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emilyhays 's review for:

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It's about two 13 year-olds, Lily and Duncan. Lily is a transgender girl, who's dad is trying and struggling to understand how she feels. Duncan has bipolar disorder, and is struggling between feeling like himself and taking his medication. I think Gephart did a really great job with this novel, despite that it is not own voices. If you do read this book, which I totally recommend, I also recommend reading the author's note, as the author really talks about writing both Lily and Duncan's POV and how she went about doing it.
I wish that more parents would be more willing to buy this book for their kids, though. As a bookseller, I love recommending these books, but once I explain what their about, parents (though not all) get nervous, and don't want to buy a book that deals with transgender youth and kids dealing with mental illness and trauma. That's why is so important for allies and people in these communities with the ability to speak up, do so, and why I will keep recommending these books.