Let Your Colours Shine During Pride Month

Let Your Colours Shine During Pride Month

Each year, individuals from all around the world come together to celebrate Pride month, an annual event dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities. Originally chosen as a historical reminder of the Stonewall riots, June is all about bringing people together in love and friendship, and educating the world on equality, tolerance, and history.

Here at Browns Books, we could not be prouder as a company to join in with the celebrations and have even put together a list of our favourite books that celebrate LGBTQ+ communities and serve as beautiful reminders that we are all in this together. Happy reading!

 

This book is gay

By:Dawson, Juno

A funny and pertinent book about being lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer, transgender or just curious - for everybody, no matter their gender or sexualityFormer PSHCE teacher and acclaimed YA author Juno Dawson gives an uncensored look at what it's like to grow up as LGBT.

 

Papa, Daddy, and Riley

By:Kirst, Seamus,  Holzwarth, Devon(Illustrated by)

Riley is Papa's princess and Daddy's dragon. She loves her two fathers! When Riley's classmate asks her which dad is her real one, Riley is confused.

She doesn't want to have to pick one or the other. Families are made of love in this heartwarming story that shows there are lots of ways to be part of one.

 

Megan Rapinoe

By:Sanchez Vegara, Maria Isabel,  Morgan, Paulina(Illustrated by)

 

Chasing a ball in the school playground, Megan discovered her calling at a young age. Even if she didn't always fit in at school, she was a star on the field - and her teammates thought so too. Her passion, skill and leadership took Team USA to Olympic Gold and a World Cup victory, while she continues to champion women's and LGBTQ+ rights and representation in sport.

 

Have pride : an inspirational history of the LGBTQ+ movement

By:Caldwell, Stella,  Sanders, Sue(Edited by)

This inspirational history of the international LGBTQ+ movement will teach readers to accept and have pride in themselves and others, whatever their sexuality.

It details the struggles and successes of LGBTQ+ movements around the world, looking at decriminalisation, the Stonewall riots and their legacy, global Pride movements, the HIV/AIDS crisis and equal marriage.

It also includes profiles of significant LGBTQ+ figures from history and messages from young, modern-day members of the LGBTQ+ community, explaining why they have pride in themselves - and why you should, too.

 

Felix ever after

By:Callender, Kacen

From award-winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time. Felix Love has never been in love - and, yes, he's painfully aware of the irony.

He desperately wants to know what it's like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone.

What's worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he's one marginalisation too many - Black, queer and transgender - to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages - after publicly posting Felix's deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned - Felix comes up with a plan for revenge.

 

HeartstopperVolume 4

By:Oseman, Alice

Charlie didn't think Nick could ever like him back, but now they're officially boyfriends. Charlie's beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you. Nick's been feeling the same, but he's got a lot on his mind - not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.

As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means. Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us. 

 

 

Middle school's a drag, you better werk!

By:Howard, Greg

Twelve-year-old Mikey Pruitt is a budding entrepreneur. Inspired by his grandfather Pap Pruitt, who successfully ran all sorts of businesses, Mikey is still looking for his million-dollar idea. Unfortunately, most of his ideas--from a roadside general store to croquet lessons--haven't taken off. It isn't until kid drag queen Coco Caliente, Mistress of Madness and Mayhem (aka eighth grader Julian Vasquez) walks into his office (aka his family's storage/laundry room) looking for a talent agent that Mikey thinks he's finally found a business that will put him on the map, and the Anything Talent and Pizzazz Agency is born!


Soon, Mikey has a whole roster of kid clients looking to hit it big or at least win the middle school talent show's hundred-dollar prize. As newly out Mikey prepares Julian for the gig of a lifetime, he realizes there's no rulebook for being gay--and if Julian can be openly gay at school, maybe Mikey can, too, and tell his crush, the dreamy Colton Sanford, how he feels.

 

 

Me, my dad and the end of the rainbow

By:Dean, Benjamin,  Prabhat, Sandhya(Illustrated by)

My name's Archie Albright, and I know two things for certain: 1. My mum and dad kind of hate each other, and they're not doing a great job of pretending that they don't anymore. 2. They're both keeping a secret from me, but I can't figure out what. Things aren't going great for Archie Albright. His dad's acting weird, his mum too, and all he wants is for everything to go back to normal, to three months before when his parents were happy and still lived together.

When Archie sees a colourful, crumpled flyer fall out of Dad's pocket, he thinks he may have found the answer.

Only problem? The answer might just lie at the end of the rainbow, an adventure away. Together with his best friends, Bell and Seb, Archie sets off on a heartwarming and unforgettable journey to try and fix his family, even if he has to break a few rules to do it... 

 

 

 

Uncle Bobby's wedding

By:Brannen, Sarah,  Soto, Lucia(Illustrated by)

Chloe loves, loves, LOVES her special uncle Bobby. So when she learns that Uncle Bobby is going to be getting married to his boyfriend Jamie she's not at all pleased.

What if Uncle Bobby doesn't have time to play with Chloe anymore?

But after spending a fun-filled day with Bobby and Jamie, she soon realises she's not losing an uncle, but gaining a whole new one! An uplifting celebration of love in all its forms, this book is perfect for any child who has a special grown-up in their life.

 

Julian is a mermaid

By:Love, Jessica,  Love, Jessica(Illustrated by)

While riding the subway home with his Nana one day, Julian notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train carriage. When Julian gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies and making his own fabulous mermaid costume.

But what will Nana think about the mess he makes - and even more importantly - what will she think about how Julian sees himself?