Cover Image: Second Dad Summer

Second Dad Summer

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Member Reviews

Even though this was a fairly simple story, I found it to be a nice, light and refreshing read. I thought that Jeremiah as a character was pretty realistic in the way that he handled his situation as a child in a new and seemingly strange situation. The ending was cute and made me chuckle a little. Overall it was a pretty good book.

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This! Was! So! Cute!

Written by anyone else, Jeremiah wouldn’t be as well developed and would come across as annoying, but his fears are valid and he has some really funny lines, especially when he’s coming up against Michael.

The side characters are also amazingly well written. Sage has two moms, and taught me about Hmong culture, which I actually never knew about before! And Michael’s cast of friends are incredible – they actually talk about marriage equality and if it’s assimilating into gay culture, and there’s a non-binary person who has such a funny description.

I also thought Mr Keeler would be the typical grumpy homophobe who is changed through ~love and acceptance~ but no! He’s gay himself! And he talks about fighting for gay rights and the Aids Crisis! Can you imagine my delight? A children’s book about the discourse between out&proud gays and fucktheyouth gays? Outstanding.

I know this is for middle-grade readers, but I would definitely recommend it.

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Jeremiah's parents are divorced, and he looks forward to spending the summer with his dad every year. But this year, Michael, Dad's boyfriend, is hanging around. Over the course of the summer, Jeremiah explores his own feelings about Michael and his dad, as well as his feelings about friendship and family. I liked this book a lot. It touched heavy topics without being preachy; everything felt natural. I liked that Jeremiah had complicated feelings about the attention Michael gets for expressing queer pride. It's realistic for a child his age to be working through what it means to have same-sex parents, and his exploration rang true.

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There is hope for Middle Grade fiction.

It is rare that any story evokes a laugh-out-loud moment from me, a feeling of melancholy or even tears. That Benjamin Klas managed to do all three in his book is, well, astounding. Written at an uncomplicated Middle Grade level (ages 8-12), "Second Dad Summer" excels both in its simplicity and depth. Klas’ debut novel shines by highlighting incredibly detailed characters, nuanced plot points and a warm, narrative flow.

The story revolves around Jeremiah, who visits his Dad for the Summer. Dad, as it turns out, has a live-in boyfriend who is constantly trying to ingratiate himself into Jeremiah’s life. Jeremiah, as most kids who are going through new circumstances, is none-to-pleased. Add a cranky neighbor, a mom who lives miles away but calls routinely to check-in, and a new friend to the mix, for the makings of a summer with interesting and surprising plot twists. No, the biggest twist is not that Dad has a boyfriend. That’s established in the first couple of pages. More interesting things are in store. But this review, is spoiler free!

Klas’ use of language is both sophisticated and nuanced. While still keeping the reading ability of his target audience in mind, Klas manages to evoke complicated feelings and thoughts. His characters speak in plain words, but imagery still flows. For example, Jeremiah observes: “[w]e all sat down, Dad between Michael and me, connecting us and thankfully separating us too.” Yet another example: “[e]ven though I knew I needed to, it felt wrong to break apart the roots which clung so tightly to the soil they had known for so long.” The ability to write in pictures is rare. To see it in a debut story is rarer. To see it in a story for the Middle Grade level is rarer still. This is Karl’s first book; hopefully it’s the first of many.

My one quibble with the book is the illustrations. Notably, Jeremiah’s Dad does not live up to the description in the story; and, Michael is virtually always in the same stereotypical effeminate pose. Fortunately, the illustrations are brief and do not detract from an otherwise outstanding debut.

This is a definite buy and keep for the Middle Grade level. It should be a part of any well-rounded library. And that's, why it stays on my bookshelf. [End.]

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Wow, this book was special. It tells the story of a twelve-year-old named Jeremiah, who spends his summers with his dad. This summer his Dad has a boyfriend, Michael who is trying to build a relationship with Jeremiah. Jeremiah is not quite ready for any of these changes. Along the way, he meets a girl named Sage and a curmudgeon named Mr. Keeler. They along with his father and Michael help him realize how special his family is.

A heartfelt story, that I fully enjoyed. I loved Michael so much. This had a great message for young readers that I believe stands out. It also shows the LGBTQ community in an accessible way. I loved how open Jeremiah's father Al was with his bisexuality. The way the author weaved this into his story was so well done along with the many other topics, such as death, friendships, and acceptance. Overall, this was an impactful book that I highly recommend. I cannot wait to pick up my own copy.

