In a recent interview, Terry J. Benton-Walker stated, “Growing up, I had no stories at all that made me feel truly seen. If I wanted to escape, I had to learn how to connect with stories and characters who were nothing like me.” This list for Pride Month and beyond has two stories from a series by Benton-Walker that feature LGBTQ+ characters, Blood Debts and Blood Justice, adding to a growing list that stands as representation for Black and LGBTQ+ youth today.
In the past few years, the publication of LGBTQ+ books by Black authors has increased. There is always more work to do in the area of LGBTQ+ representation, but this list of young adult books has some great options. Check out 20 Books for Pride Month and 15 Books for Pride Month for more.
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1. Sleep Like Death
Kalynn Bayron | Bloomsbury | June 25, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
2. Thirsty
Jas Hammonds | Roaring Brook Press | May 14, 2024 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
3. The Poisons We Drink
Bethany Baptiste | Sourcebooks Fire | April 30, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
4. The Queens’ English: The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases
Chloe O. Davis | Simon & Schuster BYR | April 30, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
5. Blood Justice (Blood Debts, Bk. 2)
Terry J. Benton-Walker | Tor Teen | April 23, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
6. Punk Rock Karaoke
Bianca Xunise | Viking BYR | April 23, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
7. Something Kindred
Ciera Burch | Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR | April 2, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
8. Dead Girls Walking
Sami Ellis | Amulet Books | March 26, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
9. Icarus
K. Ancrum | HarperTeen | March 26, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
10. Where Sleeping Girls Lie
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé | Feiwel and Friends | March 19, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
11. Daniel, Deconstructed
James Ramos | Inkyard Press | February 6, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
12. Infinity Alchemist
Kacen Callender | Tor Teen | February 6, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
13. How the Boogeyman Became a Poet
Tony Keith, Jr | Katherine Tegen Books | February 6, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
14. Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir
Walela Nehanda | Kokila | February 6, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
15. So Let Them Burn
Kamilah Cole | Little, Brown BYR | January 16, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
16. Escaping Mr. Rochester
L.L. McKinney | Harperteen | January 16, 2024 | Amazon | Bookshop
17. The Queer Girl Is Going to Be Okay
Dale Walls | Levine Querido | November 21, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
18. Pritty
Keith F. Miller Jr. | HarperCollins | November 14, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
19. Songs of Irie
Asha Ashanti Bromfield | Wednesday Books | October 10, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
20. Brooms
Jasmine Walls | Teo DuVall | Levine Querido | October 10, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
21. The Forest Demands Its Due
Kosoko Jackson | Quill Tree | October 3, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
22. Salt the Water
Candice Iloh | Dutton BYR | October 3, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
23. And Don’t Look Back
Rebecca Barrow | Margaret K. McElderry Books | October 3, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
24. Monstrous
Jessica Lewis | Delacorte Press | September 12, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
25. The King Is Dead
Benjamin Dean | Little, Brown BYR | July 18, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
26. You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight
Kalynn Bayron | Bloomsbury YA | June 20, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
27. Forever Is Now
Mariama J. Lockington | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) | May 23, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
28. As Long As We’re Together
Brianna Peppins | Scholastic Press | May 16, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
29. Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic
g. haron davis | HarperTeen | May 16, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
30. Blood Debts
Terry J Benton-Walker | Tor Teen | April 4, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
31. The Jump
Brittney Morris | Simon & Schuster BYR | March 7, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
32. My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix (Remixed Classics, 6)
Kalynn Bayron | Feiwel and Friends | March 7, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
33. The Minus-One Club
Kekla Magoon | Henry Holt and Co | January 24, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
34. As You Walk On By
Julian Winters | Viking BYR | January 17, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
35. Friday I’m in Love
Camryn Garrett | Knopf BYR | January 10, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
36. For Lamb
Lesa Cline-Ransome | Holiday House | January 10, 2023 | Amazon | Bookshop
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