What You Don't Know: A Story of Liberated Childhood

Ages 8 to 12

A 6th grader who knows he's gay responds to what goes unsaid among his concerned loved ones.

I think the days of Heather Has Two Mommies are long past. We're ready for GLBTQIA+ stories for kids that are a little bit complicated and a little bit interesting and a whole lotta fantastic. For all this, the person you turn to is Anastasia Higginbotham. —BETSY BIRD, librarian and bloggerAnastasia Higginbotham's What You Don't Know: A Book About Identity isn't a story about coming out—it's a story about trusting kids to trust themselves.For one "oversensitive" sixth grader, knowing he's gay isn't what worries him. What worries him is seeing everyone scared (and scarred). He might not be out yet, but he can sense his parents' concern, his friends' acceptance, and the church's hypocrisy. But what all of them don't know is that it's never occurred to him to do anything but love himself, and until he senses that it's safe to come out, he just plans on radiating love.

About the Author

ANASTASIA HIGGINBOTHAM is the author and illustrator of Divorce Is the Worst, Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness,Death Is Stupid, and Tell Me About Sex, Grandma-all part of the Ordinary Terrible Things series. She lives in Brooklyn.Librarians love her, but not as much as she loves them.