Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake 310 pages

I am so happy that there are several books coming out for middle graders that offer realistic looks at what it is like to be LGBTQ.  This is one of the best books yet that I've read.  It was sensitive, and didn't ever have a heavy hand.  It literally just followed a young girl as she tried to sort out why and how she was different.  More than anything it allows young people to understand two things: 1) it's okay to be different and 2) it's okay to not have all the answers.  This story was filled with warmth and characters that you really won't be able to help but love and want the best for them.  I highly recommend it to everyone 8 years+  without reservation. 

Same Kind of Different as me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, 96 pages

  This book worked well as an audio book, and the readers (Dan Butler and Barry Scott) were fabulous.

  I jumped into this one knowing nothing about it. I didn’t even look at the title or have a clue what kind of literature it was before listening to it. I just took the piece as the words came. The main characters/narrators are Ron Hall and Denver Moore, so my mind went reeling in new directions when the recording ended too soon for me with the spoken footnote that the book was written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

  I was sucked into Denver’s story from the first words. His childhood story painted a picture of Louisiana sharecropping in the South during the 30's and 40's that brought new, much appreciated insights to me. I liked Denver from the beginning even though he doesn’t necessarily seem to think he is more than, I believe he says, "No one telling anyone who will listen about someone everyone should know."

  Ron and Debra Hall met Denver when he was homeless and friendless in Texas after they each had lives full of experiences to share with each other. I’m glad they became friends and shared their combined stories for me to hear.

  This double autobiography is heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and potentially life-changing. My only complaint is that it's too short; I’m still checking to see if I accidentally lost the last half of the book.
  I see online that a movie version of the story was released in October of 2017.