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In the heat of the summer, I do not feel like cooking anything. I need something that I can put together and then have in my fridge for a few days. I want to pull it out and dip up a bowl and that's it. This Greek Tortellini Salad is perfect for that kind of meal. It's filling with the cheese tortellini but has so many amazing fresh flavors with the fresh vegetables that we added. Greek Tortellini Salad 18 oz cheese tortellini, cooked as directed 1 English cucumber, sliced and halved 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1 cup roasted red bell pepper, diced 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled Dressing: 1/4 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard 1/4 tsp garlic powder salt and pepper Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and set it aside while you're cooking your pasta and chopping your vegetables. After you cook your tortellini, rinse it under cold water. Once you've chopped up all your vegetables, add them, the tortellini, and the dressing to a large bowl. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate overnight for the best flavors. Serve chilled. Everyone in my family loves this Greek Tortellini Salad. It makes a great lunch or dinner and it's great for any summer get-togethers you are having. You may also like our Easy Seafood Pasta Salad this summer!

Amazon Prime Days are here!! July 11 and 12 will be full of savings on all types of fun finds on Amazon. We bought a house and are moving into our new home soon, so of course, I've been doing more shopping and wishlist building than usual, and what better time to take advantage of some of the BEST Amazon prime day deals?! Here are some amazing prime day deals that are tempting me and you might like them too! Peel and Stick Wallpaper - 27% off! There are several different patterns on sale. I adore this vintage-style floral wallpaper for a powder room or guest bathroom. Dekala Arches Gradual Sunrise Alarm Clock - 30% off! This 6-1 sunrise alarm clock is also a wireless charging dock, Bluetooth speakers, a white noise machine, and more! I can't decide if I want this for me or my teenager! StarWars Echo Dot - 30% off! This Echo bundle includes the limited edition Darth Vader stand. My little guy would love to have this in his Star Wars-themed room! Shark AI Ultra Voice Control Robot Vacuum - 50% off! If you're looking for a robot vacuum this one empties itself and has great reviews! It says it's great for homes with pets and we have a dog and two cats. Samsung Frame TV - 36% off! This smart tv with Alexa comes in sizes 32-85 inches. The 75-inch one I would get is 36% off. Art mode with anti-reflection matte display and slim fit wall mount with a motion sensor and you get a customized frame too! Emerald Bench - 63% off! Coming in at only $36 this was one of the best deals I found and look at that gorgeous green color! 5 piece wicker patio set - 22% off! Under $300 for 5 seater patio set! How cute is this one that can be mixed and matched to create different seating arrangements. Hammock Chair Swing - 20% off! My daughter has this exact swing in her room and she loves it! Snag one for yourself while they are on sale. It was a great "big Christmas gift" for her! Bluetooth Turntable & Speakers - 31% off! Enjoy the aesthetic of a class turntable with Bluetooth bookshelf speakers. It's designed to play both vinyl records and stream music from any connected device! Eero Mesh System - 35% off! This three-pack Eero 6+ wifi system covers 4,500 square footage! No more dropped calls. Kids Art Frames - 20% off! Set of 2 art frames that measure 9x12 for those larger pieces they bring home from school. You can hang them vertically or horizontally. Under Desk 2 in 1 treadmill - 36% off! So many of us work from home and having a desk treadmill is a game changer. This portable, foldable treadmill can be used under your desk, or fold the handrail up and go jogging for a more intense workout. USB outlet - 20% off! Update your outlet with this USB outlet. Phomemo Thermal Printer - 49% off! This compact thermal printer doesn't even need ink! Compatible with Ios, Android and computers/laptops, it's a great choice for everyone. Novogratz Her Majesty Upholstered Daybed and Trundle - 31% off! Coming in at less than $300 this daybed with trundle would be perfect in an office to use as a guest bed! Crosley Furniture Seaside Hall Tree - 59% off! Organize your entryway or mud room before school starts back with this cute bench and coat rack! Cast iron dutch oven - 40% off! This six-quart cast iron Dutch oven in cream is calling my name. I can totally see myself cooking my "Million Dollar Spaghetti" in this bad boy! Blink Whole Home Bundle - 50% off! This blink whole home bundle comes with a doorbell camera, outdoor camera, and mini camera and works with Alexa! It's