This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us
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- Create Date：2021-11-09 07:51:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Katherine Locke
- ISBN：0593303946
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Summary
The first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym， including realistic， fantasy， and sci-fi stories by authors like Justina Ireland， Marieke Nijkamp， Alex Gino， and more！
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 LGBTQA+ 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。
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 LGBTQA+ 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。
Reviews
Emily
，
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 ant 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。 My favorite story of the bunch was Balancing Acts by A。J。 Sass。--🏳️🌈 The Purr-cle of Life by Alex Gino ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: nonbinary （they/them）🙅♀️ TW: pet deathA sad but uplifting story about how pets are a comfort during the difficult times of our lives。🏳️🌈 Girl's Best Friend by Lisa Jenn Bigelow ★★☆☆☆🙌 Rep: queerplatonic crush （i。e。 "squish"）🙅♀️ TW: mention of domestic abuse， deception and invasion of privacyI really liked the exploration of a squish （platonic crush）， but the storyline involving the MC disguising herself in order to trick her squish into being vulnerable skeeved me out。 The MC realizes she was wrong and apologizes in the end， but still not fun to read。🏳️🌈 The Makeover by Shing Yin Khor ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: nonbinary （they/them）， transgender girl🙅♀️ TW: mention of beating up bullies who misgenderSuper fun short comic about friendship and experimenting with your gender expression。 Some stilted dialogue。🏳️🌈 Paper Planes by Claribel Ortega ★★☆☆☆ （2。5）🙌 Rep: wlw， gay， drag queen， discussion of nonbinary gender🙅♀️ TW: mention of past toxic relationship， racism and anti-immigrant sentimentA pinch of magical realism accompanies this story of a twelve-year-old who's tired of being the English translator for her ESL family， and uses her gift of letter-sending through paper planes to become friends with the drag queen who just moved in across the street。 I like the idea of this story but the writing didn't work for me。🏳️🌈 Petra & Pearl by Lisa Bunker ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: trans girls🙅♀️ TW: bullying， coming out themes， threat of being kicked outTwo trans girls connecting online find in each other the truth about themselves。 This was sweet but over too quickly; I wanted to know more。🏳️🌈 I Know the Way by Justina Ireland ★★☆☆☆🙌 Rep: Black， wlw🙅♀️ TW: slavery， mention of lynching， mention of floggingParallel stories about two young enslaved girls hatching a plan to run away from the plantation， and two modern-day girls visiting that plantation on a school field trip。 Eh。 The characters weren't well developed， and I didn't appreciate the ghost bait-and-switch。 （view spoiler）[And if Addie and Cora didn't die escaping， then why would their ghosts be on the bridge？ （hide spoiler）]🏳️🌈 Balancing Acts by A。 J。 Sass ★★★★☆🙌 Rep: nonbinary （e/em/eir）🙅♀️ TW: misgendering （corrected）A former gymnast reflects glumly on eir departure from a sport that is divided into boys' and girls' teams， but then discovers an intriguing gender-neutral alternative。 I really liked this one！ Kai's characterization felt very strong。🏳️🌈 Come Out， Come Out Whenever You Are by Eric Bell ★☆☆☆☆🙌 Rep: gay， nonbinary （they/them）🙅♀️ TW: homophobia， bullyingA gay middle schooler who has been accidentally outed to his bully wishes he could turn back time， and becomes stuck in a time loop。 Did not vibe at all with the writing in this one， and the story itself is very typical without bringing anything new or interesting to the table。🏳️🌈 Devoyn's Pod by Mariama J。 Lockington ★★★★☆ （3。5）🙌 Rep: wlw， Black🙅♀️ TW: mention of racismDevoyn， Ella， and Marcel have always been a trio， but when El and Marcel start dating， Dev must examine her complicated feelings and figure out how to adjust to a new status quo。 This was very cute， but I wish I knew what happened next！ Dev， El and Marcel's relationship feels prime for a poly triad。 I love how all the marine biology facts related to the story。🏳️🌈 Guess What's Coming to Dinner by Mark Oshiro ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: Latinx， wlw， mlm🙅♀️ TW: （view spoiler）[mention of eating brains （hide spoiler）]Sofia's new friend and crush is coming over for dinner， and she wants everything to be perfect。。。 but cultural differences could be tricky to navigate。 I was so confused for most of this haha， but it was pretty cute！🏳️🌈 The Golem and the Mapmaker by Molly Knox Ostertag ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: wlw？🙅♀️ TW: arranged marriage， forced servitudeA Golem is tasked with escorting a princess to her future husband's palace for their wedding， but the journey brings them closer to each other than expected。 Molly Knox Ostertag's artwork is always adorable！🏳️🌈 The Wish & the Wind Dragon by Katherine Locke ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: nonbinary （they/them）， wlw🙅♀️ TW: When Jupiter's family's ship stalls in a windless ocean， threatening to make them miss their family reunion， they wish for a Wind Dragon to blow them on their way。 This was a sweet， low-stakes fantasy。🏳️🌈 Splinter & Ash by Marieke Nijkamp ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: nonbinary， disability （crutches）， trans boy🙅♀️ TW: parent death， abuse， bullying， implied sexual assaultA cute Cinderella retelling in which a nonbinary orphan named Splinter joins forces with the disabled princess to fight bullies。🏳️🌈 Menudo Fan Club by Aida Salazar ★★☆☆☆🙌 Rep: wlw🙅♀️ TW: D's best friend Camila starting drifting away when she changed schools and started liking boys， and if D has to fake an interest in the boy band Menudo to be friends again she will。 I've said before that Aida Salazar's verse doesn't work for me， and that was the case here as well。🏳️🌈 Stacy's Mom by Nicole Melleby ★★★☆☆🙌 Rep: wlw🙅♀️ TW: homophobia， shunningAbigail becomes the target of gossip at her small Catholic middle school when her crush on Stacy's mom is revealed， but she might also have made a new friend。🏳️🌈 Sylvie & Jenna by Ashley Herring Blake ★★☆☆☆🙌 Rep: wlw🙅♀️ TW: bullying， parent death， peeing your pants in publicThe cute new girl at school turns out to be Sylvie's childhood bully。 There was nothing wrong with this short story， so I honestly don't know why I found it so mind-numbingly boring。Average rating: 2。69 starsThank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Kate A
