Lovely book! Very validating of various identities in a great format. Easy to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

This was a wonderful collection of short stories that represented a wide range of identities in the rainbow community. Additionally, the stories spanned from realistic fiction to fantasy. I'm glad this type of collection exists for children. It is so important that LGBTQ+ children or children from LGBTQ+ families are seen. It is also a nice way for other identities to gain understanding and empathy. Short story collections can sometimes be a bit difficult for me. I often feel like I don't get to know the characters well enough or get enough backstory. I agree with other reviewers that mention that short stories are often "hit or miss." Although I usually find some stories that I particularly enjoy from a collection. This book was no exception. However, even with the stories that didn't quite resonate with me in this collection, I think all of the stories will be important for someone. I'm happy to know this exists and would definitely recommend it to anyone that is interested in LGBTQ+ fiction or readers that enjoy short story collections.

This is a lovely and inclusive anthology. I love how there's a range of authors/voices and also of characters and identities. Sometimes there are not enough middle grade LGBTQ+ title options to be found to order, and I am so glad that this book exists and know there will be students who need it. Will definitely be ordering.

A great read for middle grade readers, but would honestly recommend for readers of all ages that enjoy short stories based on LGBTQIA characters from a variety of backgrounds and written in a variety of genres. There's something here for everyone and represents every letter in the alphabet mafia.

This is our Rainbow is a delicately written and curated anthology, which consists of stories that range from contemporary to fantasy to historical fiction. When it comes to middle grade historical fiction or fantasy, all I can think about is kids in movies celebrating Halloween. The representation, however, made the stories more enjoyable for me.

Whenever I’m in a reading slump or am having trouble with my current read, I like to switch to a lighter middle grade book. This is our Rainbow is one such book where I felt that if my 12 year old self had been reading this right now, she would’ve loved these characters and would’ve totally made friends with them. I think if I had this book with me when I was very confused over my sexuality, I would’ve accepted it as my secret friend.

The first chapter, or story, itself is enough to have the readers hooked, no matter younger or older. If you’re a cat person like me, you’ll love the first story! It’s about a non-binary kid who finally goes to adopt a cat again after his pet unfortunately dies. One another story shows how a teen is able to summon a wind dragon so they could propel their ship forward in the windless sea. Some stories are also in graphics, which make them all the more fun! Like this one called “The Makeover” in which some really good friends give their new friend a makeover and discern that clothes have no gender!

The best part about these stories are that none of them are about the fearful coming out, none of them are about extremely orthodox families and none of them talk about extreme queermisia. Rather, some of the characters even have queer parents! (so wholesome) A lot of people like to see their stories in books and know that they are not alone, but I seldom end up liking stories like them, and I don’t believe it’ll be safe for the ages this book is intended for too, especially when that is the age when everyone starts coming to terms with themselves.

The book keeps changing paces and I would’ve rather appreciated one which had a uniform pace throughout. But yes, I understand it is an anthology and stories written by different people and they’ll have their differences.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book!!

An a beautiful collection of queer stories of all kinds, for all kids, so everyone can see themselves. Each story was special in its own way, just like every queer kid has their own story and they're valid in what they go through and what they feel as they discover themselves. I loved this collection, and I only hope there's more where this came from.

The thing I love the most is Middle Grade Books - they are full of characters with so many flaws, I cannot help but love them all. And when you add Queer stories to Middle Grade Books, I cannot help but jump on the chance to read them all. Me = surrendering all my love. There are in total 16 stories in this anthology and it makes sure to almost include all different identities on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. They didn't only talk about coming out, or finding a queer partner - but also the hate these identities face along with just simply existing.

My favorite stories included - "The Purr-cle of Life" where our main character goes to pick out a new cat at an animal rescue, which was a task that they found really difficult in the beginning; "The Girl's Best Friend" - I'll just say it deals with platonic crush <3; "Paper Planes" - it's simply about being their for yourself while being proud; "Petra and Pearl" - featuring two trans girls who met while writing fanfic and talks about coming out story of them; "I know the way" - a split timeline story with the historical side being about escaping the plantation and the present being about our protagonists being there for each other; "Balancing Acts" - our main character starts to understand that e can still love eir love for gymnastic; "Come Out, Come Out Whenever you are" - it is a time loop story of our MC standing up to his bully finally; "The Wish and the Wind Dragon" - a nonbinary pirate kid says hello as they go on to call and speak a wind dragon!; "Splinter and Ash" - our main characters are finding a way to be their true selves in a "traditional" court... and aahh you get the picture who totally awesome this anthology is!

