Cover Image: Second Dad Summer

Second Dad Summer

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Member Reviews

A great middle grade story about family. What happens when your parents divorce and your dad dates other people? What happens when you don't like that person? This is a great story about dealing with new people, experiences, and how to never judge a book by it's cover.

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I thought this was a very careful look at coming to terms with a parent not always being who you thought they were. It also focuses on kindness and not falling for perceptions.

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I loved this, a very cute middle grade book about a kid whose dad is bisexual, and who has just moved in with another man. Looking forward to another book by this author!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc for review.

Thirteen year old Jeremiah is spending the summer with his dad and his dad’s boyfriend, Michael. While Jeremiah has known for a long time that his dad is bisexual, he still isn’t super comfortable with Michael and struggles to form a connection with him.

I enjoyed this story, and I think the author did a great job of addressing LGTBQ+ issues from a young teenager’s perspective respectfully and honestly.

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Second Dad Summer, is a story about a 12 year old boy named Jeremiah, who just wants a normal summer with his dad. But his dad has moved in with his new boyfriend Michael who serves weird organic food and is constantly nagging him. Worst of all, Michael rides a bicycle decorated to look like a unicorn. This is not the summer Jeremiah wanted. But Jeremiah soon learns that being a family comes in many surprising forms.

This was a fun and quick read. Jeremiah and Michael where my 2 favorite characters throughout the story. Second Dad Summer, teaches you about, acceptance, friendships, pride and loss. I loved how the writer (Benjamin Klas) kept true to Jeremiah the main character, and took us on a journey of acceptance with him to the very end. The relationship that he formed with Mr. Keeler was probably my favorite, and it bummed me out that he had to die, but it was pretty obvious.

Over all this was a fun read, and will look out for more stories by the writer, You have a new follower.

Line out of the whole story that made me laugh out loud was "It's a baby, not a Pokemon card"

This is my honest opinion 4/5

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Well written and charming, without being artificial. I"d absolutely include this book in libraries for mid to upper elementary students as it offers many options for conversation not just about sexuality, gender, and related social issues, but also how we grow as people, what's expected of relationships, families, and forgiveness.

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4* A decent tale, sad and sweet, but it ends in a good place. I just wish that Jeremiah...

... hadn't been prejudiced at 12yo against Michael. I kind of wanted him to have a big epiphany over that, which didn't happen.

This is a nicely written tale that focuses very much on the kids in this tale and on gender, but not so much on the grown-ups in the tale, which I liked. I mean, the could-be stepdad, Michael, and Jeremiah's dad, Al/Allen, were there, as was the elderly crotchety Mr Keeler, but at the same time, we didn't get to see much of their issues (if they had any) and so the focus was on Jeremiah coming to terms with his changed thoughts, growing up a little and seeing the light and the decency inside Michael.

It was really well done, but I do think that because of the prejudice that Jeremiah had had about Michael, based on the latter's clear out'ness and gayness, that maybe Jeremiah could have said sorry. Yes, he was part of something very sweet at the end, but until then, he'd rebuffed Michael at pretty much every opportunity, so a bit of humble pie wouldn't have gone amiss.

I liked how the elderly Mr Keeler was taken care of and what the kids did for him. I liked seeing the diversity amongst the various people in the tale and the harmony between them all, and I liked the cameos from Jeremiah's mother and how she seemed really OK with her ex having moved on, with his sexuality and gender.

This was a great educational read that went on for longer than I expected and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Red Chair Press/One Elm Books for my reading pleasure.

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I loved this book. I think writing a book for children about having two parents of the same sex is incredibly refreshing. Children who are in Jeremiah's same position need books like this. I also like that the story talked about going to events like Pride.

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Thank you NetGalley as well as Benjamin Klas for the opportunity to read Second Dad Summer. I realized after many years that people want to be accepted for their choices. This book has a look at that. As a child, we are not asked if we want to accept everything but are put into the flow. This book looks at many areas and I am not going to really display my view on this at this time but I know this book is trying to display choices. Well read.

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Second Dad Summer was the best children's books I've read in a long time! The message of acceptance and love it portrays is absolutely amazing and much needed. Would highly recommend!

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A great book, about how people slot into our lives, even when we try to keep them out a really lovely , touching story.

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Absolutely wonderful. Well geared toward the 3rd-8th grade set, it really does well in showing the emotions of coming to terms with a new loved one in a parent's life, especially when a parent "comes out" later in life. LOVED the ending, and how Jeremiah showed that he was okay with his father's choice of partner. The story flows well with the right balance of light-hearted fun and deeper emotional growth for all characters. Probably one of the best kids books I have read in a while. Will be recommending it to all my reading groups that deal with kids.

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This book is a great way to bring acceptance from a young age to lgbtq couples and their children. I think it was a good story, but it was a little long for children with the message it is trying to send. I think this would be great as a picture book or with a few less chapters. The chapter book style allowed more depth into the story.

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I loved every inch of this book. It had all the components of a fantastic book: diversity, inclusion, love, friendship, death, and gardening! It is so important for readers to be able to see themselves in books or to be able to live a vicarious experience through a character unlike themselves (books as mirrors, windows, or sliding glass doors (Rudine Sims Bishop). This is the first book I've ever read that is meant for middle grade youth and uses the word bisexual. I wish I had been able to read a book like this one when I was in middle school. I laughed, cried, and cheered along with Jeremiah as he navigated spending the summer with his father and his boyfriend and making new friendship with Sage and Mr. Keeler. I was able to relate to so many parts of this story and I enjoyed the Minneapolis setting. It felt like I was reading about people I knew. Thank you Benjamin Klas for writing this much needed book. You knocked it out of the park and I hope you have a sequel in the works. These characters are too rich and important to stop at just one story.

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Jeremiah’s parents are divorced so he spends the summers with his Dad….and now his Dad’s new boyfriend, Michael. Michael rides a bicycle decorated to look like a unicorn. He is flashy, serves organic food, and most annoying of all to Jeremiah, he is constantly nagging him—or at least that’s what Jeremiah thinks when Michael is constantly asking questions and trying to help. Jeremiah would much rather it be just him and his Dad, but it appears that those times are in the past. Luckily Jeremiah makes a few friends over the summer to help him cope with the changes in his family situation. And before you know it, things begin to change…somewhat.
I really enjoyed this book. Jeremiah’s annoyance of all things Michael made me laugh, but I also had sympathy for him due to the changes in his family situation. I like the fact that this book addresses so many issues facing our youth today: divorce, two Dads, two Moms, LGBTQ, etc. I found it interesting the differences in flag representation and thought that it was timely to have someone ask about preference for pronouns. Our world has changed, and I think it is important to be as inclusive as possible. This book will go a long way toward helping children to understand that although we are all different, we are all very much the same. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to review this book.

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