This is the story of Archie Albright, a young teen struggling with the break-up of his parents. He desperately wants things to go back to normal, to his Friday nights in the arcade with his dad and his mum not locking herself in her room. But, unable to shake the feeling that there is a secret being kept from him, Archie searches for the answers until a colourful flyer falls from dad’s pocket, and he learns that his dad is gay. Despite support from his family, friends, and neighbours, Archie feels his world has changed forever, even his arcade trips feel different, tense somehow. So he and his friends set out on an exciting but hasty plan to follow the rainbow and find out more about the colourful world he is now a part of.

The vivid array of background characters they meet at pride feel like a genuine family, who welcome the Archie, and the reader, with open arms. Although Archie and his friends don’t always make the most sensible decisions, they are driven by love and wanting to accept Archie’s dad, for whoever he truly is. Sen and Bell make excellent allys, supporting Archie, listening to him, and helping him to explore and find out more about the LGBTQIA+ world. Oscar in particular serves as a brilliant mentor to Archie, he’s a calm and reassuring presence (despite the calamities of the trip!) and provides words of wisdom to Archie and to the reader, “It’s just interesting… What some people think is a big deal. People love to freak out over things that don’t really matter at all.”

The overwhelming reaction to “Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow” seems to be one of relief that this book exists – I’ve heard so many describe it as the book they wished they’d read when they were a child. While I feel a pang of sadness that such a book is still so vital in 2021, I am glad that I’ll be able to share this book with the next generation, and that it will not only open their eyes to a world of rainbows and acceptance, but also teach them how to be an ally to others in our increasingly vibrant and diverse world. This is a really wholesome exploration of a parent coming out, perfect for a middle-grade audience. It struck just the right note, balancing the acknowledgement of the discomfort Archie experiences, and the sadness of his Mum, but their drive to accept him and love him for who he is. A good introduction to the LGBTQ+ world, a little idealistic perhaps, and doesn’t explore the complex emotions or conflict which often comes with such a story, but at the end of the day, this is how it should be… No great fuss or commotion, just figuring out that things are, infact, exactly the same as they always were. Beautiful illustrations from Sandhya Prabhat set the book off perfectly. It’s gentle, it’s open, it’s full of love, joy, and acceptance – I can’t wait to put this on my class bookshelf.

First and foremost, I will get this book for my library, recommend it to both children and adults, and would recommend others do the same. It is a sweet, light-hearted introduction to LGBTQ+ issues with a unique perspective and some much-needed voices. The writing style is bouncy and dynamic, and the humour will appeal to lovers of 'funny' books, even though this is a more serious topic.

Unfortunately, there are a few things that hold this back for me. Ultimately it doesn't get beyond the surface, he never actually discusses his father's sexuality with him, not directly articulates or confronts some of the more difficult questions (e.g. questions of truthfulness, lying to family, the meaning of his parents' relationship). These questions are difficult, hurtful and usually misguided but they do come up, and by not confronting them this book really missed a chance to help children process this difficulty in its pursuit of upbeat positivity.

I also felt that was an underlying sexism in the way the mother was characterises, with her being described as literally 'shrilling' some of her speech. Her character and relationship with her ex husband often felt inconsistent and 2D - she goes from calmly discussing his being gay to the next night bursting into tears just at seeing a pride flyer.

Overall, as I say, the good far outweighs the bad and I'm sure this will be a treasured title for many. I am just disappointed to see what could have been a truly standout book lagging behind, and wish that people had truly pushed for this to be all it could be.

This book made me incredibly happy. People have asked me before what is a book that makes me very happy and I never really knew what to answer. Now I do. This might be one of the cutest, most touching and most important stories about the LGBTQIA+ community I have read. The fact it is destined -at first- to younger readers makes it even more incredible because everything falls into place and the messages and meanings behind the story are simply stunning. Acceptance, pride and understanding when you still don't know what is happening in the world. This, right here, might be one of the reasons this book sounds so happy to me: the protagonist is twelve years old, and he has never been introduced to our amazing community before. And he discovers it in the best way possible: the London Pride.