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Rating 4。5/5This 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 Rating 4。5/5This 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。Originally posted on everywhere and nowhere 。。。more
Eloquent Whisperer
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Overall an exciting story。 Not exhilarating， but enough to keep your interest。
Rebecca
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Some really great short stories！
Casey Jo
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ADORABLE！ I love the range of stories in this anthology， as well as the range of genders and identities represented。 Yeah， they have a token cis gay boy， but there's so much more。 :）Lisa Jenn Bigelow's story about a dog witch is ESPECIALLY adorable。 Plus， stories with dragons， requited love， unrequited love， and more。 Special love for Nicole Melleby's piece， "Stacy's Mom。" I mean， c'mon！ And from Shin Yin Khor's graphic （as in picture-based， people！） story， the line Re: skirts， "being nonbinary ADORABLE！ I love the range of stories in this anthology， as well as the range of genders and identities represented。 Yeah， they have a token cis gay boy， but there's so much more。 :）Lisa Jenn Bigelow's story about a dog witch is ESPECIALLY adorable。 Plus， stories with dragons， requited love， unrequited love， and more。 Special love for Nicole Melleby's piece， "Stacy's Mom。" I mean， c'mon！ And from Shin Yin Khor's graphic （as in picture-based， people！） story， the line Re: skirts， "being nonbinary does not mean you have to look like you eight-year-old brother。 Unless you want that look。" 。。。more
Bhavya
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28/10/2021: OMG OMG OMG I AM SO EXCITED AAAHH。
rachel ☾
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➸ Trigger warnings for （view spoiler）[domestic & child abuse mentioned， death of a father mentioned， death of a pet cat recounted （hide spoiler）]。 Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram ➸ Trigger warnings for （view spoiler）[domestic & child abuse mentioned， death of a father mentioned， death of a pet cat recounted （hide spoiler）]。 Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram 。。。more
Florence
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This book made my kid so happy， I just had to read it for myself。 I loved the warmth and joy and the fact that each story treated its younger characters and all their different identities， crushes， and experiences with such care and respect。 I asked my kid how many copies we should buy as gifts and they said， “ALL of them！”
Hannah White
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My whole heart is just so， so full。 This is a beautiful anthology of all sorts of stories。 I was pleasantly surprised by how much fantasy was here！ I don't have words quite yet to convey just how beautiful and special this collection is， but I'll come back when I do and try my best to write an actual review， haha。All I'll say for now is that I can't wait for queer kids to get their hands on this。 It's going to mean so much， and help so many kids feel seen and beautiful and loved for who they are My whole heart is just so， so full。 This is a beautiful anthology of all sorts of stories。 I was pleasantly surprised by how much fantasy was here！ I don't have words quite yet to convey just how beautiful and special this collection is， but I'll come back when I do and try my best to write an actual review， haha。All I'll say for now is that I can't wait for queer kids to get their hands on this。 It's going to mean so much， and help so many kids feel seen and beautiful and loved for who they are in a world that is filled with people who refuse to understand them。 。。。more
Stéphanie Louis
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“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 wo “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。 。。。more
A。J。
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Full disclosure: I contributed a story to this collection。I cannot stress enough how liberating it felt to read an entire anthology filled with queer voices and perspectives。 I went through a spectrum of emotions while reading， starting with teary （Alex Gino's story was really the perfect way to open this anthology） to grinning and laughing and then back to teary （Ashley Herring Blake is the master of making my heart squeeze）。 This collection is perfect for the middle schooler （or kid at heart） Full disclosure: I contributed a story to this collection。I cannot stress enough how liberating it felt to read an entire anthology filled with queer voices and perspectives。 I went through a spectrum of emotions while reading， starting with teary （Alex Gino's story was really the perfect way to open this anthology） to grinning and laughing and then back to teary （Ashley Herring Blake is the master of making my heart squeeze）。 This collection is perfect for the middle schooler （or kid at heart） in your life， but it'll also be meaningful to many adults who didn't get to see this kind of representation when they were in middle school themselves。 This book deserves a spot on every bookshelf。 。。。more
Cece
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Exceptional。 This Is Our Rainbow is not just a collection of short stories， it's a treasure trove of precious words bundled together in indelible ink that will have readers forever grateful this anthology is part of the human library of fiction。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 Exceptional。 This Is Our Rainbow is not just a collection of short stories， it's a treasure trove of precious words bundled together in indelible ink that will have readers forever grateful this anthology is part of the human library of fiction。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 ̴ CeceThank you to TBR and Beyond Tours and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the advance readers copy for review。 Find my full review:https://sheafandink。com/2021/10/21/th。。。 Blog tour post （coming soon） 。。。more
Paige
