The Prince and the Dressmaker

By Jen Wang The Prince and the Dressmaker Themes Gender Norms Toxic Masculinity Bullying Paris, at the dawn of the modern age: Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses […]

Tight

By Torrey Maldonado Tight Themes Peer Pressure Toxic Masculinity Bullying Lately Bryan’s been feeling it in all kinds of ways. He knows what’s tight for him in a good way—reading comics, drawing superheroes, and hanging out with no drama. But drama’s hard to escape where he’s from, and that gets him wound up tight. And […]

Maybe He Just Likes You

By Barbara Dee Maybe He Just Likes You Themes Girl Empowerment Sexual Harassment Consent Bullying For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila it’s his birthday, and asks her […]

Giraffes Can’t Dance

BY GILES ANDREAE AND GUY PARKER-REES Giraffes Can’t Dance Themes Bullying Stereotypes Self-Esteem Gerald the giraffe just wants to dance, but like all giraffes, he has crooked knees and thin legs. It’s hard for giraffes to dance! Thankfully, Gerald figures out how to dance his own way after hearing some encouragement from an unlikely friend. […]