This June marked Pride month and to celebrate a month of LGBTQ+ history, awareness, celebrations and love, we’ve put together a list of books from the Farshore library – from picture book to fiction and YA – featuring LGBTQ+ themes and characters.
Publishers have a way to go. If we celebrate inclusivity and representation in the world, we should certainly extend these celebrations to the pages of our books.
The Girl With Two Dads, by Mel Elliott
Matilda is a new girl at Pearl’s school, but there’s something really different and cool about her family – she has two dads!
Pearl is sure that Matilda’s family must be very different to her own but, as they become friends, she starts to discover that maybe Matilda’s family aren’t so different after all.
The Cradle of All Worlds, by Jeremy Lachlan
Fourteen years ago, Jane Doe and her father arrived on the steps of the Manor – the entrance to a dangerous labyrinth connecting the island of Bluehaven to many other worlds.
That was the same night the earthquakes started, and Jane and her silent, troubled father, John have been feared and despised ever since. When the strongest quake yet strikes and John disappears back into the Manor, Jane embarks on a perilous adventure to find her father and save her world – perhaps all worlds – from destruction.
To Night Owl From Dogfish, by Holly Goldberg-Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
Avery (Night Owl) and Bett (Dogfish) couldn’t be more different. What they do have in common is that they are both twelve years old, and their dads are dating each other.
Bett and Avery are sent, against their will, to the same camp for the summer vacation. Their dads hope that they will find common ground and become friends – and possibly, one day, even sisters.
Against all odds, the girls soon can’t imagine a life without each other. But when the worst happens, and their dads break up, Avery and Bett must figure out a way to get them to fall in love again. Is keeping a family together as easy as they think it is?
The Huntress Trilogy, by Sarah Driver
Ever since Ma died, Mouse has looked after her little brother, Sparrow, dreaming of her destiny as captain of the Huntress. But now Da’s missing, Sparrow is in danger, and a deathly cold is creeping across Trianukka.
Join Mouse in Sea, Sky and Storm – the sea-churning, beast-chattering, dream-dancing, whale-riding, terrodyl-flying, world-saving adventure trilogy.
Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
With a kissing marathon under way, two boys, their friends and families evaluate the changing nature of feelings, behaviour and this crazy thing called love under the watchful eyes of a Greek chorus of a generation of men lost to AIDS.
David Levithan connects recent history with the present moment in a novel that is both a celebration of equality and a memorial to a lost generation.
Every Day and Someday, by David Levithan
For as long as A can remember, life has meant waking up in a different person’s body every day, forced to live as that person until the day has ended. A always thought there wasn’t anyone else who was like this. A was wrong.
In Every Day and Someday David Levithan takes readers into the lives of A and Rhiannon, exploring questions such as, what is a soul? What makes us human? And does gender matter when it comes to love?
Monster Trilogy, by Michael Grant
First of an explosive three-book young adult series. Michael Grant creates a compelling young cast of new characters for readers to love, hate and debate, as well as a host of unimaginable creatures, set in the aftermath of the bestselling GONE series.
When the dome came down, they thought it was the end of the troubles. Truth is, it was just the beginning. Shade witnessed events that day, with devastating consequences, and vowed never to feel that powerless again. Now, four years later, she gets her hands on a part of the meteor that began it all – and that’s when she changes.
Trouble is, Shade’s not the only one mutating, and the authorities cannot allow these superpowers to go unchecked.
The Exact Opposite of Okay, by Laura Steven
Izzy never expected to be eighteen and internationally reviled. But when explicit photos involving her, a politician’s son and a garden bench are published online, the trolls set out to take her apart.
Armed with best friend Ajita and a metric ton of nachos, she tries to laugh it off – but as the daily slut-shaming intensifies, she soon learns the way the world treats teenage girls is not okay.
