I wish I had this book when I was 13-years old. I would’ve came out to my family a lot sooner than I did. Having the support of an entire town are only seen in the movies these days, but the way Phil Stamper mapped out the story—I truly can see more small towns coming together for their queer youth. This book is truly touching and heartfelt. It’s honestly a perfect read for anyone at any age or any phase of their life—now, I wish I lived in a small town. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Phil Stamper for the eARC of this masterpiece. Great work!

I loved this book! It was a sweet and endearing story, but with a powerful message. When I was growing up in the UK, it was illegal to be homosexual, so for a middle schooler and his small provincial town to embrace gay pride was truly heartwarming to me.

A coming (out) of age story that truly is sweet and endearing. I found the story to be very powerful and encourage young readers to read this story. Whether you can relate or not to the story it definitely will make you feel much closer to humans. I think you can also take a lesson to treat others kinder for many other reasons as well from this book. Let's be better humans!

This was such a sweet read! Stamper did phenomenal with this MG debut. The kids are all great without falling into the trap of coming off as far too young, like often happens with middle grade. It absolutely just warms my heart to know that queer kids will get to grow up with middle grade books like these now!

A story of a boy coming out to his parents, and the greater discussion of diversity, inclusion, tolerance, acceptance, and pride that eventually includes the whole town as a result. It does paint a rosier picture than the reality of being queer in a small, conservative town really is, but it's a good story for those who need to feel hopeful, and to feel that they are not alone.

I found this to be very relevant as I am a librarian in a small rural town, where many people still would prefer their gay young people to please stay in the closet or leave town (or worse); anything to preserve the status quo and their comfort level and belief that "we don't have those kind of people here". I wish it was as easy to get through to them as it was for Jake and his friends and parents to get through to the people of his town.

I'm giving an honest review, I received an e arc of this book from NetGalley.
This book is what this small town queer needed as a kid. I appreciated that the author had the main character Jake have relatable thoughts, hopes, and fears. I like that the book can serve as an inspiration to middle grade folks, showing them that it is normal to know or question things at that age.
This book can help anybody who would be interested in starting their own Pride celebration for their town, as it covers things about presenting the ideas, planning the event, spreading the word, dealing with conflict in an appropriate way, and the joy at getting the festival set up.
I will be recommending this book to any person that would show an interest in it.
4.5 stars!

It puts such a big smile on my face that LQBTQIA books are being published and young children are finally able to see themselves in the stories they read. The hero is not slaying dragons or rescuing the damsel-in-distress. Instead, the hero is staying true to who they are and doing what is right. I adore the representation in this book and feel that readers will appreciate the honesty and heart of this story. I hope similar stories continue to be published to allow children the chance to see themselves being represented in a variety of ways.

This book was remarkably compelling given that it was middle grades, and just so sweet. Do we need more books from white, presumably cis, men, about white, presumably cis, characters? Not really. But it was well developed, thoughtful, and complex. Lots of MG books feel like they just collapse characters into these flat good or bad, likable or unlikable, right or wrong caricatures. This one had a bunch of people who were really flawed but also working hard.

The critique i have is that the characters didn't really read like middle schoolers (the main, POV character did, but not really the others), and moreover the school didn't really read like a middle school consistently. PS has been a YA author and i feel like that's evident in a lot of the book. I didn't mind! But it felt notable. The content was very middle grades, but the rest of it felt a bit older.

Also i think that the school needs a child study team and some RTI processes, and maybe a better special education referral system. It would have messed up the plot a bit but would have been way better for the students!

This book is meant for middle-grade readers, but in its simple story, it brings up some really good questions that people should discuss more.

1. Why is it that if you're born gay in a small town, you're made to feel like you have to move away to a big city? The obvious answer would be to find more support and acceptance. But Stamper flips the script with Jake's character. Jake loves his small town. Why should he have to leave? It's an idealistic look at what could happen if people in small towns engage with each other and make the place a safe one for ALL people.

2. Who gets to decide what types of PRIDE can be celebrated? No one bats an eye when people paint their faces, wear specific colors, and chant cheerfully when it's a sports team we're celebrating. Why can't kids like Jake and his peers be able to celebrate who they are?

Small Town Pride is a feel-good read that is also very thought-provoking.

Small Town Pride is one of those middle-grade books that I wish I had read when I was younger.

It follows Jake who is the first openly gay kid in his middle school who decides to hold a pride festival in his small town.

I loved the message that this book is sharing with younger readers- about accepting and having confidence in yourself, navigating first crushes, friendships, and standing up for what you believe in!

I think that the ending and the scenes at the pride festival could have been longer, but overall, this is a really heartwarming feel-good story! I also love the nods to the game Stardew Valley! The way this book includes casual references to the game without using it as too much of a pop culture reference was really well done.

Also, the cover of this book is gorgeous!!

5/5

I loved this book with my whole heart- once I got to about 30% I read the rest in one sitting. Stamper's writing is so addictive- you are never able to read just one chapter, or even just 5. Middle grade is not one of the genre's that I typically read in, but that might change after this book. It was that good.

Small Town Pride follows Jake, the only openly gay person at his small village school, as he tries to organize a pride festival to celebrate queerness in a small, conservative area.

