Dear The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher,

I’ve been working on a series of posts on books that shaped me, and this month, I want to highlight Dana Alison Levy’s THE MISADVENTURES OF THE FAMILY FLETCHER.

The Fletchers are a two-dad, four-son, two-to-four-pet household. The brothers are all adopted. Two are white, one is African-American, and one is Indian. The best part is that all of this is completely irrelevant to the story, which focuses instead on the brothers’ struggles to survive mean neighbors, new schools, changing friendships, and deeper understandings of themselves and each other. And did I mention it’s hilarious? Like Ramona Quimby levels of funny. Levy shows each of the brothers as unique and generally trying to do the right thing, but the sum total is a messy and chaotic, but overall loving, household.

As someone who grew up with two moms, this book was a revelation to me. I can’t express to you how wonderful it was to read about a regular family where the parents happened to be gay. That is an experience I never had as a kid. I never saw in a book I read as a child any family that looked like mine.

More than six million people have grown up or are growing up with LGBTQ parents. For those involved in schools and libraries, it is so important to make sure every kid can find stories that showcase their experience. To help with that, the Human Rights Campaign has created some phenomenal resources through their Welcoming Schools initiative. There is a great list of books, lesson plans, and answers to challenging questions, all aimed at creating an inclusive environment and preventing bullying.

For authors interested in writing about characters with LGBTQ parents, you can learn more about our experiences in a new book out next month, Raised by Unicorns, edited by Frank Lowe. It’s an anthology of essays by those raised by gay and lesbian parents—including one by me! I really enjoyed working on this piece, and can’t wait to see it in the world.

Kate Hillyer lives, writes, and raises her kids in our Nation’s capitol. She is working on a middle grade novel about a girl growing up with two moms, as well as two annoying brothers, a puppy, and a soccer team that may be leaving her behind. Kate blogs here and at From the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors. You can also find her on Twitter and at www.katehillyer.com. 

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