Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Small Town Pride
Phil Stamper · 2022
72/100
👍 Worth It
Phil Stamper's debut is genuinely warm and civically engaging — Jake's campaign to bring a Pride parade to his small Ohio town works as both a coming-of-age story and an accessible introduction to community organizing for younger readers. The hopeful tone sets it apart from more fraught queer middle-grade narratives, and the family support portrayed throughout makes it feel safe rather than embattled. Faith-traditional families should know that LGBTQ affirmation is central, not incidental, to the story.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: LGBTQ-affirming content central to narrative; not suitable for faith-conservative families. We still scored it 72; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety80
substance68
craft72
originality66
accuracy80
hype70
age-fit82
human-eye74
Penny’s verdict72
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