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I loved this book! Second Dad Summer is a fun, warm, and connected story which features an exciting cast of characters. Jeremiah, the main character, is relatable and honest and the cast of characters which surround him (particularly his sidekick Sage) do a fantastic job of rounding out the entire story. It is SO important for children to see themselves in literature and to see families which look like them - and this book does that so beautifully.

The thing I appreciated most about this book, however, was the way the author was able to weave in so many different topics (LGBT, death, etc.) in a way which never felt forced - they felt natural. As they should! LGBT families, death, friends, becoming comfortable with yourself - these are all natural things which occur in our world!

This was a joy to read and HIGHLY recommend!

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This was a great book! It was engaging and adorable, and did a great job of merging lessons about lgbt topics with telling a relatable and interesting story.

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A very gentle story of a 12 year old boy learning to be tolerant of other people even those he doesn’t like. A sentimental romance story of two dads seeking approval of the boy. A pleasant read that doesn’t take too long to read

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Hated this one. I literally tried three times to give it an honest shot but it was boring. I even got my teen to give it a shot (thinking it was just me) and it didn't go well there either

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This is a fast-paced and lean middle grade novel that packs an emotional punch without feeling cheap or manipulative. It dares to make the young protagonist flawed and a bit close-minded. And yet the author doesn’t make him unsympathetic. We know he’ll come around and become a more accepting human being by the end. The book has a breeziness to it—the characters breathe and nothing feels contrived.

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<i>"And you're sure you hate Michael?" Sage asked.

"Yeah," I said. "At least, I was sure. And I don't like changing my mind."</i>

This was an extremely charming read, light-hearted and sweet, funny and mild, while also tackling a few serious issues in a way that's perfect for younger readers. Jeremiah is chill with his parents' divorce, and his dad being bi; he's not so chill with his dad's new boyfriend Michael, with his unicorn bike and fussy parenting tips and organic food. Over the summer Jeremiah makes a few new friends, changes a few attitudes, and learns a bit more about the nature of growing things. The book was very grounded, kind of matter-of-fact in the way it approached certain issues, and I found I appreciated that. We see a bit of all sides of the LGBTQ community, which is just great to see in a book for kids. I loved Jeremiah as a protagonist; a little long-suffering and set in his ways, but also open-minded and really good-hearted. I was rooting for him through all the highs and lows. I loved all the art as well.

I do think that the blurb can stand to be revised a bit, so that it gives away just a bit less info?

This was a wonderful read; it makes me so happy that kids have access to books like these. We need more of them in the world.

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Second Dad Summer is a fantastically written book which covers so many various areas: friends, family, diversity, love and death.
I think this is a really great book to teach children the meaning of family and how it can come in various forms.
I felt this book explained the topic of LGBTQ+ in a really effective and engaging way without overloading the reader with a lot of information. It dealt with the topic sensitively but ensured a point was made and understood.
I will definitely be recommending this book to customers in work I absolutely loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

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Jeremiah spends his summers with his dad. This summer he will be spending it with his dad but he will also have to spend it with Michael, his dad's new boyfriend. Michael is always nagging Jeremiah as well as eating strange organic food, and riding a glittery bike with a stuffed unicorn head on the front.

This book was everything that I wanted it to be and so much more. All of the LGBTQ+ characters (which was almost everyone except Jeremiah) were unapologetically themselves without being stereotypes. The book also touched on some heavier subjects like Stonewall, death, and AIDs.

It was a brilliant book and would recommend to readers both young and old.

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The book ended?! What?
Seriously! Why?
I wanted more!
I have never read a middle grade fiction this down to earth which made me cry tears of sadness and happiness at the same time.

The story is so heartwarming. And the characters are so well developed. The character representation is well done and this is one of those unbelievably short books where there are multiple characters which are developed really good.
Even though I would say the main theme tackled of the plot is LGBTQ/sexuality representation, it's more so about acceptance and found family. I never thought this book would be this hard hitting.
It has been incredibly written. I learnt a lot of things regarding gender and sexuality. The writing doesn't go overboard when it comes to the explanations and discussion. I cannot explain how well the author has written about such topics.
I totally love the character dynamics. There's the girl Sage who came be friends with Jeremiah (our main protagonist). I just love her personality and the way she handles tough situations in a very sensible way for her age. And yes, she has two moms who I adore a lot! The story starts with Jeremiah having difficulties in facing the divorce of his parents and living with his dad and his boyfriend, Michael. And there's one special character, the old mean neighbour, Mr. Kleeney.

