A gruesome, heavy, twisted post-apocalyptic romp with lots of great trans, queer, and neurodivergent rep and interesting explorations of toxic religion. Generally not for the faint of heart.

A stellar, spine-tingling middle grade horror. 

12 year old Eden takes her first trip to Safina Island, her mother’s hometown, not long after her mother’s death. She is welcomed with open arms and quickly falls in love with her extended family and the beautiful island, but after discovering some eerie sketches from her mom’s childhood, she is left unsettled by the place and what may have happened to her mother there. One day, while exploring the island, she stumbles through a sliver of night in the woods and into a world called Everdark, home of spirits, monsters, and a woman called the Witch of Everdark who wants to make Eden her daughter forever. Strong’s evocative world-building, of both the mystical Everdark and the Black community that has lived on Safina Island for centuries, effectively draws readers in. She also cleverly incorporates frank discussions of slavery and its legacy in the South without losing readers’ attention. This well-paced and suspenseful book is sure to appeal to horror fans, particularly of those who liked Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. 

A fun queer graphic novel twist on Frankenstein for middle/high school. 

A sweet, quiet, thoughtful exploration of first crushes and fleeting young love through the eyes of two queer boys. Also explores divorce and complicated father son relationships. There are still not a lot of middle grade gay boy love stories, so this is one to take note of.