Several months ago, we asked authors of different cultures, races, abilities, genders and orientations to tell us about the first time they saw themselves in the pages of a book. (You can listen to that episode here.)

We expected the answer. We knew it was coming. But still, it tore at us: Over and over, these authors said, "I didn't. I didn't see myself."

At Scholastic, we are proud to publish books that give all children the chance to see themselves as heroes. But we know that we still have work to do. And part of that work is listening.

So, this week, in celebration of Pride Month, we are spotlighting some of our LGBTQ+ authors who are writing to fill the void they felt growing up.

Contributing authors:

Additional resources:

Special thanks: