At Children’s Books Ireland we champion diverse and inclusive books that best reflect the world, with characters of all genders and sexualities and families of all kinds. We believe that everyone deserves to see their story within the pages of an excellent book.
The Read with Pride reading guide 2026 contains 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive stories for young readers aged 0–18 with 100 recommended ‘read also’ titles for further reading.
Introducing the latest companion publication to our Free To Be Me: The Diversity, Inclusion and Representation Reading Guide! Updated for 2026, this booster guide contains 100 new Free To Be Me-themed titles for secondary-school-aged children aged 11–18+.
Dog Stayed is a story that deals with friendship, loss, grieving and learning how to love again.
Fourteen-year-old Georgie’s world is miniscule and deeply unpleasant. Full of rage and terror and unable to express his fears and feelings with his voice, Georgie is confined to his bedroom in a children’s home, where every interaction he has is fraught and frightening. When he’s moved to a new home where people are interested in him and not just his behaviour, a door finally opens for Georgie, but stepping through is the hardest thing he’s ever done.
Gracie is a twelve-year-old girl, living in 1930’s rural Ireland. The only life she’s ever known changes suddenly when she is sent to live with her widowed aunt, Peg. This historical fiction novel explores family values, societal expectations and the impacts of poverty.
The stakes have never been higher for Seraphine and Ransom as they are in The Dragon and the Dove, the final book in the City of Fantome series. Ransom's magic is eating away at his soul and Sera can hardly stay upright as she creates more and more saints to defend Fantome. Can they defeat the silver-tongued Saint before everyone turns to his side?
A small teacup can wield great power in the right hands and Chris Naylor Ballesteros demonstrates this expertly in this the companion book to The Suitcase.
There’s nothing quite like the discovery of someone who loves you wholly and completely for who you are and every version of yourself you’ve ever been. That’s who Penny and Tate are for each other, they just haven’t quite figured it out yet. Growing up with moms who were best friends, Penny and Tate have been together through thick and thin while stuck in the never-ending tension of undiscovered feelings. When their moms combine their households, the girls are finally forced to face their feelings.
Navigating loss can be tough. Sixteen-year-old Noori’s grief is made even tougher as family tensions rise, leaving her feeling completely alone. Seventeen-year-old Aamir is running away from his past, and his grief. Over a week, the two become intertwined. Bonding over their shared love of Rumi’s poetry, their feelings of isolation and the unexpected invisible thread that links them together.
Our annual reading guide is here! The Best Irish Books of 2026 is a celebration of Irish authors and illustrators, published this year. It contains reviews of 100 books suitable for readers aged 0–18 years.