Let's talk about this Pride. This is the happiest day of the year for so many people, some even call it gay Christmas, and I have never - ever - read such an amazing and right depiction of what pride is. The whole second part of the story takes place in this Pride, with some incredible characters. And even if the protagonist is facing some issues, the Pride is still the happiest place ever. Reading those lines, I was there, I was surrounded by those queer and joyful people, I felt so loved and so supported. I felt a bit of what it feels like to march in a Pride like this one. This was perfection, really. Not only the way the Pride is described but also the people our characters are going to meet. All are beautifully different and unique and, once again, let's remind you that Archie (the protagonist) is a kid. And reading about a soon-to-be teenager being introduced to such beauty and acceptance and positivity was an incredible adventure. All I want to do is to start the book all over again, just to feel a little bit of the London Pride once more.

More than just joy, this book also brought me incredible hope for the future generation. Because it isn't only a story about pride and colours and joy, but also about heritage, about how parents can teach their children to be more open-minded, to show them that being gay (or lesbian or bi, or/and aroace and/or trans, non-binary, etc...) is not this big of a deal and does not change a person. The is one of the most important acceptance lessons we can wish to teach the younger generations. And seeing it so beautifully depicted in a children's book? It was out of this world. To me, this is not only a children's book. This is a book I want to put into everybody's hands. Because it is never too late to learn and if a child can do it, so can anyone.>

Please, stop what you are doing and go read this book. Plus, it would be an amazing story to add to your Black History Month TBR and will make you so happy and so proud and so loved you won't want to put it down.

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow is a book that I cannot rate highly enough. It is so wholesome and ended up bringing out my emotional side, which can be hard to do. I usually don't give middle grade stories five stars, but I had to make an exception for this book.

The story starts with Archie finding out the real reason as to why his parents have split up, and his dad has left the family home. It then quickly transitions into him getting used to his new routine with his dad, and how he thinks that their relationship will change now his dad has come out as gay. To find a fix to his relationship with his dad, Archie and his two best friends Seb and Bell decide to go to London Pride, where they get into a little bit of trouble and meet a whole host of new people.

Archie is an amazing and adorable main character; his love for his parents truly shone through, which is something that I loved. All he wanted to do was make his parents happy again, but he may have had a couple of mishaps on the way. I loved his friendship with his two best friends Bell and Seb; they reminded me of the friends I used to have when I was his age. I loved that they all had their individual quirks, and they did have me laughing out loud many times, especially Bell, with her detective and crime books. But they were always supportive of each other, and respective of how they felt about situations.

One of my favourite parts of Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow was Benjamin Dean's writing style. He has a fantastic way of educating while keeping it light and funny. I definitely think this book would be amazing to give to all KS2 and KS3 children (10 to 14 year olds) as it represents LGBT+ people in an amazing positive light, and I'm sure there will be many children that can relate to the situations presented within it.

I also have to mention the cover illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, as it is perfect and encapsulates everything brilliant about the book.

Oh utter joy! There aren't enough superlatives to sum up this wondeful book. It is just what is needed and needs to be on the bookshelf of every school as soon as possible. Archie tells his story in such a truly honest, and accessible way and this is the sort of book that everyone should read and one which celebrates the LGBT+ community. It is inclusive, diverse and an absolutely fabulous read. I will be talking about it wherever and whenever possible.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a book full of love, joy and pride.

"One thing I've learned since then is that life can be delicate and frail, but it can be full of colour and wonder. You just have to let it in."

This was just a special and important book and I am so glad I was able to receive an advance copy for review.

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow tells the story of a young biracial boy whose parents have recently split up. All Archie wants is for everything to go back to normal and when his Dad comes out as gay he and his friends get an idea for how to fix it: going to London Pride together.

This is a well-written and funny book which tells a story all about the importance of family. The family you are born into and the one you chose. It's an important story that I wish could be put in every classroom and library so as many kids as possible can read it. Archie and his friends and family were well-realised, complex characters that most kids could relate to and the story was one that will definitely strike a cord with young LGBTQ+ children and kids with LGBTQ+ people in their families.