just over $100 and sounds like a steal! Lilpartner 6 in 1 stand mixer - 44% off! Upgrade your stand mixer! This amazing kitchen gadget can be used as a pasta machine, meat grinder, blender and more! Shark HZ602 Ultralight Pet Pro - 35% off! Looking for something corded and not in the robot family, this one is lightweight and has a separate pet brush. VECELO C Shaped End Side Table - 21% off! This set of 2 c shaped tables would be a perfect addition to a sectional with not a lot of space for setting stuff on. Retro Bar Stools - 20% off! These retro-style barstools are faux leather and come in a few different colors. Sleek and modern, I'll take 4 thanks! Outdoor Waterproof Curtains - 26% off! Heavy duty canvas-like curtains to block out the sun and create privacy. Solar Tiki Torches - 41% off! How cute are these solar powered tiki torches for your yard or garden! The flickering flame has an auto setting that runs from dusk until dawn. Portable Carpet Cleaner - 30% off! This portable carpet and upholstery cleaner is a great price for something I rarely see deals on! Marble Run - 60% off! This 100-piece magnetic tile race track toy set is a great STEM toy for kids! Dog Talk Buttons - 50% off! Train your dog to communicate through words using these recordable buttons. Nest Smart Thermostat - 35% off! Upgrade your HVAC system with this Google Nest Smart Wifi thermostat. Enjbrick Up House - 40% off! Got a Disney lover? This UP! house is adorable to add to their collection.

I'm reading through the Harry Potter series with my son and he's loving it. We recently finished the fourth book, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. As usual, I had to do an at-home movie showing with a themed dinner with fun treats to celebrate. We always make a butterbeer milkshake anytime we watch a Harry Potter movie and this time was no different. This butterbeer milkshake is only a few ingredients and so easy to make! Kids and adults alike love it! Butterbeer Milkshake Ingredients: 4 cups cream soda 4 cups vanilla ice cream 1/2 cup butterscotch topping (plus more for topping) whipped cream Directions: In a blender, mix together your cream soda, your favorite vanilla ice cream, and butterscotch topping. Blend together until smooth. Divide into individual servings (ours made 4 glasses) and top with whipped cream and a drizzle of butterscotch topping. Serve and enjoy! This drink is creamy and drinkable and not quite as thick as a real milkshake, but so yummy! Perfect for whipping up during a Harry Potter movie night! We also snagged some butterbeer chewy candies and chocolate frogs and pretended we were on the train to Hogwarts buying stuff off the trolley! Shop Harry Potter Fun Finds: If you like this recipe be sure to stay tuned for more Harry Potter-inspired posts coming soon!

In honor of it being my dog Ollie's birthday month, I wanted to share a fun dog DIY snuffle mat that we made! This DIY Snuffle Mat is a great way to add some enrichment into treat time. Sniffing is hugely beneficial for dogs. I read somewhere that just 20 minutes of sniffing is like an hour of walking time. It's good for their brains and is very stimulating for them. Then and now! Look at this baby when I first made him a snuffle mat! Supplies: Plastic Sink Mat Fleece fabric (I used about 2 yards total) Rotary cutter Self-healing mat Acrylic ruler I used two different colors of green fleece but you could totally do one solid color throughout, colors that match your decor, or a rainbow of colors! Directions: Using your rotary cutter, self-healing mat, and ruler, cut your fleece into strips that are about 7- 8 inches long and 1 inch wide. This is the type of DIY that can also be done with scissors if you don't own or don't want to purchase a rotary cutter. I just find the rotary cutter to be a much faster and cleaner way to make your cuts. However, this project doesn't have to be perfect and scissors will work just fine. 2. Take a strip of your fleece and tie it to your sink mat. I double-tied mine to just make sure they were secure since my dog was going to be digging around in the finished product. 3. Repeat these steps, tying fleece in the areas between each hole. If you're making a colorful or two-toned mat, make sure you swap the colors up to create a pattern. 4. Once you've tied all your strips, and covered all the spaces between the holes, your mat will look something like this. To use the snuffle mat, tuck small treats into and around in the flaps of fleece and let your dog have fun using his nose to search out the goodies! Ollie's favorite treats are these Zuke's Turkey and Cranberry Holiday Trees but your dog's favorite small treats or pieces of treat will be great! We like to use our snuffle mat when we're home but can't be very engaging. It's good for when I'm having to do work. This also makes a fun gift for dog lovers in your life!

