For immediate release | January 25, 2021

'We Are Little Feminists: Families' wins 2021 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award

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CHICAGO – "We Are Little Feminists: Families," written by Archaa Shrivastav and designed by Lindsey Blakely, is the 2021 recipient of the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award. The award was announced at 8 a.m. CT, today by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s (ALA) Stonewall Book Awards – Children’s & Young Adult Committee of the Rainbow Round Table, during the ¾«¶«´«Ã½Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, held virtually Jan. 22 - 26.

The Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience. The award will be presented to the winning authors or editors at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago in June.

“These books showcase a beautiful range of queer identities, exploring the joy of self-definition, community, and relationships for all ages across cultural and racial backgrounds,” said Stonewall Book Awards – Children’s and Young Adult Committee Chair Ari Gofman.

One Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Award Book was named: “We Are Little Feminists: Families” designed by Lindsey Blakely, written by Archaa Shrivastav and published by Little Feminist.

Understanding queer identities and representation can be this simple. With joyful, expressive photos, delightful rhyming text, and an explicitly feminist and queer positive lens, Families shows children 0-5 the true diversity of the world around them and the families to which they belong.

Four Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Award Honor Books were named:

“Beetle & The Hollowbones,” illustrated and written by Aliza Layne and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

In this vibrant graphic novel, goblin-witch Beetle and fan-fiction-writing Kat work together to free their non-gendered friend Blob Ghost from the mall they haunt before it is demolished. This fun love story between two magical girls explores family, power, and courage.

“Darius the Great Deserves Better,'' written by Adib Khorram and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

In this thoughtful, heartwarming, and deftly-crafted sequel to Darius the Great Is Not Okay, gay Iranian-American high schooler Darius Kellner explores family, grief, depression, consent, and racism, all while playing soccer, drinking tea, and navigating his changing romantic feelings.

“Felix Ever After” written by Kacen Callender and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

After a personal attack at his New York City summer arts program, Black, queer, transgender Felix’s attempts to heal lead to revenge and unexpected romance. While navigating gender identity, relationships, and ambitions, Felix recognizes he is a demiboy, and that he is enough.

“You Should See Me in a Crown,” written by Leah Johnson and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

High school senior Liz Lighty has always had a plan, and it never included running for Prom Queen or falling for the new girl. This queer, Black prom rom-com is a heartfelt, genuine story with an authentic sense of place and hilarious voice.

The members of the 2021 Stonewall Book Awards - Children’s and Young Adult Committee are: Chair Ari Gofman, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts; Kazia Berkley-Cramer, Watertown Free Public Library, Watertown, Massachusetts; L. Lee Butler, The Key School, Annapolis, Maryland; Dani Crickman, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts; Alyson R. Feldman-Piltch, Christina Seix Academy, Trenton, New Jersey; Kevin Kelley, New York Public Library, New York, New York; Elizabeth Lippoldt, St. Charles City-County Library District, St. Charles, Missouri; Andrew Medlar, New York Public Library, New York, New York; Mary Catherine Miller, United Way of South Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia; Becky Reiser, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, California; Kelly R. Silwani, Olentangy Orange Middle School, Lewis Center, Ohio; Shayna Szabo, LA County Library, Los Angeles County, California; and Mrs. Jayne Walters, Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, Indiana.

For information on the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award and other ¾«¶«´«Ã½Youth Media Awards, please visit .

The Rainbow Round Table (RRT) – formerly known as the GLBTRT - of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ is the oldest professional association for LGBTQIA+ people in the United States. It is committed to serving the information needs of the LGBTQIA+ professional library community and information and access needs of individuals at large. It is home to GLBT Book Month (tm), a nationwide celebration every June and the Stonewall Book Award, the first award honoring LGBTQIA+ books. The Rainbow Round Table is committed to encouraging and supporting the free and necessary access to all information, as reflected by the missions of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ and democratic institutions.

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