This book is so cute and wholesome! The first half of the book was focused on Archie's family kind of falling apart after his parents separated, and how that affected Archie as well as his mom and dad. Then Archie learned that his dad was gay. The relationship between Archie and his dad floundered a bit at that point, nothing had really changed but things were just awkward between them. Which leads us on to the big adventure! I love the way Archie and his friends Bell and Seb decided to break a million rules and find a way to London Pride on their own. The entire planning process was pretty entertaining and seemed destined to fail. I didn't think they would make it there, but they sure did! After a big dose of drama where pretty much everything went wrong, this book actually had a very happy ending. The way loads of drag queens teamed up to help Archie during a disaster was absolutely wonderful and really showed the true spirit of pride. This story made me miss going to pride parades (thanks coronavirus) and I will be sure to read this book again to get me in the pride spirit whenever I can next attend a pride event! I would love to read a short story sequel that picks up where this book ends, I think that would be so much fun!

Thank you for the advance copy of this book. I'm delighted to see books like this which are so important and inclusive. I will certainly be recommending this book to our readers and it is a fantastic starting point of conversation. A wonderful book and I look forward to seeing what the author does next

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow was featured in National Book Tokens/Caboodle's '21 children's books to look out for in 2021'.

‘Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow’ is a heartwarming story that gently broaches the topics of divorce and the LGBTQ+ community.
Even before receiving an early copy from the publishers, I had heard so many good things about this book.. and now I understand why!
Benjamin Dean has created a beautiful story advocating kindness and acceptance, making this such an important book for the day and age that we are living in. A must-read story!

A really sweet middle grade book about what it’s like when a parent comes out. It’s diverse, it’s informative and just generally entertaining!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

Fun, rainbow-filled, bursting with heart and creating a lot of buzz, this is one not to be missed. The book I wish had been around when I was a kid, it deserves a place front and centre in every school library.
We adore this book and can’t wait to share it with all our lovely customers. A heartwarming celebration of friendship, family, and finding the strength to be yourself. Follow Archie and his two best friends on a colourful, breaking-all-the-rules adventure as he tries to understand his dad’s new world and reunite his family. Perfect for fans of Onjali Rauf and Lisa Thompson.

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow is another book that has been raved about on social media. Having read Alex Gino’s books that feature and explore the LGBT+ community I was keen to see what Benjamin Dean’s debut had to offer.

Parents have a way of dropping bombshells when you are least expecting them. Whether it be the news of moving home or the arrival of a new sibling or any number of other things, you can never be prepared for the moment your parents tell you that they have something they need to talk to you about. And when Archie Albright’s dad drops some life-changing news, Archie finds his life exploding into a million different pieces. In a desperate attempt to try and piece things back together and find the answers to all of the questions that are occupying his head he rounds up his friends, Bell and Seb, and they head off to London in search of answers that they hope might lie at the end of the rainbow…

Oh, so much love for this book. It is a wonderfully colourful adventure filled with mishaps, glitter and sparkles as Archie searches for the answers to his many questions and how to remove the awkwardness that has descended between he and his dad ever since his dad came out. The story is completely believable and will be relatable to many readers who are either trying to understand their own feelings or going through the same experiences as Archie. The book is told through the voice of Archie and you immediately feel connected to him as he chatters away to you. It isn’t long before he’s sharing secrets and letting you into his life - the highs and the lows, the good times and the bad. All Archie wants is to fill the void that he feels has appeared ever since his dad revealed his news, he is trying to find the answers to the questions he doesn’t know how to ask and is seeking reassurances that his dad is not going to change or stop loving him. He is simply desperate to fix what he thinks is broken.

Reassurances and advice come in many forms as Archie is lovingly accepted and embraced by everyone from the LGBT+community; Archie’s babysitter Oscar, a gay teenager, has a rather confusing explanation involving cake, and there are delightful drag queens and an older lesbian couple who are all keen to share their experiences and epitomise the wonderful friendliness and supportive nature of the LGBT+ community. Archie also has his two best friends, Bell and Seb, who will be there for Archie through thick and thin even if it means getting thrown in jail or being grounded forever (just a couple of worrier Seb’s many overreactions).

What Dean has written is a celebration of people and particularly the LGBT+ community. And it gives the message to readers that change does not have to be scary. Archie eventually comes to realise that beneath everything the only thing that matters is his dad is still his dad and will love him just the same. The fact that his dad is gay only becomes an issue if people make it an issue. This is touched upon very briefly when dad tells his mates that he is gay and they don’t react in such a positive and understanding way.