If you follow my blog or know me in real life, then you know I attended The Eras Tour and got to see Taylor Swift for the first time in person! I took my daughter on a little girls' road trip and we got dressed up like the Swifties we are and had THE BEST NIGHT together singing, dancing, and trading bracelets. It was seriously so much fun! We were lucky enough to score some floor seats and when Taylor sang All Too Well, the most magical "snow" fell all over us. It went perfectly with the line in verse 6 that goes, "I still remember the first fall of snow, And how it glistened as it fell, I remember it all too well". Here are some screenshots from my videos of that night! I'll save you from hearing us screaming at the top of our lungs, ha! My daughter and I collected a few handfuls of the confetti, but when we got home we didn't know what to do with it. We finally decided to create this The Eras Tour Confetti DIY Shadow Box to showcase our confetti and a photo of us to remember the night. The Eras Tour Confetti DIY Shadow Box Supplies: Shadow Box Paper (glitter blue) Cricut (I have a Cricut Joy) Removable vinyl (blue and silver and transfer tape) Tools like weeder, scraper, and glue to attach your photo. Shop Confetti Shadow Box Supplies: Directions: Using Cricut design space, create your text for the frame of your shadow box. I chose to put the words, "The Eras Tour" on top and the date we attended, and Swift City (that was the name Glendale, AZ changed to for the weekend Taylor Swift played there) on the bottom. Make sure to measure your frame and size your words so that your words fit on your frame. Next, choose a lyric that you feel suits the vibe or song you are capturing. Honestly, there are so many good lyrics you can choose. Maybe you even want to put your "surprise songs" names on yours. Feel free to make it your own! Obviously, mine are from All Too Well 10 minute version. Create the lyrics mentioned above in Cricut design space and cut them out with your cricut. Carefully attach them to your glass in the frame. Make sure it doesn't go too far to the edge and gets covered when you put the glass back in the frame. Also keep in mind the color of the confetti that will be behind your lyrics so you can make sure it stands out. Print your favorite picture (or pictures) from the night! I printed one that I had cropped to be square on a 4x6 photo paper and cut it to look like a Polaroid photo in our frame. A nod to 1989 if you will. Measure and cut your background paper to fit the back of your frame. We were going for a blue and silver vibe so we did blue paper to highlight the white confetti but if you have the Eras-colored confetti or the leaf confetti, you may want a different vibe all together. Lastly, put your confetti in the open shadow box and close it all up. It's fun to display and give a shake every now and then like a snow globe! Here were my paper choices. I'm glad I went with the glittery blue! This project was so off and on for me. You would think it would come together in an afternoon but with work and issues with vinyl, it just didn't happen as quickly as I would have liked. I mainly had issues with the permanent vinyl I tried to use on the project first. We absolutely love how it turned out though! If you make a confetti shadow box like ours, please tag us on social media so we can see it! For more Taylor Swift-inspired fun, check out our Lover/Folklore Friendship Bracelet House, Lavender Haze Cocktail, and Lavender Lemonade. Check out my recent post on how to throw a Taylor Swift Party

Lobster rolls are something I've only had a few times at restaurants, either on the coast, or at Disneyland (if I'm honest), but man are they yummy! After a few trial runs a few years ago, I created a recipe that the whole family loves. Recently, I was brainstorming meal ideas and my husband suggested lobster rolls. We haven't had them yet this summer and I knew it was going to be perfect for summer dinners on the patio with a cold beer or glass of lemonade. Today, I'm sharing our favorite lobster roll recipe with y'all so you can give them a try for yourself. This makes a big batch and can serve a crowd or keep in the fridge for a few dinners for your family. Lobster Rolls Servings: about 8-10 lobster rolls depending on your buns and how big you fill them. Ingredients: 32 oz lobster meat (sometimes I'm cheap and use fake lobster meat) 2 stalks of celery, diced 4 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise 1 lemon, juiced 1/4 tsp dried dill weed 1/5 tsp dried chives + more for topping salt and pepper to taste buns (split top hot dog buns, brioche rolls, or hoagie rolls, you're choice) butter lettuce (optional) Directions: Dice your celery and add it to a large bowl. Roughly chop your lobster meat if needed and add to the same bowl. Juice one lemon and add juice to the bowl with the lobster meat. Add in your mayonnaise, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve, heat your griddle or a pan to medium heat and add butter. Toast both sides of your buns to give them a buttery little crunch. Remove your buns and while they are still warm, add some butter lettuce and you're chilled lobster mixture. Top with more chives (dried or fresh is fine) and serve immediately. Fun Lobster Finds: If you're looking for more seafood meal ideas for the summer, you may also like our Easy Seafood Pasta Salad recipe!

