04/11/2022
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. (May)
Stamper 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? — Booklist
Full of warmth, hope, and joy, Phil Stamper's middle grade debut is an absolute celebration! — Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'
Small Town Pride is a queer Footloose for the middle grade crowd, with heart, laughs, and a journey that will make readers stand up and cheer. An absolute triumph! — Claribel A. Ortega, award-winning author of Witchlings
With endearing characters and a timely message of love and acceptance, Small Town Pride is a charming story of friendship, family, and living your truth beyond your wildest dreams. — Greg Howard, author of The Whispers and The Visitors
Tender and empowering all at once, Small Town Pride is a story of bravery, friendship, and not only finding one's voice, but using it to make a difference. This is a story I wish I had as a young reader. — Ashley Herring Blake, author of Stonewall Honor Book Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
Small Town Pride captures the complexities of contemporary queer kids with incredible nuance and empathy. So many readers will feel seen in these pages. — Chad Lucas, author of Thanks A Lot, Universe and Let The Monster Out
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. Drawing from his own childhood experiences and employing sympathetically rendered characters, Stamper keeps the accessible story hopeful with a clear-eyed message of acceptance, inclusion, and bighearted community — Publishers Weekly
Small Town Pride is a queer Footloose for the middle grade crowd, with heart, laughs, and a journey that will make readers stand up and cheer. An absolute triumph!
Small Town Pride captures the complexities of contemporary queer kids with incredible nuance and empathy. So many readers will feel seen in these pages.
Tender and empowering all at once, Small Town Pride is a story of bravery, friendship, and not only finding one's voice, but using it to make a difference. This is a story I wish I had as a young reader.
Full of warmth, hope, and joy, Phil Stamper's middle grade debut is an absolute celebration!
Stamper 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?
With endearing characters and a timely message of love and acceptance, Small Town Pride is a charming story of friendship, family, and living your truth beyond your wildest dreams.
Stamper 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?
06/01/2022
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
Vikas Adam youthfully embodies Jake, a middle-school kid who has just come out to his family as being gay. When Jake’s dad, in a friendly, even tone, shows his support by hoisting up an oversized pride flag outside their home, the small neighborhood's response is mixed. When Jake begins to ponder hosting a local pride parade, the bright timbre of his best friend, Jenna, is effervescent as she enthusiastically supports his cause, despite the obstacles they will face bringing the idea to life. But with an unexpected ally in Brett, the husky-voiced son of the mayor, they just may succeed. Adam pours much heart and optimism into expressing the full gamut of emotions of a tween in this buoyant and timely coming-of-age novel. E.E. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Vikas Adam youthfully embodies Jake, a middle-school kid who has just come out to his family as being gay. When Jake’s dad, in a friendly, even tone, shows his support by hoisting up an oversized pride flag outside their home, the small neighborhood's response is mixed. When Jake begins to ponder hosting a local pride parade, the bright timbre of his best friend, Jenna, is effervescent as she enthusiastically supports his cause, despite the obstacles they will face bringing the idea to life. But with an unexpected ally in Brett, the husky-voiced son of the mayor, they just may succeed. Adam pours much heart and optimism into expressing the full gamut of emotions of a tween in this buoyant and timely coming-of-age novel. E.E. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
