A selection of books featuring characters of diverse genders, by writers who (mostly) identify as LGBTQIA+. There are stories about coming out, navigating relationships, and exploring identity on this list, and also stories where identity isn't the driving force. Discover books that span different genres and feature gender diverse folks living rich, complicated, full, and glorious lives! We use the hashtag #ownvoices when the author and the main character share an identity.
This list is loosely ordered from ‘light’ to ‘gritty’ reads. A Christchurch City Libraries’ list.
This is a graphic novel aimed at 10-13 year olds, about Aster, a 13 year-old growing up in a magical family of witches and shapeshifters. There are strict expectations placed on what you become based on gender, but Aster doesn't fit in.…
This fantasy graphic novel follows twins Hawke and Grayson, as they flee their evil cousin and in desperation, dress as girls to seek refuge with the Communion of Blue. But as they begin to hatch a plan to retake their home, one of the…
Prince Sebastian's family want him to find a bride, but he's too busy covering up his secret life - royalty by day, fashion icon Lady Crystallia by night. The one person who knows the truth is Sebastian's dressmaker, Frances, who finds it…
A novel for tweens and younger teens, 'George' is about a girl who wants desperately to play 'Charlotte' in her schools production of Charlotte's Web. But George was born a boy, and her teacher says that a boy can't play Charlotte. With…
Liv (a trans boy) isn't out to anyone yet, and he's about to start a new school with a really strict (and sexist!) uniform code. As he works to change the policy through Operation: Pants Project, he also prepares to get honest with his…
When the famous superhero Dreadnought dies in Danny's arms, he passes his powers onto her - super-strength, flight, and also a body that matches her identity. Now she suddenly has the difficult task of juggling coming out and facing her…
Transgender teen Jam lives in a city free from the 'monsters' that used to plague it. Then she meets Pet, a creature who has arrived in her house to hunt a monster, while the adults around her won't admit they still exist. What follows is…
Euphoria Kids is a gentle, imaginative book about the power of queer friendship. Set in a high school, three trans students find each other in an environment where they are otherwise invisible. Magical realism and lyrical writing weave…
'The Brilliant Death' is a fast-paced fantasy, set in a 19th-century-Italian-mafia inspired world and featuring political intrigue, queer romance, and gender-fluid shapeshifters. It follows Teodora, a young woman who has hidden her magical…
In 'Blanca & Roja', the story of Snow White and Rose Red is spun into a Latinx, queer fairytale about two sisters, shaped by the generations-old curse that follows their family. This curse means that, one day, the swans in the woods will…
After coming out as non-binary to their parents, Benjamin is forced to leave home and move in with their estranged sister and her husband, and complete their last year of high school at a new school. What follows is an exploration of…
Pony is a transgender high school boy who has chosen to go 'stealth' at his new school, after a whole lot of unwanted attention at his last school when he came out. Georgia is a cheerleader who just wants to fly under the radar until she…
High school student Felix is being bullied online, through a series of transphobic messages, as well as anonymous sharing of his name and photo pre-transition. His plan for revenge lands him in an unexpected love-triangle, as well as…
This is a magical and surreal novel about two mysterious and inseparable friends, Miel - who can grow roses from her wrists; and Sam, a trans boy, who is known for his secretive life before he moved to town with his mother. It is a…
A group of friends head to a cabin in the woods to finish the role-playing game they invented together. But they are a group of friends with secrets and history and pain, and their weekend is doomed from the beginning. This novel is a…
'Birthday' is a novel told in alternating voices, beginning at best friends Eric and Morgan's shared 13th birthday and spanning the following 6 years. Their friendship suffers during high school for a number of reasons, and Morgan…
Yadriel (a young trans man) comes from a traditional Latinx family who are struggling to accept his gender. Determined to prove himself a real brujo (a Spanish word meaning sorcerer, a role for men), he performs a ritual to find the ghost…
After a traumatic event, bigender teen Aleks/Alexis chooses to move in with their uncle, a Catholic priest, for a fresh start. In their new room, Aleks/Alexis discovers they can overhear the confessions from parishioners, and decides to…
