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. 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. 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. 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. A Maine Student Book Award 2023-2024 Reading List NomineeIn a heartfelt middle grade debut, Stamper ( Golden Boys) traces a gay 13-year-old’s arc toward authenticity and queer community in Midwestern America.A School Library Journal Best Book of 2022.A 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist for Best Middle Grade and Children's Book.And as Jake and his friends try to find a way to bring Pride to Barton Springs, it seems suspicious that the mayor's son, Brett, suddenly wants to spend time with Jake.īut someone that cute couldn't possibly be in league with his mayoral mother, could he? Why can't they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? The problem is, Jake knows he'll have to get approval from the town council, and the mayor won't be on his side. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade.Įxcept Jake doesn't think that's a ridiculous idea. When Jake's dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can't be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio. Perfect for fans of Rick by Alex Gino and The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy. Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school's first openly gay kid. From acclaimed author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me) comes a poignant coming-of-age, contemporary middle grade debut novel about finding your place, using your voice, and the true meaning of pride.

From acclaimed author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us and As Far as You'll Take Me) comes a poignant coming-of-age, contemporary middle grade debut novel about finding your place, using your voice, and the true meaning of pride.

Small town pride by phil stamper