Day: February 3, 2026

2026 Rainbow Book List

| Tasha

ALA’s Rainbow Round Table has announced their 2026 Rainbow Book List that has over 160 titles on it. The books listed celebrate LGBTQIA+ families and children. They were published between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025. Below are the books that are in the two Top Ten lists:

TOP TEN TITLES FOR YOUNG READERS

The Flicker by H. E. Edgmon

The Gathering Table by Antwan Eady, illustrated by London Ladd

Glitch Girl! by Rainie Oet

Ice Apprentices by Jacob North

Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book by María Delores Águila, illustrated by Erika Meza

My Little Golden Book about Pride by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Michelle Jin Chan

Ollie In Between by Jess Callans

Outside In and Inside Out: A Story about Arnold Lobel by Emmy Kastner

Tales from Beyond the Rainbow: Ten LGBTQ+ Fairy Tales Proudly Reclaimed by Pete Jordi Wood

Witchycakes 1 & 2 by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Ariane Moreira

TOP TEN TITLES FOR TEEN READERS

Come Home to My Heart by Riley Redgate

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends by Jamie D’Amato

Hick: The Trailblazing Journalist Who Captured Eleanor Roosevelt’s Heart by Sarah Miller

I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

Thanks for Listening by Molly Horan

These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa

Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

A Kid Like Me by Norm Feuti – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

A Kid Like Me by Norm Feuti

  • Publisher: HarperAlley
  • Publication Date: February 03, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9780063354111

Ethan lives in a trailer park near his best friend, Ricky. As they head to middle school, the school includes kids from wealthier neighborhoods. Ricky decides that they need a new group of friends, but Ricky’s picks of new friends are more into wrestling than what Ethan likes. Ethan loves the card game Bio Battle, something that Ricky doesn’t understand. So Ethan starts to make new friends too, but soon the differences between him and his classmates continue to create issues. Ethan can’t have a new fancy phone, his shoes and backpack are falling apart, and he gets his clothes second hand. Is there any way to bridge the differences without losing himself along the way?

In this graphic novel, Feuti sensitively captures the difficulties that living in poverty create for children. Whether it is the place you live, the car you drive, your parents’ jobs, what you wear, or the items you buy, it all becomes somehow deeper and more personal than that for the child experiencing it. Gaming is such a great opportunity for kids with like interests to meet and start being friends. I love how it is depicted and then the final moment of the book where new opportunities arise. Feuti does a great job of showing the issues and also offering a way through shame to the other side.

A middle school graphic novel full of empathy, friendships and gaming.