I was provided with arc of this book in exchange of an honest review

Rating 4.5/5

This has been such a refreshing read for me, I forget how much I enjoy a collection of short stories until I’m reading one again and this is a particularly special one because it is full of love, hope and acceptance. Whilst I am (obviously) not the target audience for this book I have to say I really enjoyed it and everything it represents, this is the kind of book that would have been amazing to read when I was younger with such a variety of experiences and relationships all within some pretty fantastic stories.

I liked that there were a mix of genres in this anthology, it definitely kept things interesting and really set apart each story from the next, there were also some comic strips as well which I wasn’t expecting but were a marvellous addition. Each story was really well written, the language was clear and they all just worked so well together, sometimes in a collection of stories there will maybe be one or two that I don’t enjoy but I felt really immersed in all of them, I will admit that the ones with fantasy elements shone a little brighter but that’s just because I’m more drawn to that genre.

I think what I really appreciated was how discussing gender or sexuality was part of the story but not always the sole focus, because sometimes it’s lovely to have a story that reflects someone accepting who they are and going through that journey but sometimes it’s nice just to see someone having an adventure or making a friend or having a crush. I think the main thing is though that in every story you come away with a sense of hope, even in some of the more sombre stories, and there are some brave, quirky and wonderful characters that are a delight to read about.

A brilliant read for younger readers and older readers alike, hopefully, we will see more anthologies like this in the future.

Short stories frequently seem underdeveloped. However, this anthology is far from that. Each short story is engaging and well written. The stories are moving and inspiring, from fantasy to reality. They each provide a glimpse into the lives of LGBTQ+ adolescents in a unique way that will interest anyone. However, I did wish that there were more variations in the identities. A larger amount of them were about lesbians.

I'm so glad that This Is Our Rainbow exists for middle grade readers to see a variety . That alone deserves five stars. In terms of my own personal enjoyment, this was a solid 3 stars. Anthologies are always a mixed bag, and I trend toward the ambivalent side when it comes to short stories unless something really wows me. But at the same time, I really love picking up anthologies and I keep doing it even when I inevitably rate them 3 stars. Oh well. Something I really appreciated about this anthology was the even mix of contemporary stories for readers to relate to versus fantastical ones for readers to escape into. I would have appreciated seeing some specified ace and m-spec rep, and for all the sapphic rep I don't recall the word "lesbian" ever actually being used. Also I'm just realizing that there wasn't much mlm rep-- only one story has a boy main character (and it was the worst of the collection imo). My favorite story of the bunch was Balancing Acts by A.J. Sass. Full review of individual stories with indicated Representation and Content Warnings available at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3334827242

This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them and Us is a book that I knew without doubt was a book that I had to read and would love and I wasn't left wanting.

There is a shortage of books for those who read middle grade tales that focus solely on being members of the LGBTQ+ community. Books that say it is perfectly okay to be who you are, that we as individuals are important to the life we live in and the stories that are told.

I found the way that each tale was done via a different medium both refreshing and excellently done as they would compliment one another and highlight the particular tale. The artwork of the cover is exquisitely done and again reflective of how diverse the world is now in the twenty-first century and has been for some time although sadly, forgotten or ignored by the majority of authors, illustrators and the world as a whole.

I truly hope that This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them and Us is the first of many books for middle-grade readers and helps them feel the acceptance and joy of being who they are far sooner than many of us who came before.

Love it! This is such a sorely needed book. There's lots of rainbow picture books and plenty of adult anthologies -- but the selection for middle-grade readers is kind of thin, and it's difficult to judge whether a book is actually good representation of the community, or if it's going to be another stereotypical "my life sucks bc I'm queer, boo hoo" story -- which is not what young LGBTQ folx need. This however... this is fantastic. Featuring so many heartfelt stories of growth, empowerment, and honest heartache, this is the kind of representation and support that our youth deserve.

Locke and Melleby have taken on a difficult, yet envious task: putting together a collection of LGBTQ+ short stories for middle readers. The final product is a wide-ranging experience that is altogether enjoyable. Each story has a distinct angle and focus, avoiding the pitfalls of repetition that come out when collections are themed like this. There are always the standout stories, yet even the inevitably weaker entries are palatable. The stories worth noting would be from Gino, who is reliably fun and introspective, and there's a surprising entry from Nijikamp given their other work has eschewed much older,

“This is our Rainbow” is an anthology and one of the firsts I’ve really enjoyed. It’s been refreshing to read all of these stories full of love, acceptance and friendships. There have been stories I absolutely loved and some I’ve liked a bit less, and that’s totally okay.