This book handles some other sensitive issues like death and grieve. It simply broke my heart but the way this book has been written is so damn amazing that it makes me hopeful instead of getting lost in a world of sadness and tears.
Everything was good but from sixty percent of the book onwards I was tearing up for every page till the last page. Damn. Wearing long sleeves won't be enough. Keep a box of tissues nearby when you read this one.

This book is so well done.
And yes, this is going to be in the list of my most favourite middle grade books of all times.

Seriously, #NetGalley I am so indebted to you for this amazing book #SecondDadSummer

*I started reading this book at the beginning of March 2020, deliberately left it at around sixty percent and picked it up again in April 2020 because the book was so good and it fitted perfectly for the PRIDE month!
And that is the only time I saved something really good to celebrate something important.

And you know what?
I remembered each and every character, each and every scene and dialogue exchanges between the characters when I picked it up again after a gap of almost one month.
Yes, this book is incredible I told you!

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cute! cute! cute! this is such a good little book!! i think this was so important and very cute. more gay parents in fiction!!!

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I honestly enjoyed reading Second Dad Summer. It's fresh, well written and has good flow. It is so hard to find stories about same sex couples that are both realistic and entertaining. It was a great coming to terms with a parent in a new relationship story. Readers of all ages can appreciate this novel.

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I really enjoyed this graphic novel because of its art style and entrenching plot. I would highly recommend this to fans of graphic novels.

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I absolutely loved this book. I think it's a must read for kids and teens. This story is just so heartwarming.
Jeremiah spends summer with his dad and his boyfriend. Micheal is loud and annoying, and has this awful bicycle. Jeremiah doesn't like him at all.
But it changes, slowly and surely. I was very happy to see it. Micheal was good for Jeremiah's dad and even Jeremiah could see it.
I really liked the diversity in this book.
And friendship between Jeremiah and Sage was so pure.
Also the illustrations were just amazing.
I really think there should be more books like this for kids and teens.

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This book is so well done... loved every minute, reading it! I think what I loved the most about it was that author Benjamin Klas allowed his character, Jeremiah, to be so believable. Klas could have easily taken a stereotypical route with the story but his beautiful telling, through Jeremiah's eyes feels so natural.

I also really appreciated the characterizations of 'Dad and Second Dad' again, believable and wise. There are very nice subplot moments that really make this complete. I definitely recommend this for young readers. Nice illustrations too.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for and honest review.

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A compelling book about acceptance, community, and new beginnings.

As his parents are divorced, Jeremiah spends the school summer holidays with his dad. Only this time, it won't just be the two of them - Michael, his dad's annoying boyfriend will be there too. It's embarrassing when he rides around on a unicorn bike and attracts way too much attention. Jeremiah just wants it to be him and his dad. During his time outside (in an attempt to avoid Michael), Jeremiah meets Sage and they have a lot more in common than they first realize. He also meets a grumpy old neighbour, who clearly dislikes Michael (much to Jeremiah's satisfaction). But then something unexpected happens, bringing Michael and Jeremiah closer than either could have expected. Will Jeremiah finally accept him as a part of the family?

I really enjoyed this middle-grade book and thought it tackled the topic of LGBTQ+ sensitively yet thoroughly in a way that was engaging rather than forced. I'm so glad that the taboo is finally lifting, as this book highlighted that having LGBTQ+ family, friends, neighbours, etc is completely normal and not something to be ashamed or embarrassed by. My favourite quote from the book is where Sage and one of her mums, and Jeremiah and his dad are walking to the parade together. Jeremiah says "We probably look like a normal family" to which Sage replies "Not normal, just straight." I thought it was such a simple, yet powerful response that shows how being part of an LGTBQ+ family is no different than being part of a straight family. The characters were relatable and the whole story had a great pace with lots of action. I would 100% recommend this to all middle-graders and think the morals of love and acceptance are incredibly relevant.

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