Light painting with sparklers is so pretty and fun to do! Many people get frustrated trying to capture good sparkler photos so I'm going to try to help break it down and teach you how to photograph sparklers using your smartphone! How to Photograph Sparklers with Your Phone Decide if you want some color and details in the background of your photograph or want your photos to be darker. It's a personal preference and honestly, it can change depending on your mood or the holiday/event you are photographing. Taking photos right after dusk will allow your photos to have more background details in them, while waiting until it's later will cause the background to be darker. While I'm not a professional photographer, I do enjoy photography as a hobby and love playing around with settings to see what I can come up with. Let's get started. Camera Mode "Manual" mode or "Pro" camera mode works best when trying to capture sparklers with your phone. I have an Android phone so my instructions may be slightly different than yours, but the concept is the same. Once you're in the camera app, go to "more" to change your camera mode and then select "pro" to change your settings. My settings are along the bottom and I can click each one to change them. Keep your ISO low, mine is set to 100, to keep your background from being too grainy. Sometimes I don't mind the grainy background but a lower ISO makes your image sharper. In a digital camera, I change my f-stop, but in my smartphone, I don't change it. If you can or choose to change my photos are set to f1.8. I didn't change mine from the settings when I switched to "pro", so you might not have to either. Phone Settings What we are going to be playing around with is the "speed" setting or shutter speed setting. If you're new to photography, shutter speed basically tells your camera how long to "stay open" to capture light. For most sparkler photos, I found settings between 1/6 second and 8 seconds work the best, but let's break it down more. To capture a pretty picture of the sparkler, you'll want a setting more like 1/6 or 1 second. If you want to draw shapes and create long lines of light using your sparklers, you'll need to increase your shutter speed to more like 4-8 seconds. Sparkler Photography Now, let's look at some examples and what shutter speed I used to capture them. Shutter speed - 1/6 second I wanted this one to be her holding the sparkler and that was my focus. I didn't mind the dark background. Shutter speed - 1 second This photo was taken after the first one. You can see by increasing the shutter speed, it captured more light, and therefore the sparkler is brighter, you can see your subject more, and the background has some color in the sky. Shutter speed - 1/6 second I changed the angle a little bit and shortened the shutter speed again. Sparklers are unpredictable and this time I captured a little sparkler flair that was a fun surprise! I always recommend taking a few of the same shots because every time it's going to be a little bit different. Writing with Sparklers Writing with sparklers is fun to do by yourself or with other people. Each person can be assigned a word or number to "write" with sparklers. Or you can strike a fun pose and have a second person run around you creating the light trails or designs. When writing with sparklers and having a long shutter speed, you'll create blurry images if you aren't careful. Set your phone against something to help stabilize it or use a phone tripod. All of my photos below were created without a tripod. Shutter speed - 8 seconds Having a long shutter speed allowed me to have the time to do light writing with sparklers to write the word, love. Shutter speed - 8 seconds The kids enjoyed playing around and drew wings behind each other. Shutter speed - 4 seconds You can see the differences between this and the previous photo. We learned through trial and error that 4 seconds wasn't quite long enough to finish the design they had in mind. This was taken a few years ago but you can see the idea behind writing dates or numbers for your photos. This is fun to do while ringing in the New Year! Here are some other fun examples of playing around with light writing and creating shapes and designs. If you're doing a design with a second person, the faster that person moves, and doesn't stay still in one spot, the less you will see them. These tips will also work with smaller ground fireworks as well. Bigger fireworks are a different post for another day.

