Before we go further into this, let's do a quick little recap of the definition I use for queer MG. When we're talking about middle grade (not YA), I usually include books where the main character isn't queer, but someone in their life is, like a best friend or sibling, or an adult like a parent or teacher.
There are a couple reasons for this. Partly because I think all kids should see their lives reflected in book, including children who have queer people in their lives. If a kid has two moms, why shouldn't they get to read books about families like theirs? This is part of how I often think the purpose of MG can be different than the purpose of YA. (Although frankly, we could use more YAs with queer families, but that's a rant for another day.) The other reason is because I don't want kids to think queer people disappear after the age of 18. Queer kids seeing queer adults as role models is super important.
So, with that in mind, let's look at some stuff coming out this year!
The Whispers by Greg HowardRelease date: January 15th, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): Eleven-year-old Riley believes in the whispers, magical fairies that will grant you wishes if you leave them tributes. Riley has a lot of wishes. He wishes bullies at school would stop picking on him. He wishes Dylan, his 8th grade crush, liked him, and Riley wishes he would stop wetting the bed. But most of all, Riley wishes for his mom to come back home. She disappeared a few months ago, and Riley is determined to crack the case. He even meets with a detective, Frank, to go over his witness statement time and time again.
Frustrated with the lack of progress in the investigation, Riley decides to take matters into his own hands. So he goes on a camping trip with his friend Gary to find the whispers and ask them to bring his mom back home. But Riley doesn't realize the trip will shake the foundation of everything that he believes in forever.
From Night Owl to Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg WolitzerRelease date: February 12th, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): Avery Bloom, who's bookish, intense, and afraid of many things, particularly deep water, lives in New York City. Bett Devlin, who's fearless, outgoing, and loves all animals as well as the ocean, lives in California. What they have in common is that they are both twelve years old, and are both being raised by single, gay dads.
When their dads fall in love, Bett and Avery are sent, against their will, to the same sleepaway camp. Their dads hope that they will find common ground and become friends--and possibly, one day, even sisters.
But things soon go off the rails for the girls (and for their dads too), and they find themselves on a summer adventure that neither of them could have predicted. Now that they can't imagine life without each other, will the two girls (who sometimes call themselves Night Owl and Dogfish) figure out a way to be a family?
The part where I talk: This sounds so freaking cute and I absolutely want like 100 books about queer blended families immediately.
Sapphire the Great and the Meaning of Life by Beverly BrennaTo be released: February 22nd, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): It's not every day you encounter a hamster experiencing an existential crisis, but Sapphire has spent her short pet-store life convinced that she's waiting for...something. At first she thinks it's to be FREE, but it may be possible that life has a greater purpose in store--a purpose Sapphire will discover thanks to a nine-year-old girl whose family is changing in ways she doesn't quite understand.
Jeannie's dad has moved out, her mom is always tired and snappish, and her older brother just wants to play video games in his room all day. Jeannie doesn't understand what’s going on, but she knows one thing: she really, REALLY wants a hamster. Her mom promised she could buy one with her Christmas money, but it's been WEEKS since the holidays and Jeannie's beginning to worry she'll never get her pet. But maybe if she does, her dad will come to visit. Maybe a hamster will make everything better.
The Moon Within by Aida SalazarRelease date: February 26th, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): Celi Rivera's life swirls with questions. About her changing body. Her first attraction to a boy. And her best friend's exploration of what it means to be genderfluid.
But most of all, her mother's insistence she have a moon ceremony when her first period arrives. It's an ancestral Mexica ritual that Mima and her community have reclaimed, but Celi promises she will NOT be participating. Can she find the power within herself to take a stand for who she wants to be?
A dazzling story told with the sensitivity, humor, and brilliant verse of debut talent Aida Salazar.
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring BlakeRelease date: March 26th, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): When Sunny St. James receives a new heart, she decides to set off on a "New Life Plan": 1) do awesome amazing things she could never do before; 2) find a new best friend; and 3) kiss a boy for the first time.
Her "New Life Plan" seems to be racing forward, but when she meets her new best friend Quinn, Sunny questions whether she really wants to kiss a boy at all. When the reemergence of her mother, Sunny begins a journey to becoming the new Sunny St. James.
This sweet, tender novel dares readers to find the might in their own hearts.
The part where I talk: I adored Ivy Aberdeen and I'm so excited about this one, and so glad that Ashley Herring Blake wrote more than one queer MG. There's only a couple of authors I can think of who have done that.
Where the Heart Is by Jo KnowlesRelease date: April 2nd, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): It’s the first day of summer and Rachel’s thirteenth birthday. She can’t wait to head to the lake with her best friend, Micah!
But as summer unfolds, every day seems to get more complicated. Her “fun” new job taking care of the neighbors’ farm animals quickly becomes a challenge, whether she’s being pecked by chickens or having to dodge a charging pig at feeding time. At home, her parents are more worried about money than usual, and their arguments over bills intensify.
Fortunately, Rachel can count on Micah to help her cope with all the stress. But Micah seems to want their relationship to go beyond friendship, and though Rachel almost wishes for that, too, she can’t force herself to feel “that way” about him. In fact, she isn’t sure she can feel that way about any boy — or what that means.
Hurricane Season by Nicole MellebyRelease date: May 7, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): Fig, a sixth grader, wants more than anything to see the world as her father does. The once-renowned pianist, who hasn’t composed a song in years and has unpredictable good and bad days, is something of a mystery to Fig. Though she’s a science and math nerd, she tries taking an art class just to be closer to him, to experience life the way an artist does. But then Fig’s dad shows up at school, disoriented and desperately searching for Fig. Not only has the class not brought Fig closer to understanding him, it has brought social services to their door.
Diving into books about Van Gogh to understand the madness of artists, calling on her best friend for advice, and turning to a new neighbor for support, Fig continues to try everything she can think of to understand her father, to save him from himself, and to find space in her life to discover who she is even as the walls are falling down around her.
Note: I believe Fig is the queer character in this.
Zenobia July by Lisa BunkerRelease date: May 21st, 2019
Summary (from goodreads): Zenobia July is starting a new life. She used to live in Arizona with her father; now she's in Maine with her aunts. She used to spend most of her time behind a computer screen, improving her impressive coding and hacking skills; now she's coming out of her shell and discovering a community of friends at Monarch Middle School. People used to tell her she was a boy; now she's able to live openly as the girl she always knew she was.
When someone anonymously posts hateful memes on her school's website, Zenobia knows she's the one with the abilities to solve the mystery, all while wrestling with the challenges of a new school, a new family, and coming to grips with presenting her true gender for the first time. Timely and touching, Zenobia July is, at its heart, a story about finding home.
Okay, these next two don't have a ton of info, but I still want to mention them.
The. Best. At. It. by Maulik Pancholy
Release date: Fall 2019
Summary (from goodreads): Balzer + Bray has acquired the debut middle grade novel by Maulik Pancholy. The. Best. At. It. is about a gay Indian-American boy growing up in a small town in Indiana, dealing with the shifting dynamics of friendship and bullying in middle school, who has decided that everything in his life will get better if he can just find that one special thing he's the best at. Publication is slated for fall 2019.
Redwood and Ponytail by K. A. Holt
Release date: Fall 2019
Summary (from goodreads): Chronicle has acquired K.A. Holt's new book, a middle-grade novel in verse tells the story of two girls who are polar opposites yet become fast friends, and then begin moving toward something more. Publication is set for fall 2019.
Not as fancy-lookin', but I didn't want to leave those two out!!
Did I miss any that you all know about? Let me know in the comments, and tell me which of these you're excited about in 2019!
Peace and cookies,
Laina
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