Small Town Pride follows Jake, who is just starting to enjoy being his school’s first openly gay kid. In Barton Springs however, a town that’s so small it’s considered a village, not everyone seems to be as accepting as Jake would like. When Jake’s dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard to support his son, the mayor begins to receive complaints. And what starts out as a way to show that love is love turns into people being concerned that a flag might turn into something truly outlandish: a pride parade. But Jake doesn’t think it’s an outlandish idea—why can’t they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? Jake knows he’s not the only queer person in town and maybe throwing that festival will finally make Jake feel like he belongs. As Jake and his friends attempt to rally the town council and the mayor’s son Brett wants to spend more time with Jake, Jake will discover that pride is whatever he makes it, not what others dictate.
Quite like the idyllic farming game Jake is obsessed with, this book feels a bit like a warm blanket given to you on a rainy fall afternoon. Small Town Pride has so much that makes it endearing—the protagonist’s unfailingly supportive family that would go to the ends of the earth for him, a best friend who’s as much comedic relief as she is cunningly smart and even a hint of blossoming romance between a boy who’s glad he’s out and another who fears everything that comes with speaking your truth. All this is headed by the book’s likable and relatable protagonist Jake who is a cinnamon roll if I’ve ever seen one.
The story unfolds beautifully with Jake taking stock of where he is in life—freshly out to his parents who want to show their love for him, he’s spent most of his spare time playing a video game that lets him be himself in a rural setting and even propose to a kind and sweet farmer. While Jake’s still contemplating how to feel pride and determine what the concept means to him, he also knows that, in real life, standing up for himself and others might not only help him feel like he belongs but also change something around the world if people see Barton Springs, a small town, as supportive of the LGBTQIAP+ community.
While I would have wished for a bit more depth and less repetition when it came to Jake’s internal thoughts, I appreciated the way this book portrayed the savviness of young individuals. Small Town Pride doesn’t shy away from including politics and I loved that. Adolescents (especially growing up with social media) are much more aware of societal and political issues than they’re given credit for and in Small Town Pride, Jake and his friends get the chance to be politically active, show their smarts and fight for something they know will help older but especially younger generations feel seen and like they belong.
Stamper also explores the difficulty of being queer in a rural place in such a refreshing manner: we have all these stories that follow young queer kids waiting to come of age to get out of the small towns and its small-minded people but here we get to see Jake do quite the opposite. He loves his town but he doesn’t feel like he belongs so he’s taking on this pride festival idea to make his home feel more like one. I think that’s such a great narrative and I’m hoping it will bring young and older readers alike solace to know that queer people exist and belong in all spaces in the world. All in all, this book held me captive from the first page and made me extremely excited for Stamper’s future ventures into the middle grade genre.
An exuberantly warm and sweet story about using your voice and finding your place, Stamper’s middle-grade debut Small Town Pride tenderly shows that pride is what you make it. Perfect for fans of Nicole Melleby and Alex Gino.
Small Town Pride is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 31st 2022.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From acclaimed author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me) comes a poignant coming-of-age, contemporary middle grade debut novel about finding your place, using your voice, and the true meaning of pride. Perfect for fans of Rick by Alex Gino and The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy.
Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school’s first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can’t be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio.
When Jake’s dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade.
Except Jake doesn’t think that’s a ridiculous idea. Why can’t they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? The problem is, Jake knows he’ll have to get approval from the town council, and the mayor won’t be on his side. And as Jake and his friends try to find a way to bring Pride to Barton Springs, it seems suspicious that the mayor’s son, Brett, suddenly wants to spend time with Jake.
But someone that cute couldn’t possibly be in league with his mayoral mother, could he?
