Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger

Wittlinger, Ellen. (1999). Hard Love. New York: Simon & Schuster. 224 pages. 

Description from Alex Sanchez's Web listing:

This very hip, very contemporary novel set in the world of homemade zines (magazines) finds 16-year-old John “Gio” Galardi, Jr., falling in love with the amazing Marisol Guzman, a self-proclaimed Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian. The two form an unlikely friendship based on zines, alienation, and dreams of escape. John questions his own sexuality as he struggles with his unrequited love for Marisol, who has no doubts at all about who she is. Hard Love is an absorbing book about loss, love, trust, family, transformation, and, interestingly, authorship. 

Available at SF Public Library.

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun, by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson, Jacqueline. (1995). From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun. New York: Scholastic. 141 pages.
 
Description from Alex Sanchez's listing of LGBTQ resources:

13-year-old Melanin Sun’s comfortable, quiet life is shattered when his mother reveals she has fallen in love with a woman. Adding even greater dimension to this story is the fact that Melanin and his mother are black, while the woman his mother has fallen in love with is white. Wonderfully written, as are all of Woodson’s books. While only a few of the author’s books deal with gay or lesbian characters, almost all deal with issues of race. 

Available at the SF Public Library. Is this a middle school book?