Recommended Reading by Doug Warnock When Martin from the Rainbow Optimist Club of Southwestern Ontario approached me about compiling a reading list for this issue of the Pride Villager, I was excited to share newly added items in our collection at the Middlesex County Library. It has been my pleasure to be part of the team working to bring Drag Queen Storytimes to life in our community. I also had the honour of facilitating the first Rainbow Speakers Panel held at our Strathroy branch back in November 2019. The importance of seeing yourself reflected in the books you read is something that has long been understood, but only recently grown to reflect the LGBT2Q+ community. LGBT2Q+ authors and readers’ have fought a long battle to become visible in the mainstream and to have their stories heard. I hope you find something in this list that you connect with, and that helps you feel seen. You can find these and many other great reads at library.middlesex.ca Compiled by Doug Warnock, Branch Supervisor, Middlesex County Library This wonderful picture book will be part of an upcoming Drag Queen Storytime. The Queens loved it and so do I! We meet our main character, who is neither this nor that. We follow a journey of discovery, finding a place to belong based on differences instead of similarity. Where Oliver Fits by Cale Atkinson Another twist on the theme of embracing difference, and finding out where you belong in this world. Oliver, an oddly shaped puzzle piece, searches for his place in this colourful book. We join him as the uncovers how many different ways there are to be you! Author Alex Gino returns with their latest book “Rick”. This book is a standalone from the popular George released in 2015. Like Melissa, the main character in the first book, Rick has some questions he is grappling with. Made more difficult by his bully-best-friend Jeff, Rick has to navigate the path of his own gender identity. A diverse cast of characters illuminates the scope of self-identities along a vast spectrum of genders and sexualities. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake Juvenile Picture Books Neither by Airlie Anderson Juvenile Fiction Rick by Alex Gino When a tornado hits the hometown of Ivy, her coveted notebook filled with drawings of her deeply personal thoughts and feelings goes missing, much to her horror. When pages from the notebook begin appearing in her locker, Ivy knows for certain her secret is out. As more and more pages begin to appear, Ivy is encouraged to come out by the anonymous finder of her notebook, but does she have the courage? Young Adult You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
Liz has spent most of high school trying not to stand out, which is not an easy task in her mostly white, middleclass school. Being one of the few black students, Liz knows she does not fit in with the norm, so she has focused on her academics and extracurricular activities. As the end of school draws near, Liz finds out she has not secured the scholarship she desperately needed in order to attend her dream school next Fall. A plot is hatched to run for prom queen, a title that comes with a $10,000 scholarship prize. Determined to win, the last thing Liz needs is a distraction like the crush she is developing for a fellow competitor. This title is a light and airy prom-themed romance for teens.
PRIDE Villager
Page 6 Issue 5 • Fall 2020
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