Gooseberry

Ages 10 to 14

Robin Gow’s Gooseberry is a moving middle-grade novel about a young nonbinary person searching for family and finding it with a sweet rescue dog. There’s a lot twelve-year-old B doesn’t know—like what their new name should be after coming out as nonbinary. Or what it would feel like to finally feel at home after moving around to different foster families for years. But there’s one thing B does know: they want to be a dog trainer when they grow up. And when they meet Gooseberry—a feisty stray dog who seems as wary of strangers as B does—B feels an instant connection. With Gooseberry, B could have everything they want: a family of their own, and a dog to train. And B’s newest foster parents agree to let B adopt him. But training a dog isn’t as easy as B expected. Gooseberry is anxious and barely lets B pet him, let alone train him. Will Gooseberry ever feel at ease with B? And how can B teach Gooseberry to trust, when they know so little about trust themself?

Gooseberry is a heartwarming story by the acclaimed author of Dear Mothman about finding family, finding hope, and—most of all—finding and accepting yourself.

About the Author

Robin Gow is a trans poet and author from rural Pennsylvania. They are the author of several poetry books, an essay collection, the middle grade verse novel Dear Mothman, and the young adult verse novel A Million Quiet Revolutions. They live in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where they coordinate programs for their local LGBTQ+ community center.