Cyanotype is the fun process of using light to do photographic printing. It creates this beautiful rich blue color. Today, I'm going to teach you a little bit about how cool cyanotype is and show you how we made our DIY cyanotype shirt for the 4th of July! It's a great summer project. History of Cyanotype Cyanotype was developed around 1842 by a man named Sir John Herschel, a Greek chemist and experimental photographer (to name a few titles). Cyanotype creates a monotype print with a deep blue hue that looks like a blueprint. It was first publicly used to create the first ever photographic book called Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions by Anna Atkins. Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic printing processes and is still used today. How Does Cyanotype Work? First, the cyanotype solution is created by mixing ferric ammonium citrate potassium ferricyanide to make an iron-rich sensitizer solution. The solution is brushed over a porous surface such as paper or clothing, you can add an object, and then expose it to light. When the chemicals are exposed to UV light such as sunlight, they react and create ferric ferrocyanide, also known as Prussian Blue around the object. The last step in the process is to use water to rinse away the chemicals. Over time the dark blue develops to reveal the final product. DIY Cyanotype Shirt We created a fun Cyanotype shirt for the 4th of July using this cyanotype dye kit, star stickers, and a plain white cotton shirt. She wanted to create a blue shirt with a stars and fireworks pattern on it. We used foam star stickers to make the star shapes. The fireworks were created with these fluffy pom poms we found in our craft box from years ago. While don't need a dark room, we did our painting in a dim room before taking the shirt outside to expose it to light. For our shirt, we painted the whole area blue and then laid the stars on it in a pattern we liked. Then we took it outside to let it sit in the sun the sun for a while. We left it outside for a few minutes to develop the color. Shop Cyanotype Supplies: After letting our shirt sit out in the sun, we brought it in and removed the stars. She immediately washed the shirt in a sink with cool water. We used gloves to protect our hands from the chemicals. We let it air dry before putting it on. This is the final result. We used a pretty saturated layer of the cyanotype so the blue is pretty dark but the stars and fireworks are fun for the Fourth of July! To help protect the shirt, I've only ever washed it by hand alone and let air dry, so I don't have good tips for laundering it in the future. It's a fun summer project for older kids or teens! We are planning to experiment more with nature designs next time. More Cyanotype Fun:

June is flying by, and before we know it, it will be July 4th! But, that’s what happens when you’re having fun! Time needs to slow down. I’m trying to soak up every moment of free time this summer. The kids and I made these yummy Berry Patriotic Popsicles. They are red, white and blue and oh so yummy! Berry Patriotic Popsicles Ingredients: honey vanilla Greek yogurt 1 cup strawberries, hulled 1 cup blueberries 4 tablespoons sugar popsicle molds (I have these popsicle molds but for this, I used popsicle sticks and stuck them through aluminum foil I put over the top, instead of the plastic bottoms) Directions: 1. In a food processor or blender, mix together 1 cup strawberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pulse until liquid. Pour into a bowl and rinse out your food processor. 2. In the cleaned-out food processor, mix together your 1 cup blueberries and 2 tablespoons sugar and pulse until liquid. 3. To start making your popsicles, layer spoonfuls of the yogurt, strawberry mixture, and blueberry mixture to create these red, white and blue layers in your popsicles. 4. Freeze overnight or at least 4 hours. Enjoy your berry patriotic popsicles with friends! For more cool treats this summer try our No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream and Wine Popsicles for the parents!