I enjoyed the fact that I was able to discover a whole new range of authors that I’ve never gotten the chance to read before. My wallet will like it a bit less, but I have to admit that I’ve added all these authors with their works onto my TBR.

The stories all worked well with each other, and it wasn’t disturbing at all to have all these different writing styles in one book. There is also literally a short story for everyone, which makes this anthology even more perfect! It also put a smile all over my face every time I picked this book up on my phone.

If you look for a book that makes you feel accepted and educates you at the same time, then these short stories will work for you. And for everyone else, I highly recommend this book because you didn’t know that you needed this anthology in your currently reading pile. Pick it up! Thank you very much.

I will try my best to explain the importance and brilliance of this book.

Every story in this anthology is a gift. Each one, a ball of light ready to burst free from its makings and radiate the warmth and vibrancy like a newborn star. These stories write a piece of humanity onto the page in such a thoughtful and meaningful way that children can relate to and enjoy.

It’s a gathering of moments, where a collective voice can be heard. The sound like music, the notes playing a fervent masterpiece unfolding in three hundred and thirty six pages like pedals from a budding flower opening for the first time towards the sun. Having all the letters in the beautiful acronym that is LGBTQIA+ represented in a way where readers will find themselves holding this book close, knowing they are seen and loved.

Read this book.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us

Author: Eric Bell, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Ashley Herring Blake, Lisa Bunker, Alex Gino, Justina Ireland, Shing Yin Khor, Katherine Locke, Mariama J. Lockington, Nicole Melleby, Marieke Nijkamp, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, Molly Knox Ostertag, Aisa Salazar, and AJ Sass

Book Series: Standalone

Diversity: Non binary MCs
Ace MC
Trans MC
Latinx lesbian MCs
Gay drag queen side character
Trans side characters
Black MC
Black Lesbian MCs
F/f romance
Mixed relationship
Neopronouns
Gay celiac MC
Black queer MC
Latinx side characters
MC with 2 moms
Side character with 2 dads
Bisexual side character
Lesbian MC

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, anthology

Genre: Middle Grade anthology

Publication Date: October 19, 2021

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 288

Recommended Age: 10+ (Animal Death mentioned, Pronouns not respected, Grief, Domestic violence mentioned, Forced gendered notions, Homophobia, Slavery, Torture mentioned, Mentions of death by hanging, Bullying, Racism, Heartbreak, Religion mentioned, Parent death mentioned, Cancer mentioned)

Explanation of CWs: Animal death is the focus of one story, as is grief. Heartbreak is in a couple of stories. Slavery is shown and torture is mentioned. Bullying is shown in a few stories. Racism is shown in a couple of stories. Religion is mentioned and one church service is shown.

Synopsis: A boyband fandom becomes a conduit to coming out. A former bully becomes a first-kiss prospect. One nonbinary kid searches for an inclusive athletic community after quitting gymnastics. Another nonbinary kid, who happens to be a pirate, makes a wish that comes true--but not how they thought it would. A tween girl navigates a crush on her friend's mom. A young witch turns herself into a puppy to win over a new neighbor. A trans girl empowers her online bestie to come out.

From wind-breathing dragons to first crushes, This Is Our Rainbow features story after story of joyful, proud LGBTQIA+ representation. You will fall in love with this insightful, poignant anthology of queer fantasy, historical, and contemporary stories from authors including: Eric Bell, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Ashley Herring Blake, Lisa Bunker, Alex Gino, Justina Ireland, Shing Yin Khor, Katherine Locke, Mariama J. Lockington, Nicole Melleby, Marieke Nijkamp, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, Molly Knox Ostertag, Aisa Salazar, and AJ Sass.

Review: Overall I really enjoyed this anthology! It included a lot of cute short stories and I loved the different stories and genres that prominently featured queer characters. The character development was amazing across the stories. The world's were all well developed and immersive. The book was also a lot of fun to read!

The only issue I had is that I wish some of the stories were grouped together in a cohesive manner and I wished there was more main characters that were gay or outright pansexual. I also think one or two main characters were ace but there was nothing concrete, which I think could have been better stated and written.

Verdict: it was great!

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers, the editors and authors, and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will release October 19, 2021.

Wow, I really blew right through this one! I'd been meaning to read this anthology for a couple weeks now and only just got around to it—but it was worth the three hour whirlwind. It's been a while since I read an anthology, and This Is Our Rainbow, the first LGBTQIA+ anthology for middle grade readers, was excellent. There are sixteen stories, some of them longer than others, so I've written just a few sentences on each of them instead on one big, in-depth review like I usually do. But before I get into that, I want to say that I truly liked all of these stories, loved that they had varying degrees to which coming out or the kid's identity was part of the plot, and enjoyed the fact that it was a mix of genres. Not all the stories end super happily, there's some melancholy, but it's a good balance, the characters are so brave, and there's always the sense that the characters are going to be okay. I feel like there's really something for everyone here.