Bursting with more colour than a packet of Skittles, this is a heart-warming hug of a book that the world needs and it deserves to find its way into the hands of readers both young and old.

Recommended for 9+.

With thanks to Simon & Schuster Children’s and Benjamin Dean for the advanced reader copy that was received through Netgalley.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much as always to Netgalley for sending this to me!

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow is a lovely story about Archie Albright, whose family are in crisis. Mum and Dad have split up, and they keep having not-so-subtle arguments when they think Archie can’t hear. When a mysterious colourful flier falls out of Dad’s pocket, Archie thinks he might have figured out a way to put his family back together again – with a little help from his friends, of course!

This is a really sweet book. Archie is a great, cheeky main character with a super engaging voice, who chatters away to you like you’ve been best mates for years. There’s a great emphasis on friendship here, which I loved; I feel like kids have such all-encompassing friendships and it was so wholesome to see Archie lean on his friends and how they rally together to support him in spite of their fears. There are lots of funny little moments (such as when his best friend needs to come up with a fake name and the first thing that springs to mind is ‘Eliza Barclay Card,’ a name she got off her mum’s bank statement) and tear-jerkers too. The end of the book in particular made me tear up – it was so warm and comforting and lovely, it felt like I was being hugged by this great big pride family. It’s a gentle, not-too-overwhelming introduction to the colourful world of the LGBTQIA+ community that no doubt seems alien to a lot of young kids. The final third of the book in particular has an almost magical feel to it – it’s so vivid and descriptive. Reading it was immensely comforting, because it’s so low-conflict and you had this guarantee that everything would be okay in the end that I find hugely reassuring – a happily ever after is a must for me, and I never doubted for a second that this book would deliver. It also has an absolutely GORGEOUS cover, it really catches the eye, I’m obsessed with it. A million kudos to the illustrator, Sandhya Prabhat; she did a phenomenal job.

I will admit, however, that I found parts of this book to be a bit surface-level. It’s entirely possible for a Middle Grade to take a deeper dive into difficult topics, including sexuality – see books like Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, for example – but I felt like this one skimmed the surface of the issue it was trying to highlight. There’s no real exploration of the conflicting feelings or the hurt or confusion between Archie’s parents – one day they’re at each other’s throats and the next, they’re best friends again – and no discussion between Archie and his dad. In fact, almost all the discussion about the dad’s sexuality is completely removed from him, so that you get basically everyone else’s perspective except for the one person the story is about. We dance around it, doing basically anything BUT talk to the dad, and then it’s a bit like a magic wand is waved and everything is suddenly fixed. . I feel like there was a great opportunity to look at the messy feelings that can arise from coming out and tackle them, to show young readers that it’s okay to be confused and lost and still give this overall message of acceptance in the end. Instead, everyone agrees that nothing has changed, and everything goes back to normal. While I can understand the point the author was trying to make, that sexuality doesn’t change who you are deep down (which it doesn’t!) having a gay parent DOES alter things in some ways, especially if you’ve grown up thinking they’re straight and then things change so drastically. It’s okay to acknowledge that and let a kid maybe explore the more complicated feelings that might arise from such a revelation. I do think maybe some writers are afraid to delve into the darker, uglier emotions around these kinds of issues for fear of backlash, when it’s so important for kids to be able to explore their feelings in fiction and open up a conversation about things like this. So while I did like the book’s light approach, I felt like I expected more, and ultimately felt a bit let down by it.

In summation, this book was cute, fun and fluffy, and while it didn’t deliver exactly what I was hoping for, it was ultimately still a really sweet book. if you’re looking for a light and speedy read that’ll hit you right in the feels, this would be a great one to reach for!

This was so good!! A fun story with a nice amount of education in it too that I can imagine could be very beneficial to kids who don't know a lot about LGBTQ identities. The ending even made me well up, which is rare for me.

This will be going on my list of books that will shout about at every opportunity!

