Small Town Pride

April 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 Much like Hamlet, 13-year-old Jake is at a loss in his village. Throughout Stamper's novel, the tween struggles to feel the pride in being gay that he thinks he should. Yes, to be proud or not to be proud is the question. To that end, Jake conspires with his friend, Jenna, to hold the village's first pride festival. They have a surprising ally in Brett, whose mother, the domineering mayor, is adamantly against the festival. When the necessary permit is denied, Jake and Jenna have a falling out. Meanwhile, Brett, on whom Jake has a crush, secretly comes out to him as bi and seems to return Jake's feelings. But then Brett's mother, afraid that people will think her son is gay, forbids him to see Jake. Could things get worse? Does pride goeth before a fall? Stamper has done a fine job of answering these lingering questions in his first middle-grade novel, which evidences his love for village life while acknowledging that life for gay kids can be difficult there. But where there's strife, there's hope, isn't there?

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April 11, 2022
In a heartfelt middle grade debut, Stamper (Golden Boys) traces a gay 13-year-old’s arc toward authenticity and queer community in Midwestern America. After Jake Moore comes out to his parents, his father installs a large pride flag in the family’s front yard, spurring uncomfortable reactions from more conservative members of their rural Ohio village—led by Jake’s neighbor mayor, who actively silences discourse around the topic. Fearing that he’ll never be fully accepted, but inspired by queer inclusion in a farming simulation game in which he feels at home, Jake decides to throw Barton Springs’ first Pride festival, envisioning “something huge and full of joy that for once didn’t have to do with a basketball game.” He has the support of his parents and his academically ambitious best friend, Jenna, and finds an unexpected ally in his crush, mayor’s son Brett Miller. But village politics and red tape threaten to derail the festival, forcing Jake and his cohort to work toward changing the system for the better. Drawing from his own childhood experiences and employing sympathetically rendered characters (protagonists read as white), Stamper keeps the accessible story hopeful with a clear-eyed message of acceptance, inclusion, and bighearted community. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US.

June 1, 2022

Gr 5 Up-In the tiny town of Barton Springs, OH, Jake is the only openly gay kid, a fact he's mostly comfortable with-even if he's not sure he loves the huge pride flag his dad hung up. Especially, because the mayor across the street dislikes lawn signs, protests, and anything that threatens the perfect peace she aspires to build in town. As people begin to take sides, Jake questions what "pride" really means, and if he can fit into the small town he loves. When the mayor's cute son agrees to help try to throw the town's first pride festival, Jake wonders if he can really trust him, and if pride in this town is possible at all. This is a timely, relevant novel with references to current events that middle grade readers will connect with. Jake and his friends are navigating all the normal middle school triumphs and pitfalls, while planning a pride festival with all the optimism and nerves expected from a group of tweens. Stamper excels at exemplifying the range of support Jake could expect to find, with some of the hypocritical adults undergoing well-crafted character development. Some interactions read like a guide to having tough conversations-but for a book that's all about empowering tweens, that's not necessarily a bad thing. VERDICT Middle schoolers will be drawn to this story about a kid trying to find his place, learning to speak up, and understanding what pride really means.-Kristin Brynsvold

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