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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 UsAuthor: 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 SassBook Series: StandaloneDiversity: Non binary MCsAce MCTrans MCLatinx lesbian MCsGa 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 UsAuthor: 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 SassBook Series: StandaloneDiversity: Non binary MCsAce MCTrans MCLatinx lesbian MCsGay drag queen side characterTrans side charactersBlack MCBlack Lesbian MCsF/f romanceMixed relationshipNeopronounsGay celiac MCBlack queer MCLatinx side charactersMC with 2 momsSide character with 2 dadsBisexual side characterLesbian MCRating: 5/5Recommended For。。。: middle grade readers， contemporary， fantasy， sci-fi， poetry， anthologyGenre: Middle Grade anthologyPublication Date: October 19， 2021Publisher: Knopf Books for Young ReadersPages: 288Recommended 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！ 。。。more
Gabriella Crivilare
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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 ex 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 GinoThis 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 BigelowOkay， 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 KhorI 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。 OrtegaThis 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 BunkerTwo 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 IrelandA 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。 SassKai 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 BellThis 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。 LockingtonDev'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 OshiroAside 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 OstertagI 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 LockeA 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 NijkampI 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 SalazarI'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 MellebyThis 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 BlakeI 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！ 。。。more
Bee
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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 b 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。 。。。more
Livy
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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 ser 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！！ 。。。more
Lu
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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 gi 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。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。 。。。more
Sacha
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Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 Here is that review: 4 stars The world needs more middle grade （and YA！） short story collections， and this is an action-packed anthology filled with well known writers and important topics。 As is made obvious by the title， cover， and content， the running motif is LGBTQIA+， and there is quite a variety when it comes to the presentation of these characters and the events they expe Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 Here is that review: 4 stars The world needs more middle grade （and YA！） short story collections， and this is an action-packed anthology filled with well known writers and important topics。 As is made obvious by the title， cover， and content， the running motif is LGBTQIA+， and there is quite a variety when it comes to the presentation of these characters and the events they experience。 Like the vast majority of anthologies， there are some stories that are standout stars and others that are good or really good。 On the upside， for me， there aren't any obvious extras here， but I think everyone will have their favorites。 Among mine are the installments from Ashley Herring Blake （a consistent five-star writer for me， so no surprise）， Mark Oshiro （I loved this twist）， Justina Ireland （I loved the structure of this piece）， and A。 J。 Sass （who brings in one of the stronger character displays + context）。 I really enjoyed every piece in the collection， but these are the ones I think I'll remember the clearest （and will reference in my recommendations to students）。 I am loving the recent influx of story collections in middle grade and YA。 There is a wide audience for this one， and folks looking to expand their young readers' （or their own） repertoire in genre and motif need look no further。 Recommended。 。。。more
Madi
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A wonderful collection of short stories by amazing author’s。 Each story is so unique to each author but they all blend so well together！ Fantastic！ Highly recommend！
Andrew
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What an incredible era we're in for children's literature， to have an uplifting and informational anthology for LGBT kids of all kinds。 This Is Our Rainbow brings so many influential and bestselling authors into one book， one of hope， camaraderie， and spirit。 Friendships， family， identity， and first crushes are all focal points in this collection， just as they are in real life。 A must-have for personal and professional libraries。 What an incredible era we're in for children's literature， to have an uplifting and informational anthology for LGBT kids of all kinds。 This Is Our Rainbow brings so many influential and bestselling authors into one book， one of hope， camaraderie， and spirit。 Friendships， family， identity， and first crushes are all focal points in this collection， just as they are in real life。 A must-have for personal and professional libraries。 。。。more
megs_bookrack
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The Middle Grade Anthology of my dreams！ The fact that I found this I just gif is just perfect timing。。。 The Middle Grade Anthology of my dreams！ The fact that I found this I just gif is just perfect timing。。。 。。。more
Lisa
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Normally I don't rate books before I read them。 But I know this one's going to be amazing。 So。 Normally I don't rate books before I read them。 But I know this one's going to be amazing。 So。 。。。more
Casey Lyall
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Super excited for this！
Raven Lucero
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