The Purr-cle of Life by Alex Gino

This first story is very sweet, and revolves around the unnamed main character going to pick out a new cat at an animal rescue. This is very difficult for them, as Scout had been with them since birth, and they don't want to feel like they're replacing their old cat. There's a moment detailing the narrator having to deal with their grandma's misgendering and a couple similar (future) moments mentioned at the end, but the most important thing is that their new cats are there to comfort them.

Girl's Best Friend by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Okay, this was adorable. Roxy is a witch and her family lives near a normal college town. Their new neighbor is a girl who moved away last year and is now back. Roxy experiences really strong feelings for Tess, but realizes they're platonic although they're as strong as a crush—she has a "squish." But Tess seems a little distant, so Roxy transforms into a dog so her new friend has someone to talk to. This has a very sweet ending and might be a contender for one of my favorite stories.

The Makeover by Shing Yin Khor

I was a little iffy about this comic story at first but by the end I was all in! Jes is the new kid, who meets a group called the Porcupines, who all introduce themselves with names and pronouns immediately. At lunch they talk about their "deals" (to me, it seemed like aesthetics) and Alex decides they all should take Jes to the thrift story to help them figure it out—which Jes does, settling on a skirt with pockets. It was nice to see Jes decide to wear what they wanted after initially stopping so people wouldn't think they were a girl. Plus, with Rosie and Alex around, I don't think anyone will dare to misgender Jes. (This is one of the funniest exchanges in the anthology.) Anyway, now I would like to be a knitwear punk.

Paper Planes by Claribel A. Ortega

This has a fascinating world and magic that's not really expanded on, but the author and narrator let you know just enough. Flor is responsible for talking to people in the outside world in English for her Spanish-speaking parents, and uses magical paper planes to do so. A new neighbor named Alexis shows up across the street, and Flor begins communicating with her. Alexis helps Flor be brave enough to send a paper plane to the girl she likes and brave enough to be herself.

Petra & Pearl by Lisa Bunker

Two trans girls who have Very Upsetting Fathers and live in different countries write fanfic for the same anime; Petra is the only person Pearl is out to. Petra's dad is friends with the shop teacher and doesn't given Petra a choice about taking the class, and unfortunately she's bullied there during school. Both Petra and Pearl take the chance to protest their treatment, and while they both get in trouble, Petra takes the opportunity to come out to her family, despite not knowing what will happen.

I Know the Way by Justina Ireland

A split timeline story; one is set in the past on a plantation and features two girls named Addie and Cora who decide to escape to freedom, the other is contemporary. The present day girls, Evelyn and Ashley, decide to break away from their field trip to go see a bridge where ghosts are rumored to be, a bridge that Addie and Cora had to pass by when running away. There's a poignant moment where their spirits can be heard encouraging bravery.

Balancing Acts by A. J. Sass

Kai is a former gymnast trying to figure out where e belongs and what e can do now that e's left the sport since gymnastic is very gendered. E attends a meet that eir former team is competing at but doesn't feel comfortable enough to celebrate with them afterwards. There's a real sense of sadness here that Kai had to give up something e loved because e thought changing pronouns wouldn't be enough to convince people e isn't a girl. Thankfully there's a kind adult who lets Kai practice on the equipment, which leads to em finding a new athletic outlet.

Come Out, Come Out Whenever You Are by Eric Bell

This is such a clever title for a story about a time loop that lets the main character navigate one very stressful morning and find the courage to stand up and come out to his bully simultaneously. Marcus is absolutely METAL.

Devoyn's Pod by Mariama J. Lockington

Dev's story is a classic one of having best friends who start dating and keep it secret from you, but it's also about recognizing how relationships grow and change. What might have started out as a very close friendship that meant you didn't seem to need any others can spread out to have room for more. Also, Nana rocks for taking Dev to "the people's beach."

Guess What's Coming to Dinner by Mark Oshiro

Aside from the fact that I spent almost the whole story wondering what was up with Sofia and her parents (spoiler! they're not human), I really liked this one particularly for its offhand inclusion of supernatural elements in a plot as simple as someone wanting their new friend to come over for dinner. I know that doesn't always come off well as a queer metaphor, but that's not exactly what it is here, although it almost had the same feeling to me.

