From acclaimed author Phil Stamper ( The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me ) comes a poignant and heartfelt 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 supportive family and friends are accepting, 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 begin a journey of community activism 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? An ALA Rainbow List Pick - A 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist for Best Middle Grade and Children’s Book - A School Library Journal Best Book of 2022 - A Maine Student Book Award 2023-2024 Reading List Nominee Gr 5 Up-In the tiny town of Barton Springs, OH, Jake is the only openly gay kid, a fact he's mostly comfortable with-even if he's not sure he loves the huge pride flag his dad hung up. Especially, because the mayor across the street dislikes lawn signs, protests, and anything that threatens the perfect peace she aspires to build in town. As people begin to take sides, Jake questions what "pride" really means, and if he can fit into the small town he loves. When the mayor's cute son agrees to help try to throw the town's first pride festival, Jake wonders if he can really trust him, and if pride in this town is possible at all. This is a timely, relevant novel with references to current events that middle grade readers will connect with. Jake and his friends are navigating all the normal middle school triumphs and pitfalls, while planning a pride festival with all the optimism and nerves expected from a group of tweens. Stamper excels at exemplifying the range of support Jake could expect to find, with some of the hypocritical adults undergoing well-crafted character development. Some interactions read like a guide to having tough conversations-but for a book that's all about empowering tweens, that's not necessarily a bad thing. VERDICT Middle schoolers will be drawn to this story about a kid trying to find his place, learning to speak up, and understanding what pride really means.-Kristin Brynsvoldα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Stamper evidences his love for village life while acknowledging that life for gay kids can be difficult there. But where there’s strife, there’s hope, isn’t there? - Booklist In a heartfelt middle grade debut, Stamper ( Golden Boys ) traces a gay 13-year-old’s arc toward authenticity and queer community in Midwestern America. Drawing from his own childhood experiences and employing sympathetically rendered characters, Stamper keeps the accessible story hopeful with a clear-eyed message of acceptance, inclusion, and bighearted community - Publishers Weekly With endearing characters and a timely message of love and acceptance, Small Town Pride is a charming story of friendship, family, and living your truth beyond your wildest dreams. - Greg Howard, author of The Whispers and The Visitors Tender and empowering all at once, Small Town Pride is a story of bravery, friendship, and not only finding one's voice, but  using  it to make a difference. This is a story I wish I had as a young reader. - Ashley Herring Blake, author of Stonewall Honor Book Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World Small Town Pride captures the complexities of contemporary queer kids with incredible nuance and empathy. So many readers will feel seen in these pages. - Chad Lucas, author of Thanks A Lot, Universe and Let The Monster Out S mall Town Pride is a queer Footloos e for the middle grade crowd, with heart, laughs, and a journey that will make readers stand up and cheer. An absolute triumph! - Claribel A. Ortega, award-winning author of Witchlings Full of warmth, hope, and joy, Phil Stamper's middle grade debut is an absolute celebration! - Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin' Phil Stamper is the bestselling author of  The Gravity of Us ,  As Far as You’ll Take Me , Golden Boys , Small Town Pride, and other queer books for kids and teens. He currently works in author development for a major book publisher in New York