Happy Pride month to all of our Integra Youth readers! Pride month celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and is a reminder for all about the importance of equality and acceptance. To celebrate Pride and help spread awareness, here are your six book recommendations for Pride month!
Elementary - Fiction
Daddy, Papa and Me by Lesléa Newman and Carol Thomspon
Mommy, Mama and Me by Lesléa Newman and Carol Thomspon
Here is a short description of these books from Goodreads…
“Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its daddies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there's no limit to what a loving family can do together. Share the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.”
These adorable books are a great introduction to same sex marriges. With cute illustrations and characters, these books help show kids that same sex parents are just like their own parents. A great way to start a conversations about what it means to be gay or lesbian, kids will learn that families like the ones in these books do exist and that they are no different from traditional families. I love the message these books send about how a family is defined by love, not the traditional roles of a mom and a dad.
Elementary - Nonfiction
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders and Steven Salerno
Here is a short description of this book from Goodreads…
“In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today’s world. Award-winning author Rob Sanders’s stirring text, and acclaimed illustrator Steven Salerno’s evocative images, combine to tell this remarkable—and undertold—story. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride.”
A true story about the origins of the Pride flag, young readers will enjoy hearing how this colourful flag came to be! Learning about the role of the Pride flag and what it represents will allow readers to become more open minded about different sexualities and ways of being human. A positive message accompanied by beautiful illustrations, this story is one that tells of human rights, kindness, and acceptance. These are important values for young children to learn and what better time to start than Pride month?
Middle School - Fiction
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Here is a short description of this book from Goodreads…
“Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself.
But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.”
This coming of age novel is about two young boys who become unlikely friends. With an awesome friendship that eventually develops into something much deeper, this book showcases exploring one’s sexuality through our two main characters. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is very well-written, with relatable characters and amusing dialogue. This book is about two teens trying to figure out their life’s purpose. This book is about family, friendship, race, and philosophical moments, all while being a beautifully written story. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers and high schoolers who are looking for a good book to read during Pride month.
Middle School - Nonfiction
We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride In The History of Queer Liberation by Leighton Brown, Matthew L. Riemer
Here is a short description of this book from Goodreads…
“Through the lens of protest, power, and pride, We Are Everywhere is an essential introduction–told through stunning photographs and thoroughly researched narrative–to the history of the modern queer liberation movement. Tracing queer activism from its late nineteenth century European roots to the homophiles who made Stonewall possible and the gender warriors who continue the struggle today, this beautifully packaged book contains hundreds of photos and pieces of ephemera that allow the reader to see history as they read. With photography from some of the best-known queer photographers alongside the work of unknown activists, the vintage and contemporary images cover every aspect of queer life and liberation, including marches, protests, family life, personal snapshots, celebrations, reactions to important legal decisions, and Pride.”
This is a great book for young readers looking to learn more about LGBTQ+ activism and warriors of the past. This book features lots of great role models, allowing readers to trace queer pride through the years. These stories about activists of the past are accompanied by stunning photographs. In addition, this book contains information about marches, protests, celebrations, and legal decisions. There are also snippets of queer people and thier family lives. Inspired by protestors of the past, readers will want to take action in today’s world to create a better future for themselves and others.
Secondary School - Fiction
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Here is a short description of this book from Goodreads…
“Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.”
Often described as the book that every LGBTQ+ teen should read, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is the perfect coming-of-age story. This book is great for readers to relate to as it showcases genuine friendships, families, and relationships. Showing the ups and downs about highschool life, Simon and his friends are the perfect group of diverse and authentic teens whose banter and dialogue make this book worth the read. What’s more is all the great messages that this book sends: about letting your walls down, what it means to come out, and what it means to truly be yourself. This book is a must read.
Secondary School - Nonfiction
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Here is a short description of this book from Goodreads…
“Haunted and haunting, Jones’s memoir tells the story of a young, black, gay man from the South as he fights to carve out a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires, and fears. Through a series of vignettes that chart a course across the American landscape, Jones draws readers into his boyhood and adolescence—into tumultuous relationships with his mother and grandmother, into passing flings with lovers, friends and strangers. Each piece builds into a larger examination of race and queerness, power and vulnerability, love and grief: a portrait of what we all do for one another—and to one another—as we fight to become ourselves.”
A captivating memoir about a young, black, gay man from the South tells the story of a someone trying to find their way in the world, despite the obstacles and curveballs life throws. This book uses both storytelling and poetry to tell a powerful story of love and loss. Readers will be enchanted by the rawness of this book and how it showcases the truth of the human race. Primarily a story about a young man’s relationship with his mother, this book is able to develop into so much more. This is an eye-opening memoir about life that every high schooler should read.
Written by: Nevadha M
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