The Deepest Breath – Meg Greham (2019)

The blurb on the book reads as follows: “It’s in my chest, And sometimes my tummy, And always my head, It’s a fizzy feeling, Warm and squishy, And it makes me blush, And it only happens, When I look at my friend Chloe.” This quote not only describes how I felt when I read this book, but beautifully illustrates the feelings I had as a child in primary school. The Deepest Breath follows eleven-year-old Stevie, a girl who is starting to explore her feelings for another girl in her class.

Using verse rather than prose, the book follows Stevie’s thoughts and inner monologue, not only focussing on her feelings but also on her parental relationships, anxiety, friendships, and love of reading. And it is Stevie’s love of reading, especially about sea-creatures, that leads her to research in a library.

With the help of a librarian and her mother, Stevie works out her emotions, and learns to let go of the expectations placed upon her. For the first time in my life, I found a book that encapsulated what it was like to be young and not understand what is happening to you, or why you feel different from everyone else.

The Amazing Edie Eckhart – Rosie Jones (2021)

Each generation has a series of children’s books that is guaranteed to spark nostalgia in the decades to come. They grew alongside the characters that they love. For my parents, it was The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. For me, it was Rainbow Magic and Goosebumps. Now, Rosie Jones is bringing this joy to another generation.

The Amazing Edie Eckhart follows Edie, a pre-teen with cerebral palsy, as she starts senior school and discovers her love of the performing arts. After her best friend is put into a different class and gets a girlfriend, Edie begins searching for friendship and a boyfriend. But after getting cast in the school play, Edie discovers a lot about herself. Through realistic dialogue and pop culture references, Rosie Jones builds a very natural, empathic world. Edie explores her feelings towards a girl friend, providing the reader with an emotional and humorous experience. Not only does this book normalise LGBTQ+ relationships, it also explores wider social issues. The continuation of the story in the sequel is a welcome delight, and I am excited to see what is in store for Edie next.

The Secret Sunshine Project: – Benjamin Dean (2022)

This summer I attended my first ever London Pride. I got to experience the uncontrollable joy and complex sadness of this truly sublime experience. I felt seen and heard, like there was a metaphysical place I belonged to.

The Secret Sunshine Project follows a young girl called Bea. When Bea attended London Pride with her family , she had one of the best days ever. But after her father dies, Bea and her family move to the countryside to live with her Gran.

This is the first book I have read where an entire family is shown to be accepting of  LGBTQ+ people from the beginning of the story. A lot of books centre around self-discovery and coming out, but this story explores family and community relationships. Bea’s older sister is especially unhappy with the move, so in the hope of cheering her up, Bea desires to bring Pride to their new home. Without a support network, life can be extremely isolating, especially in a remote community. As a child of the countryside, I welcomed the exploration of LGBTQ+ identities outside of an urban setting.

Meghzie is an ambassador for Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity – sign up for their newsletter.