One True Way

After Allie’s brother died in a car accident, her parents’ marriage imploded, and now Allie is in a new town with only her mom. It is never easy to be the new kid at middle school, so when Allie meets Sam the first day, she realizes she’s lucky being befriended by someone who knows everyone and seems universally liked. Knowing Sam makes everything easier, and soon Allie realizes she more than likes this girl. Allie, the newest reporter on the school paper, has a chance to meet many people at school and comes to know that others in this small town are also gay, and not everyone accepts that way of life.

Author Shannon Hitchcock takes on a very difficult subject, one that is seldom approached in middle-grade fiction but is so important. Setting the story in a small southern town in the 1970s allows Hitchcock to deftly shine a light on the growth and influence of mega-churches juxtaposed with difficulties faced by members of the LGBTQ community. This is a great lesson about the importance of inclusion and equality for all. The writing is spectacular and the voice pitch-perfect. This book deserves readership beyond middle-graders.