The Golem and the Mapmaker by Molly Knox Ostertag

I really wish I knew if this comic was in color in the final book or not; I would love to see it! Despite having a longer page count, this one felt very short, and I wanted more story and depth. Still, the art was beautiful (I've liked the artist's work for a while) and the core narrative of not letting go of the thing you wanted as a child and getting to have your own desire for the first time is very strong.

The Wish and the Wind Dragon by Katherine Locke

A nonbinary pirate kid in a world with dragons? Count me in! Jupiter's main focus is getting to a particular cove for a celebration, and so they can see their sister again for the first time in a long time. But there's no wind, so how to solve that problem? Call a wind dragon! There's a real sense of kinship between the dragon and Jupiter, however brief, and I would read a full novel of this to see that further expanded.

Splinter & Ash by Marieke Nijkamp

I would also read a full novel expansion of this story. Splinter, whose uncle and guardian is exceedingly "traditional" only seems to care about appearances and power, wants to be a knight. So when the princess's birthday masked ball is announced, Splinter goes in borrows leather armor and meets a girl who introduces herself as Ash. I think you can see where this might be heading. Despite an altercation with a guard, this has a very cute ending.

Menudo Fan Club by Aida Salazar

I'm not much of a verse person, but this was beautifully done. The comparisons and language felt fresh, which was a perfect complement to a story about friends drifting apart. D very subtly makes a choice when Camila says all the members of the boy band fan club she started have to claim a boy, but Camila appears to ignore it. This is very much one of the sadder endings in the anthology.

Stacy's Mom by Nicole Melleby

This story's title is [chef's kiss] and you know it. Because sometimes that's how you realize you're different, you know? Of course, that leads to complications for Abigail in her friend group, which does in fact include Stacy, and makes her the Monday morning source of gossip. But not everyone is whispering to Abigail negatively. I really wish this story had been longer!

Sylvie & Jenna by Ashley Herring Blake

I just read my first Ashley Herring Blake book recently so I was really excited for the story. It is also definitely a contender for my favorite, because it's so well-written and the emotions are so real, and messy and imperfect. I love Sylvie and Jenna, as well as how they deal with the conflict in their past. Marnie is an instigator and I would like to give her an award. This was absolutely the perfect story to end the anthology with.

I hope one of these summaries is enough to convince you to grab this anthology. This was such a great pool of authors, and I hope you'll give their vibrant spectrum of characters a chance!

Oh, this book was just absolutely incredible! I loved every second that I was reading this book and just didn't want to put it down because I wanted to read more and more of it.

All of the main characters in this book were absolutely blooming brilliant and all so unique. I just adored reading all of their stories and seeing such a wide amount of representation for the LGBTQ+ spectrum aimed at children. I honestly don't think I could choose a favourite because they were all so good! On a more serious note, it was just amazing to see the representation in these characters for children because for LGBTQ+ kids this book is going to be so important. Plus, it's all framed within some wonderful worlds and stories.

The plots of all of the stories were just brilliant and heartwarming and I just finished each story with a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest because they were all so good and sweet and perfect. They were all so amazing and I liked how we got a mix of fantasy and contemporary and even a tad of historical fiction in there. It was just so great seeing all of the representation fitting so well into these stories because they were absolutely incredible and so well written.

Speaking of the writing, all of the stories were so well written and I just think that all of the authors included in this book deserve as much praise as they are going to get for this brilliant anthology. I cannot wait for kids to read this book!!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.

This is Our Rainbow is the LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders and I loved every single story! There are 16 stories, a beautiful and intense collection of queer fantasy, contemporary, historical stories. We meet people with magical powers and special letters, a nonbinary pirate who makes a wish to a wind-breathing dragon, a zombie girl with a lovely relationship with her girlfriend, a girl crushing on her friend's mum, a trans girl empowering her bestie to come out and be herself, a group of friends who are growing up and changing, realizing more and more things about themselves and what they love and like...there's everything and it's amazing.
It's a collection about discovering, accepting and embracing yourself, your queerness, it's filled with joy and laughter, intense and funny moments, fear, but happy ending. I laughed, cried with happiness, cheering them on and it was so amazing. It filled my heart with love and hope and it was such an amazing journey through magic, first crushes, zombies, ex bullies, dragons, friendships, loves...
These characters are realistic, in their fears, hopes, dreams, fighting, in some stories, against relatives, expectations and what others may think of them. They are brave, scared, eager to be themselves and to love without limits and it's really empowering.
There are so many stories I loved, so many wonderful and brilliant characters, so skillfully written and I loved exploring with them their feelings, realizing their crushes and who they are.
A wonderful collection, a definitely recommended read.

What an incredible era we're in for children's literature, to have an uplifting and informational anthology for LGBTQIA+ kids of all kinds.