This was something that my middle school self absolutely needed to read, but my current self very much enjoyed reading it as well. If you know any young queer people or are on a journey to heal your inner (queer) child- I would recommend this book over and over again!

This was such a lovely queer Middle Grade book! The story follows thirteen year old Jake after he comes out to his parents and his dad flies a huge pride flag outside their home. Some people in their small town are super accepting and happy to see the flag, but not everyone. Whether it’s comments like “there are no people like that here” or being concerned that it will lead to a pride parade being held in their town. So Jake decides they should try to hold a pride festival so he can show that Barton Springs can be a welcoming place for everyone.

I really enjoyed the message in this book about how people shouldn’t have to move away to a big city in order to find a queer community. How everyone should be able to feel accepted and welcome in their small towns. It was really rewarding watching Jake and his friends stand up for what they believed in and work to change the minds of adults so they can hold their pride festival. But I also appreciated how the author showed that sometimes people can’t be public about their sexuality because it wouldn’t be safe for them. But I did think that at times Jake and his friends didn’t quite feel like thirteen year olds.

The tone of the book is mostly hopeful. While there are some people who oppose Jake and him wanting to hold a pride festival in town, the story never gets overwhelmed with hate or anger. Definitely check this one out if it sounds interesting to you!

I liked this one a lot! After Jake comes out to his parents, his dad proudly hangs the biggest pride flag he can find outside of their house, kicking off a series of events leading to Jake fighting to throw his small town's first pride festival. The characters in the story are a delight, no one is a straight up caricature or a stereotype. The setting felt very real, the small town and its residents really come to life. This is a must have for any middle grade collection.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book so much! Jake lives in a small town and has just come out to his parents. His dad, a fan of big gestures, hangs a pride flag on their flag pole. This causes controversy in his town, Jake realizes he needs to do something to show the town that it’s LGBTQ+ members belong, so he decides to bring a Pride Festival to town. Can he get the permits they need, especially when the town may not like it? Is the mayors son really trying to help them? I haven’t read a lot of middle grade books but when I saw that it was about a boy bringing a Pride Festival to his small town and the fact that it was written by Phil Stamper I knew I had to read it! Reading it was a warm wonderful experience and I couldn’t put it down! There were a lot of reminders of how strong people in the LGBTQ+ community often have to be at such young ages! I loved that the book discussed the struggle those of us who grew up in small towns, villages, or even just in the country could have in feeling a sense of belonging where we lived! I loved Jake, Jenna, and Brett! And I enjoyed reading about youthful crushes! I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read it again!

This was a really cute book and I enjoyed it. I could see a lot of my hometown in this and it makes me wish that when I was Jakes age I could have been out like him. I wish my hometown could’ve been more accepting. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Phil Stamper’s YA novels but it was still an incredible read and I will definitely read it again

This is a Middle Grade coming of age - coming out story. It is a very positive , heartwarming story about a town that, after learning love and tolerance understands a person being gay. I loved the parents although all the characters are great. I liked the authors writing style which flowed gently and easily.
I would like to thank the author, Harper Collins Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Small Town Pride releases on 5/31/22

My first NetGalley ARC! This title releases May 31, 2022 just in time for Pride Month.

Small Town Pride is a middle grade book, yet the themes of LGBT acceptance and allyship throughout make this an enjoyable and insightful read for YA and adult readers too.

The story follows middle schooler Jake who comes out to his parents as gay at the beginning of the book. Although his parents are accepting, he wants to feel supported in his close-minded small town. Jake embarks on trying to start a Pride festival in his small town, so that other queer people will feel welcome and accepted.

This book impressed me in the nuanced way Stamper explored a myriad of common queer individuals’ experiences through the lens of a middle grade story. Some topics explored here include:
-queer individuals leaving their small towns after high school to live in a more accepting urban location
-queer individuals turning to internet safe spaces when they don’t feel accepted in their real life
-people who say they are allies but when it comes time for action they look the other way
-how to navigate having a parent or family member with non-accepting views by confronting them, educating them, etc.
-political figures’ actions negatively affecting the treatment of LGBT youth

Due to the inclusion of the above topics, the main character’s experiences felt realistic throughout the book. The main character’s journey was nonlinear in terms of his own hopefulness and self-assurance, which felt realistic too.

It is worth noting that the main character had a strong support system in his life with supportive parents and a supportive best friend, which many queer youth do not have.

Small Town Pride is a hopeful story for middle school and high school readers. It is a perceptive story for adult readers in its exploration of relevant topics affecting queer youth.

This blew me away. For a middle grade novel this book sure packed a punch. This story was like a breath of fresh air mixed with fresh sheets out fo the dryer. Read it now.

This book left me crying! It was so wonderful! I live in a small town and just reading this reminded me of my small town.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I recently discovered Phil Stamper with the release of Golden Boys and found his voice to be so authentic and heart warming.

Small Town pride is no exception! It's not a novel filled with typical tropes or a cookie cutter coming out story. This fantastic middle grade novel brings voice to coming out in middle school in a small town. It strongly illustrates how coming out is not a one and done event, but a process. The way it full explores whats its like to find community is message we need now more then ever. If I could buy a copy of this book for every middle school child in Florida I would.