"Gephart has written a story that will speak not just to one specific community, but to humanity as a whole." --VOYA
For readers who enjoyed Wonder and Counting by 7's, award-winning author Donna Gephart crafts a compelling dual narrative about two remarkable young people: Lily, a transgender girl, and Dunkin, a boy dealing with bipolar disorder. Their powerful story will shred your heart, then stitch it back together with kindness, humor, bravery, and love.
Lily Jo McGrother, born Timothy McGrother, is a girl. But being a girl is not so easy when you look like a boy. Especially when you’re in the eighth grade.
Dunkin Dorfman, birth name Norbert Dorfman, is dealing with bipolar disorder and has just moved from the New Jersey town he’s called home for the past thirteen years. This would be hard enough, but the fact that he is also hiding from a painful secret makes it even worse.
One summer morning, Lily Jo McGrother meets Dunkin Dorfman, and their lives forever change.
* 2017 Southern Book Award Winner—Juvenile Category
* Voice Award from the Palm Beach County Action Alliance for Mental Health
* NPR's Best Kids' Books of 2016
* Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers 2016
* New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2016
* Amazon's Top 20 Children's Books of 2016
* Top 10 Audiobooks of 2016, School Library Journal
* YALSA 2017 Best Fiction for Young Adults
* YALSA 2017 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
* ALA 2017 Rainbow Book List -- GLBTQ Books for Children & Teens
* Georgia Book Award, 2017-2018 Nominee
* Rhode Island Middle School Book Award Nominee, 2018
* Wisconsin State Reading Association's Just One More Page Selection, 2017
* Indie Next Pick Summer 2016
* Junior Library Guild Selection
* Goodreads Choice Awards 2016 -- Best Middle Grade & Children's
* 2016 Nerdy Book Club Award
* 2016 Rainbow Awards -- Best Transgender Book
* 2016 Spring Okra Pick -- the Best in Southern Literature
"Gephart clearly has a lot of heart, and she tells their stories with compassion."--Kirkus
"A thoughtfully and sensitively written work of character-driven fiction that dramatically addresses two important subjects that deserve more widespread attention."--Booklist, starred
“Gephart sympathetically contrasts the physical awkwardness, uncertainty, and longings of these two outsiders during a few tightly-plotted months, building to a crescendo of revelation…[A] valuable portrait of two teenagers whose journeys are just beginning.”--PW
"This would be a fantastic addition to any middle grade library collection, and is highly recommended for all ages."--VOYA
"Lily and Dunkin is a delight. Here’s a book for anyone who’s ever struggled with being different--or anyone who’s ever loved someone who bears the burden of difference. . . . Crucial, heart-breaking, and inspiring.” —Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She’s Not There and Stuck in the Middle with You
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“With humor and great sensitivity…Gephart sympathetically contrasts the physical awkwardness, uncertainty, and longings of these two outsiders…Strong, supportive women accept these teens as they are, while their fathers struggle mightily…It’s a valuable portrait of two teenagers whose journeys are just beginning.”
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Publishers Weekly