Books for Young LGBT Folks and Anyone Who Wants to Understand Them

First loves, family problems, compelling discoveries, self-realization, and acceptance during adolescence to adult years are among the things found in this collection of books.

BY Clea Kim

January 31 2013 5:00 AM ET UPDATED: January 31 2013 5:04 PM ET

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer (Scholastic, $17.99)

If you’ve always felt a deep connection with animals, this book is for you. Author Eliot Schrefer writes a story based on his experience at a bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he conducted extensive research on bonobos and their culture. This novel is about 15-year-old Sophie, who follows her mother to a bonobo sanctuary. Sophie is not excited to be there, since this is her mother’s passion and not her own. She then meets Otto, an infant bonobo, and for the first time in her life feels a special connection with an animal. As things progress between Sophie and Otto, a revolution breaks out and their sanctuary is attacked. They must escape to the jungle and struggle to survive.