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October is LGBTQ+ History Month! Though we should be celebrating and including LGBTQ+ folks in our middle grade curriculum year round, it is nice to do an extra highlighting of the community during this month. The best unique LGBTQ history middle grade books are a great place to start! So come along for the ride as I teach you how to use these middle grade books while avoiding the big mistake teachers and parents often make when trying to celebrate LGBTQ history.
What is the big mistake people make?
Parents and teachers eager to do something for LGBTQ+ history month while also living their very busy lives, often go for the easiest topics, people, and events to cover. These often include Stonewall, Harvey Milk, Ellen DeGeneres, gay marriage and current events. While these people and topics are great for you to cover, they can leave the impression that LGBTQ+ history started with the Stonewall Riots and is largely about white people. That is obviously not the case.
How do you avoid this mistake?
The first step in avoiding it is knowing there is a problem, so you are well on your way! The second step is to think outside the mainstream narrative. Google “famous and influential LGBTQ+ people throughout history.” Now look for people of color and folks not from the US or western culture. Here is a list to get you started. Those are some good places to start. Additionally, check out the list of books below which include novels, biographies, and histories that dig deeper into LGBTQ+ history. I hope this list will spark your own ideas for unique choices of middle grade books to highlight during LGBTQ+ History Month.
Best Unique LGBTQ History Middle Grade Books: Fiction
The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
Becoming a woman, menstruation, and finding your voice are the heart of this beautifully written novel in verse. Intricately woven with Black Puerto Rican and indigenous tradition, The Moon Within tells the story of Celestina Rivera, an 11 year old Oakland girl who is half Puerto Rican and half Mexican. Celi’s best friend, Mar, is a gender nonconforming person who is featured prominently in the text. Unfortunately, Mar’s plot line in the book involves a lot of bullying. Mar is used as a device to help the cisgender main character find her voice. I wish that this character was bullied less and was given more of a voice.
I do, however, think this book is worth reading for it’s beautiful depiction of Black Puerto Rican and indigenous culture and traditions. From a LGBTQ+ point of view, The Moon Within depicts and gives historical context to, indigenous dual spirit identity. I think because of the focus on LGBTQ+ bullying, it could be paired with a book about LGBTQ+ folks being exemplary or simply living as a way to combat the narrative that gender identity based bullying is inevitable and normal.
Type of Book (based on the 4 Types of Books You Need): Overcoming Adversity (from the point of the of the LGBTQ+ character)
Possible Units: LGBTQ+ History, Black history and cultures, Indigenous history and cultures, and United States cultures
Best Unique LGBTQ History Middle Grade Books: Biography
Leaders Like Us: Bayard Rustin by J.P. Miller Illustrated by Markia Jenai
Bayard Rustin is a lesser known figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He is the architect behind many of its most famous actions including the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Full of social justice vocabulary and historical events, this early to middle grade reader is a great introduction to the work of this gay Civil Rights leader. The book even includes a timeline and an extension activity.
Though this book is a grade 1-4 leveled reader, it is not too “baby-ish” for older readers. I think young people from Pre-K to grade 6 would easily enjoy this book. It could be used as a short introductory history lesson for even older readers. I included this book on this list because I know that not all middle grade students are ready for middle grade level books. This book would be great for those students.
Type of Book (based on the 4 Types of Books You Need): Exemplary LGBTQ+ People
Possible Units: LGBTQ+ History, the Civil Rights Movement, Black History, and social justice movements
Rainbow Revolutionaries by Sarah Prager Illustrated by Sarah Papworth
This book has an impressive LGBTQ+ history timeline in the index that starts at the BC era and goes to 2018. No one could accuse this book of trying to gloss over the fact that LGBTQ+ folks have always existed! This book highlights 50 extraordinary LGBTQ+ people from around the world. I love this book for the diversity of races, time periods, and fields of fame.
Each person is represented in a full 2 page spread with a beautiful full color illustration on one page and a short biography on the page opposite. In addition to highlight the “rainbow revolutionaries” and the previously mentioned timeline, this book has a great reference section. The reference section of this book is rich with information including: a 4 page glossary, a listing of different pride flags with when they originated, and a reference guide for LGBTQ+ Symbols. I think everyone should read this fascinating book!
Type of Book (based on the 4 Types of Books You Need): Exemplary LGBTQ+ People
Possible Units: LGBTQ+ History and when broken down and used as a collection of short biographies almost any type of history you could think of!
Best Unique LGBTQ History Middle Grade Books: Non-fiction/ History
Pride: The Celebration and The Struggle by Robin Stevenson
A non-fiction chapter book about the background, history, and future of Pride, this 2017 Stonewall Honor Book should definitely by in your classroom or home library. One thing I really appreciate about this book is the intersectional view the author takes in regards to race, gender, disability, and location. She highlights how minoritized groups (Black people, transgender people, and disabled people among others) within the LGBTQ+ movement have often been ignored. The book also strives to feature places often left out of the Pride conversation like small towns and various countries across the globe.
Robin Stevenson intersperses her own experiences as a LGBTQ+ community member and highlights other community members experiences giving this book a nice person touch. This book is so information rich it can be dense at times, and I recommend not trying to read it all at once. I can imagine this book being used as a month long classroom project that takes a deep dive into Pride from a North American perspective. Everyone can learn a lot about recent LGBTQ+ history and the current LGBTQ+ community from this book!
Type of Book (based on the 4 Types of Books You Need): Journey of Discovery
Possible Units: LGBTQ+ History, US history, Canadian history, and world history
Best Unique LGBTQ History Middle Grade Books: Coming Soon
A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
Full Disclosure: This book is on its way to me via inter-library loan. I wanted to make sure and get this list out in time for you to use it this month so I didn’t wait. I will update this post when it gets here. General plot overview: A young person is trying to figure out how to come out as gay. He tests the waters by giving a presentation about Glenn Burke the first out gay baseball player in the major leagues, and part of the duo that originated the high five. Sounds great! Update soon!
Type of Book (based on the 4 Types of LGBTQ+ Books): Overcoming Adversity