This is a lovely book, with a delightful hero, (Archie), and two great friends (Bell and Seb). Archie’s dad comes out as gay, and the whole family is having a tough time dealing with it. Mum and Dad are trying to be supportive, but are struggling to communicate with their son. And that is why twelve year old Archie devises a nebulous plan to fix everything by going to Pride in London, after finding his Dad’s crumpled flyer. This is a warm, funny book with a focus on families including and especially the ones we make for ourselves.

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow is the debut middle grade novel by Benjamin Dean. It's brilliant. It's heartwarming and life affirming and it needs to be in schools. Every child needs to see themselves represented in books and there are children out there that will see themselves and their families in this book.

The story is from the point of view of Archie, a 12 year old boy whose parents have just split up. He doesn't really know why they have split up other than they haven't been getting along for a while and they argue a lot. Early on in the book he discovers that his dad is gay (apologies for the spoiler but it's revealed very early in the book) and this is the main issue that the book centres around-how Archie and his family come to terms with this fact.

Archie has two close friends, Seb and Bell who are great characters-they are funny and supportive and perfect friends for him. He also has Oscar to talk to, who is 18 and in his final year of school and occasionally babysits Archie; he also happens to be gay. So this is who Archie initially turns to for advice. Archie and his dad find their relationship has become a bit awkward after the news comes out but Archie, with the support of Seb and Bell, come up with a plan to reconnect with his dad and get back to the relationship they used to have-the plan leads them on an adventure full of laughs and a dose of peril where they meet a host of brilliant, colourful characters that help them.

I think this story should probably be in every upper KS2 and KS3 classroom. It represents LBGT+ people positively and not as 'different' and there will be children that identify with Archie and his dad, they will have the same questions and the same worries about how their relationship and family might change and more than that, it's just a really enjoyable, brilliant, funny story. It reminded me a bit of The Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates-which also involves a group of friends going on an adventure and has a son reconnecting with his dad as a central theme.

This is such a lovely story, I really enjoyed reading it. It is told with a lot of humour and there are some brilliantly touching moments between the various characters that clearly love and care for each other. I don't want to reveal too much about the story but there is a very positive message in here that basically reminds Archie and anyone else that cares that his dad is still the same person, just because he is gay doesn't mean he is going to change.

I like the way this story normalises and celebrates the LBGT+ community. From the way Oscar and his boyfriend Dean are accepted in their school to the way Archie and his friends show concern for his dad it sends out a message of acceptance and reminds us to value people for who they are-it reminds us to see the whole person, not the label. Prejudice and intolerance are hinted occasionally but on the whole this is a story of positivity and family.

I adored this. This joy~filled book explores difficult themes of sexuality and divorce with humour and a light touch, appropriate for younger readers. Honest, heartwarming and empathetic, this book is a must read and deserves a place on every book shelf. I have no doubt that it will become one of the most raved about and vital books of 2021. What a triumph of a debut from @notagainben.

What a fantastic story! My daughter is the targeted age for this story and I will definitely read it to her. Archie Albright is a charming and loveable protagonist and his friends Seb and Bell compliment him perfectly. In fact all characters are genuine, caring, loving people who are just trying to cope with the situations they find themselves in which makes a refreshing change from the narrative that society seems to be giving to our young people that unknown adults are scary, dangerous and only have evil intentions.
This is a great introduction for children who may not know about Pride and other LGBTQ things. My daughter has grown up with gay people in her world but many children like those in this story may have no idea what being gay is or that it is possible that their parent could be gay.

This is a wonderfully heartwarming book. Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow celebrates the joy of family and relationships, including not only blood family, but the ones that we choose.

This is the kind of story I wish I had when I was younger and it gives me hope for more diversity in children’s literature.

Not only does it follow Archie as he tries to understand what it means for him and his family when his dad comes out as gay, but it follows his friends as they learn about different parts of the LGBT+ community together. The characters ask each other questions and help each other to answer them, which I thought was a really good way of including information, instead of just explaining thing. It felt like a more natural way that didn’t disrupt the story.

It’s written in a way that is easy to understand for children, and it could be used as a great conversation starter. The book is written like Archie is speaking to the reader which feels very natural and makes you feel like you’re included in the story. I think this way of telling the story will really make kids relate more.

The story flowed really well and I think this is a book that anyone of any age will love. It’s full of emotions, joy, love and of course, plenty of colour