All I want is for my family to be proud of me...
An accessible child-centred story about self-acceptance and the importance of opening up to those closest to you.
Becky and Josh are almost-twins, with two mums and the same anonymous donor dad. Josh can't wait until he's eighteen, the legal age when he can finally contact his donor, and he'll do anything to find out more - even if it involves lying.
Becky can't stop thinking about her new friend, Carli. Could her feelings for Carli be a sign of something more? Becky and Josh both want their parents to be proud of them...but right now, they're struggling to even accept themselves.
Sarah Hagger-Holt is Community Campaigns Manager at LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall and lives with her partner and two daughters in the UK. She is the author of two adult non-fiction books and has written for the i Paper, the Huffington Post, and spoken on Radio 4's Woman's Hour about LGBT parenting. Nothing Ever Happens Here was sparked by interviews that she carried out for her parenting guides, where she was struck by the contrast between the honest, complex stories of the families she was meeting and the sensationalist media coverage of trans people's lives.
From Sarah's website:
I’m Sarah Hagger-Holt, the award-winning author of middle-grade novels Nothing Ever Happens Here and Proud of Me, as well as non-fiction on LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer/questioning) experience. My pronouns are she/her. My next book is Just Like Everyone Else, it's out in June 2023 and available to preorder now.
I love reading, writing and telling stories. I’ve spent the last 20 years working as a campaigner for voluntary sector organisations, and I enjoy bringing the issues I’m most passionate about campaigning on into the stories that I tell.
My favourite book as a child was Witch Week by Diana Wynne-Jones and my favourite book as a teenager was Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden.
I live in Hertfordshire with my partner, children, rabbits and chickens.