have some fun. Geoff drags Quinn to his first college party, where instead of nursing his pain, he meets a good looking guy that he’s interested in. Quinn starts imagining a life where he’s a screenplay writer and living a happy life once again. 

The Black Flamingo by Dean Alta: Michael always knew that he was different in more ways than one. He would compare himself to the black flamingo of Cyprus. He was anatomically the same, but a standout amongst his flock. When he comes out during high school with uncertainties about what exactly his sexual preferences are, he’s faced with a lot of big questions related to his family, friends, and ultimately who he wants to be in the world as he prepares to take off to university.

Previously I wrote another post about this topic: 6 LGTBQ Books You Should Add to Your Classroom Library. Both lists of books are good for secondary students. If you have any YA book recommendations let me know. 

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Independent Reading Tasks to Get Your Students Thinking

As secondary ELA teachers, most of our readers can read texts independently. Their levels may be varied, but giving your students ownership over what they read and the tasks they choose can help them go deeper when it comes to analyzing and understanding what they read. Whether your students are reading fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, you can try these independent reading tasks to get your students thinking.

Fiction

Characters

When it comes to reading novels, let your students try some independent tasks that help with exploring characters in the book. Young adult novels often focus on dynamic characters, characters that change throughout the novel. Coming of age stories are particularly popular in YA lit. Use fiction task cards to have your students focus on character elements like realism, how the characters are involved in conflicts, and which characters are their favorites or least favorites. 

Setting

In addition, fiction task cards also explore elements of the setting. The time and place of a story can influence so many other elements, such as theme, character, conflict, and plot. Have your students explain why they would not (or would) like to live during the time and in the place of their book. Also, have them describe the setting. Get them thinking about descriptive words and phrases they can use to evoke powerful imagery.

Nonfiction

Autobiography, Biography

Explore informational text through nonfiction task cards. Nonfiction texts are as varied as fiction. Your students may read autobiographies or biographies. Have your students think about questions they may ask the subject of the book or a gift they would give the person.  

Author’s Purpose

Is the text your students are reading meant to inform, entertain, or persuade? The author’s purpose is an important part of comprehending and analyzing text. Have your students reflect on why the author wrote the nonfiction text with nonfiction task cards.

Poetry

Poetry can be a difficult genre for middle school students to dissect. First, start by expanding your students’ ideas of what poetry is. Poetry can include songs and verse novels. Give them a choice in their poems and have them think about poetry in a new way with poetry task cards. Your students can answer questions about the meaning of the poems by reflecting on the author’s particular choices. Think about the time period the poem is set (if applicable), the details the poet includes or leaves out, and the use of figurative language. Poetry is a powerful genre when it comes to independent reading.

Thinking About Reading

Your readers are ready to explore their own book choices. Let your students choose fiction, nonfiction, or poetry texts and think about what they are reading with independent reading task cards. Use the cards in small groups or for early finishers. The independent reading task cards bundle comes with cards for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. With 140 task cards and 67 pages, these standard-based question cards will help your students think about what they are reading every day! Try these independent reading tasks to get your students thinking in your secondary ELA classroom.