Book Review: How it Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages by Judith E. Snow

Genre: 
Non-fiction


Interest Level:
Ages 11 and up

Reading Level:
Grades 5 and up


Book Theme:
LGBT parents, bullying, fitting in



Books with Similar Themes: 

Let's Get This Straight: The Ultimate Handbook for Youth with LGBTQ Parents by Tina Deen-Fakhrid, GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel

Bibliographic Information: 
Snow, J. E. (2004). How it feels to have a gay or lesbian parent: A book by kids for kids of all ages. New York: Harrington Park Press.
        
Plot:  
How it Feels to Have A Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages is a nonfiction book that interviews children of gay and lesbian parents from elementary school age all of the way to people in their thirties.  It includes the stories of ten tweens between the ages of 9 to 14 named Trisha, Justin, Sophia, Lilly, Avery, Tara, Ally, Andrew, Chloe, and Rickey. All of these children share their experiences with having gay parents including what it was life to find out their parents were gay, how they feel about their parents today, what it was like living with a parent's new boyfriend or girlfriend, how their classmates treated them, how they were sometimes teased, and how likely they thought it was that they would be gay themselves later in life. The stories were all taken from interviews with the tweens and all ended with the question of what they wanted to do when they grew up.

Review:  

How it Feels to Have A Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages is a great book for tweens because it tells these ten tween's stories from each tween's perspective. All of these tweens dealt with things like accepting family issues, fitting in at school, dealing with teasing, bullying, and losing friends, and dealing with prejudice. This book does a great job of sharing these stories in the tween's own voices, making the stories sound authentic and easy to relate to. Best of all, it shows that tweens with gay or lesbian parents are just like all other tweens. This book is great for any tween with a gay or lesbian parents who wants to know they are not alone or wants to hear the stories of other people their own ages. It's also a great way to educate all tweens of what it's like to have a gay or lesbian parents so they can better understand their peers.