Instructional – THE INQUISITIVE NEWT

I’ve spent the last month highlighting books about LGBTQIA+ issues and/or by LGBTQIA+ authors:

The Secret Sunshine Project
Jamie
Glitterboy
Boy Like Me
Cottonopolis
Bloom

And while all of these books are AMAZING, I wanted to close out the month with an action – something that people could do in the face of the increasing demonisation of – specifically the trans community but also in general all – LGBTQIA+ people.

I first came across Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again by Shakirah Bourne and Dana Alison Levy in a shorter format, as one of the £1 World Book Day books. The title of the book generally explains what it does – it speaks about the need to sit with discomfort and let it move us to change, rather than to anger.

So often, so much of the discord we see in the world comes from peoples’ own discomfort at being wrong, where instead of listening and saying ‘sorry, I made a mistake’, they double-down on their previous assertions. This book teaches young people how to move past those feelings, and how to decentre themselves and their hurt in these conversations.

So, now that Pride month is over, what are we going to do going forward?

If you read no other books that I’ve recommended over June, I’d love it if you’d read this one – or even the £1 World Book Day abridged copy. In times like these, allyship is vital – especially for the trans community.

As for me, I’m going to continue seeking out books by LGBTQIA+ authors, so that I can continue to highlight them throughout the coming 12 months. If you’re an author or a publisher, and you have a book with queer themes for children and teens that you’d like me to review, please get in touch – especially books past their first flush of youth – I know how important sustained publicity is.

___

I’ve set up a ‘bookshop‘ of sorts, over on Bookshop.org, so that I can point you to somewhere to buy that isn’t Amazon. I get a small commission for any sales made there. This helps to support me running this blog. If you’d like to get your copy of Allies this way, please just click here. If you’d like to support me without buying a book, you can do so here. Thank you.

1559035678232153837618

The Usborne Write Your Own Story Book was recently gifted to Daughter and not only am I seriously impressed by its contents, I’m also a little jealous that I didn’t have a copy growing up.

I think what I like best about this book is how it manages to convey important elements of writing in a way that is simultaneously child-friendly and technical. It also manages to offer a range of activities for budding authors to practice on, without making them feel like work-sheets.

1559036360509229568127

There’s a wonderful sense of fun to all of the suggestions – a cheekiness that Daughter just loves. I really like the fact that the reader is encouraged to write in the book, meaning that there’s a record of work to look back on at the end – it essentially becomes a DIY short story compilation. As someone who wrote prolifically as a child but who has few remaining examples, I feel as though this will grow into a lovely keepsake.

Which childhood hobbies have you maintained? Are there any books out there to encourage more young people to engage in them?

Farn ❤