Kyle Lukoff (born 1984) is a children's book author, school librarian, and former bookseller. He is most known for the Stonewall award-winning When Aidan Became a Brother and for Call Me Max, which gained attention when parents in Texas complained about the book being read in an elementary school classroom and a Utah school district canceled its book program after the book was read to third graders.
Personal life Lukoff is a transgender man, who transitioned in 2004 while an undergraduate at Barnard College, a historically women's college. Much of his work centers on transgender children. He is Jewish.
Education Lukoff went to Edmonds-Woodway High School then graduated from Barnard College in 2006. While at Barnard, he was a member of Columbia University's Philolexian Society. He earned his Master's degree in library science from Queens College in 2012.
Career Lukoff was a school librarian at the Corlears School in New York City until he quit his job to write full time in 2020. His first book, A Storytelling of Ravens, was published in 2018 by House of Anansi Press and illustrated by Natalie Nelson. His second book, When Aidan Became a Brother, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, is a story about a transgender boy awaiting a new sibling. The book was published by Lee & Low, an independent publisher known for works by unpublished authors and illustrators of color.
Lukoff's Max and Friends series was released in November 2019 with Call Me Max, illustrated by Luciano Luzano. In April 2020, he published Explosion at the Poem Factory, which was illustrated by Mark Hoffman. In 2021, he published Too Bright to See, which won the Stonewall award and a Newbery Honor, and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. He also wrote Different Kinds of Fruit. His 2024 novel A World Worth Saving is a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
Publications Books TitleYearNotesA Storytelling of Ravens2018Illustrated by Natalie NelsonWhen Aidan Became a Brother2019Illustrated by Kaylani JuanitaExplosion at the Poem Factory2020Illustrated by Mark HoffmanToo Bright to See2021Different Kinds of Fruit2022If You're a Kid Like GavinWith Gavin GrimmAwake, Asleep2023Illustrated by Nadia AlamThere's No Such Thing as Vegetables2024Illustrated by Andrea TsurumiI'm Sorry You Got MadIllustrated by Julie KwonJust What to DoIllustrated by Hala TahboubA World Worth Saving2025My Little Golden Book About PrideIllustrated by Michelle Jing ChanAre You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She HelpedIllustrated by Levi HastingsThe Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation2026Illustrated by Kat FajardoThe Vicious Cycle: A Story of HealingIllustrated by Priscilla TeyShould I Stay or Should You Go?2027
Book series
Max TitleYearNotesCall Me Max2019Illustrated by Luciano LozanoMax and the Talent ShowMax on the Farm2020
Mermaid Days TitleYearNotesMermaid Days #1: The Sunken Ship2022Illustrated by Kat UnoMermaid Days #2: The Sea MonsterMermaid Days #3: A New Friend2023
Essays TitleIn"Taking up Space"Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation"Evaluating Transgender Picture Books; Calling for Better Ones"School Library Journal"Second Trans on the Moon"YA Pride"A letter to trans writers who are thinking about trying to get published."
Awards YearNominee / workAwardResult2025Kyle LukoffChildren's Literature Lecture2022Too Bright to SeeStonewall Children's and Young Adult LiteratureToo Bright to SeeNewbery2021Too Bright to SeeNational Book Award for Young People's Literature2020When Aidan Became a BrotherStonewall Children's and Young Adult LiteratureOutstanding Fiction for ChildrenCharlotte Huck Award
References