Proud of Me by Sarah Hagger-Holt – Book Review [Blog Tour]

Date Published: February 4, 2021
Genre: MG Contemporary, LGBTQ+
Rating: ★★★★

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 father, 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.

Find out more or buy the book:

Proud of Me by Sarah Hagger-Holt – Review

A Quick Chat About MG Fiction

I’m a firm believer that MG (middle grade, usually aimed at kids aged 8-12) books don’t get the credit they deserve. YA books are often seen as the books that encourage young people to read, and then picture books are popular for young children — but how about the gap in the middle, where children’s books are too young but YA novels are slightly too mature? Middle grade is the answer!

There’s also a misconception that middle grade (and YA!) books are too young for adults to enjoy–but that’s not true. MG books often cover a whole myriad of themes that are incredible important, from race to gender and sexuality, and it does them in a way that is much more readable and accessible than a lot of adult fiction.

Proud of Me is one of these books. It covers a number of mature themes, including siblings being donor conceived, a character figuring out her sexuality, and more, and I loved every page.

The Story

The story follows 12-year-old Becky and Josh who have two mums and are “almost twins” – they are conceived using the same donor, but eight days apart. Josh is at an age where he wants to start exploring his family roots and he wants to learn about his donor, but he wants to do it secretly so he doesn’t risk offending his parents.

Becky isn’t so interested, however; she’s happy with their unique family and is more hesitant to find out about their donor. Meanwhile, a new girl called Carli starts their school and Becky finds herself becoming more and more interested in her every day, until she realises that she might actually have a crush on her.

The story is told with each chapter alternating the perspective between Becky and Josh, so we find out about their individual thoughts and feelings. Becky can’t stop thinking Carli, while Josh becomes increasingly interested in the online forums he’s found where people discuss their stories about being donor-conceived.

Every theme and experience is touched upon so well, and it’s interesting to read about it from the perspective of people who are a lot younger. I’m so used to reading YA where the protagonist is most often 16+ so their thoughts are a lot different, whereas Becky and Josh are young enough to be slightly more naïve while both being mature and intelligent enough to work through their experiences and their feelings on their own.

The Characters

I loved all the side characters in this, too: their mums are both great and it was lovely to read a story where the parents are so appreciative of each other and their children. They care so much for them, even when things do start to go slightly awry.

Then there’s Becky’s best friend Archie, who is trying to set up an LGBTQ+ club in their school and he’s just a delight. Carli, the new girl Becky likes, is so enthusiastic and encouraging, and instantly accepting of Becky’s parents despite her more traditional family.

There’s also my favourite thing in any story: a great friendship group. Friends are one of the most important things in a book for me, and I love the friendships in this book!

Overall

Proud of Me tells such an important story of belonging, trying to discover more about yourself and your identity (whether that’s where you came from or your sexuality), and it’s one of those stories I urge everyone to read. If you want to learn a little bit about same-sex families with donor-conceived children, or you want to encourage your young ones to learn about it, then Proud of Me is a perfect place to start.

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Want more LGBTQ+ MG recommendations?

I recently talked about Proud of Me and other great books for younger readers in this video:

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