Indies Introduce

Young Adult

• 
  It Looks Like This, Rafi Mittlefehldt
  Candlewick, 9780763687199, September 6, 2016 (Young Adult)
  

  “This is a story of growing up gay in a small town. Mike is a kid who never fits in. He doesn’t like sports very much, instead enjoying art and French much better. He is targeted and bullied at school. It Looks Like This is a moving, thought-provoking story of acceptance and self-love that is perfect for everyone of middle-school age and above.”

  Diane Howell Robinson, Eagle Eye Book Shop (Decatur, GA)
  
  

  “Mike is a good kid who goes along with pretty much anything his father wants. His mom always gives in to his father and supports his decisions. His younger sister, Toby, is defiant and challenges her father often. Mike is a kid who is often picked on at school, especially by Victor and his cronies. When Mike meets Sean, a new kid at school, Mike has finally found a friend. Sean and Mike agree to partner on a project for French class, and soon they are spending a lot of time together. One thing leads to another, and soon the boys are more than friends. When Sean’s father finds them on the beach together, he strikes Sean, and before he knows it, Mike is sent off to a place that will ‘cure’ him of his ‘gay tendencies.’” 

  Kathy Taber, Kids Ink Children’s Bookstore (Indianapolis, IN)
  

  “It takes so much effort to accept who you are. It takes a lifetime to grow into yourself and become comfortable in your own skin. It takes even more effort when the people around you don’t accept you for who you are. Mike is just beginning to start to think about the idea that he is gay. It is hard enough for him to come to terms with it on his own, without his family, and with the school bully making it harder. Ultimately, Mike has to choose between what his family thinks is good for him, and what he knows he needs to fight for. Love comes in many forms and none of them are wrong. Love can be fierce and lead us to do things we regret, but we can also learn to forgive.” 

  Clarissa Murphy, Brookline Booksmith (Brookline, MA)