Publishers Weekly
01/23/2023
Via a perceptive dual narrative, Melleby (The Science of Being Angry) and Sass (Ellen Outside the Lines) weave the perspectives of two queer kids drawn together by a need for community. Desperate for friends following the publicizing of her crush on a friend’s mom and subsequent ostracism at her New Jersey Catholic school, 12-year-old lesbian Abigail Rabb wants to attend Minnesota’s Camp QUILTBAG, a two-week program for queer youth. Outside of Minneapolis, nonbinary 13-year-old Kai Lindquist, who uses the pronouns e, em, and eir, isn’t interested in the camp, but eir parents push for it after e experiences bullying, an injury, and the loss of eir best friend. The two couldn’t be more different in interests and motivation—Abigail’s into Jurassic Park and Laura Dern, while Kai’s a “former gymnast-turned-parkour wizard”—but they develop an unlikely alliance when the camp announces a competition: Abigail will help Kai’s cabin win in exchange for confidence lessons. While the contest is meant to bring all the campers together, the duo’s alliance, anxieties, budding romances, and trauma all clash, perhaps compromising further connections. Distilling many relatable experiences and engaging with themes of layered identity, this important story highlights the importance of queer camaraderie and education. Protagonists read as white; campers are portrayed as intersectionally diverse. Ages 8–12. Agents: (for Melleby) Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret; (for Sass) Jordan Hamessley, New Leaf Literary. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
ALA Rainbow Round Table Top Ten Pick
* "Warm and affirming . . . A timely and necessary addition to any elementary or middle school library, especially as LGBTQIA+ children are seeking examples of loving communities who fully embrace every part of them."—School Library Journal
“Middle-schoolers find increased self-awareness and solidarity at an LGBTQ+ camp in this empathetic, widely representative novel…Prominent in queer middle-grade fiction, Melleby and Sass write with incredible compassion, crafting a sweet summertime romance while modeling difficult conversations and valuable lessons in inclusivity. An instructive, affirming pick for rainbow readers and allies.”—Booklist
“The main characters stand as loving depictions of cis lesbian and nonbinary kids.. It captures that camp feeling of getting away from home, meeting different people, and growing as a person, all over the course of just two weeks. At its heart, an enjoyable summer camp story.”—Kirkus Reviews
"Distilling many relatable experiences and engaging with themes of layered identity, this important story highlights the importance of queer camaraderie and education.” —Publishers Weekly
"This engaging, gently affirming novel should be valuable to young readers exploring their own identities or curious about those of others.”—The Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
2023-01-12
Abigail and Kai, two campers at a Minnesota summer camp for LGBTQ+ kids, navigate friendship and young love.
Twelve-year-old Abigail, a White girl from New Jersey, has been shunned by her friends after being outed as a lesbian, one who’s in love with her friend’s mom to boot. She asks her parents to send her to Camp QUILTBAG, where people might get her. Thirteen-year-old Kai, who is also White, was bullied for being nonbinary (Kai’s pronouns are e/em/eir). Now, though, e has a group of friends who accept em and isn’t thrilled about being sent away to camp. Through making new friends and participating in camp activities, Abigail starts to learn to be proud of who she is, and both tweens begin to trust people again. The main characters stand as loving depictions of cis lesbian and nonbinary kids. Along with Abigail and Kai, who alternate chapters in close third person, there is a moderately sized supporting case that is diverse in terms of race, religion, gender, sexuality, and neurodiversity. There are teachable moments about many of these identities throughout, which eventually become a bit tedious. However, overall, this is a fun story that gently deals with real issues that LGBTQ+ middle schoolers face. It captures that camp feeling of getting away from home, meeting different people, and growing as a person, all over the course of just two weeks.
At its heart, an enjoyable summer camp story. (authors’ note) (Fiction. 9-13)