This simple Asian Inspired Cucumber Salad is cool and crisp, and makes a good side dish for many meals this summer! Cucumbers are a summer favorite around here, and this simple cucumber salad is light and crunchy and satisfies my summer cravings! I've had a similar type of cucumber salad in many different Asian restaurants, so it's Asian-inspired but, can go with a variety of different dishes. Asian Cucumber Salad Ingredients: 1 lb mini seedless cucumbers (about 8) 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes sesame seeds (optional) Directions: Wash and dry your cucumbers. Cut off the ends and thinly slice. In a bowl, add the cucumbers, and salt. Stir to coat. Add the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight for the best flavors. Top with sesame seeds before serving. This goes great with many Asian-inspired dishes! I love the crunch and flavors that come together in this simple Asian Cucumber Salad. I like to keep things light and serve mine with sushi but it can be paired with so many other dishes as well. Feel free to adjust any ingredients to suit your tastes! Enjoy!

You may have made tie-dye shirts before, but have you ever made tie-dyed shoes? I had this idea in my head for cute summer shoes. I wasn’t sure how these would turn out, or if the shoes would even take the dye but they turned out awesome and we loved making them! This Summer, we hope to be engaging the kids in crafts and activities so they aren't glued to their screens all day long. I feel like I try to do a pretty good job of giving them free time to play, as well as some structured activities we can do together, or with friends. These DIY tie-dye shoes were a fun and colorful summer craft we all enjoyed! Tie-Dye Shoes Supplies: Tie Dye Kit White Canvas shoes (kid shoes and adult shoes) Paint palette Paint brushes (we used chunky brushes) Directions: 1. Prepare your tie-dye bottles by adding water and shaking them up until the powder dye is fully dissolved. My little one loved helping with this part. We used this Tulip one-step tie-dye kit and it was so easy! 2. Squirt your rainbow colors into the paint palette and using a big paint brush, dip it into the dye and add it to the shoe. Squirting straight from the bottle didn’t work for us. It was more of a dabbing the dye technique. But test it out and see what works best for you and your kiddos. 3. We started at the toe and worked our way back following the rainbow pattern. (Note: We didn’t use all 12 colors from the set) 4. Set your shoes in a plastic bag overnight (or about 12 hours). Then rinse, air dry, and wear! While my daughter was making bright rainbow shoes, my son was making colorful color-block shoes. We took our laces out when we tie-dyed our shoes so they would stay white but you could dye them rainbow colors or a solid color if you wanted to. Shop Tie Dye Shoes Project: The final product turned out so cute! She will be wearing the heck out of them all summer long! Also, you will have lots of dye left over to create tie-dye shirts too! For more summer fun for kids, check out these posts: No-Churn Triple Chocolate Ice Cream and Flower Jars Craft!

June is Pride Month when the LGBTQIA+ community and allies celebrate love for all. Many queer families and children use this time to be seen and accepted. We are sharing Pride books for kids and teens. Providing our children with diverse stories gives them an amazing opportunity to emotionally connect with people who may be similar or different from them. Pride Books for Kids We found these books to be joyous additions to story time with our children! Be prepared for heartfelt conversations, an outpouring of empathy, and lots of giggles! Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin - A rhyming picture book about 2 mommies that spend the day with their toddler. A loving celebration of family! Teo's Tutu by Maryann Jacobs Macias - A sweet story about a boy's first ballet recital. This book celebrates gender creativity, being yourself, and the joy of dance! Pride Puppy by Robin Stevenson - Follow this family and their puppy through a vibrant day at the Pride parade. Lots of rainbow colors and giggles in this book. Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio - The powerful picture book that tells the true story of how one baby found his way to a loving home from the NYC subway. My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart - A heartwarming book that takes on the societal themes of masculinity and embraces the many experiences across the gender spectrum. The Pronoun Book by Cassandra Jules Corrigan - Together we can learn about pronouns and why they are important through this powerful book about gender diversity and acceptance. Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian - Two worms meet and fall in love, but who wears the tux and who wears the dress? Worm Loves Worm is a creative take on love! Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer - Stella celebrates the meaning of family with her two Dads during a Mother's Day celebration. Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack - A queer-friendly fairy tale for young readers. Gay boys deserve fairytales too! And there is a dragon. There is a follow-up book too - Tale of the Shadow King. Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer - A board book that is inclusive to everyone and shows that the main thing that makes up every family is love! And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell - a true story of a nontraditional family that started at the penguin house in the Central Park Zoo. Pink is For Boys by Robb Pearlman - These kids combat gender stereotypes and show that all the colors in the rainbow are for everyone to love! There are so many great children's books that celebrate Pride. We will probably add to this list every year! Next up are our middle-grade Pride books! Middle-Grade Pride Books Middle-grade years offer a lot of changes and the beginnings of more real-life plots and deeper meaningful connections with characters. There can be a lot of changes both inside and outside our bodies and reading these books can help kids process different feelings and emotions while offering them characters they can relate to. We hope these books help build compassion towards ourselves and others who may be different than us. Melissa by Alex Gino - People see Melissa as a boy named George, but Melissa knows she’s a girl. She wants to play Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web but her teacher says that’s a girl part so she comes up with a plan to show the school exactly who she really is. Previously published as George. Answers in the Pages by David Levithan - Parents at school are trying to ban a book with possibly gay characters. Donovan fights to keep that from happening in this timely novel that involves the twists and turns of trying to gain gay acceptance. Hazel’s Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jane Bigelow - Hazel is a 13-year-old girl getting ready to go into 8th grade. This book embraces growing through tough times and examines topics such as miscarriage and what it means to be a good friend. It has a diverse cast of characters including Jewish, queer, and transgender. Hazel loves science so there are a lot of STEM references for science lovers too. Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper - when this middle school boy comes out as gay and his dad hangs the pride flag outside their home, he quickly becomes the topic of discussion as people fear this pride may lead to *gasp* a pride parade. Through the eyes of the lovable character, we learn about some of the feelings 13-year-olds experience about their bodies, sexuality, and thoughts about love. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh - a comic book style book with lots of inclusivity and trans positivity. This book reminds us that we aren’t always what society wants to typecast us as. It reminds you to believe in yourself and find joy in the weird and wonderful things that make us unique. Ana on the Edge by AJ Sass. Ana is a figure skater and wearing princess costumes for her performances makes her uncomfortable. She befriends a trans boy and discovers she might be nonbinary. This is a good middle-grade book for learning to take up your own space and embrace who you are. Ellen Outside the Lines by AJ Sass - A thirteen-year-old neurodivergent girl who only gets crushes on girls. When a new nonbinary classmate enters her world Ellen questions her binary view of the world. Ellen has to learn to embrace that not everything moves in straight lines. This is our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us - Insightful and diverse stories that celebrate LGBTQIA+. Celebrate humanity and who we choose to be and love. Each short story is heartwarming and brilliant. Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo - a folksy magical book about two preteen girls from rival witch families who accidentally restart an old war. With an intersex character, it exposes the biases they face as well as some honest portrayals of poverty all wrapped up in the magical story. The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali - A boy who loves history is trying to find out more about past LGBTQ historical figures. Amos works to shed more light on history that we forget and brings life to things like being black or being gay. This book works to make space for the anger and frustration that many feel while offering hope as Amos tries to change the world. Drum Roll Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow - Melly is a girl away at band camp and she’s put in situations that push her out of her comfort zone. We love that Melly doesn’t let anyone label her and she blooms into her own person through exposure to different music, developing a crush on a fellow camper, and dealing with emotions about her parents. Melly grows in really meaningful ways. Another good musically inspired LGBTQ middle-grade book is In The Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington. The Science of Being Angry by Nicole Melleby - a deeper dive into the big feelings of an 11-year-old. Her moms don’t always say or do the right things. A middle-grade exploration of feelings, queerness, mental health, and family. Pride Books for Teens and Young Adults Please note: While we encourage embracing differences and providing empathy to those around us regardless of gender or sexual preferences, many of these books have some older themes and trigger warnings attached to many of them. Research accordingly, and if any of those make you uncomfortable, we encourage you to think about what your teen can handle, may be facing or seeing firsthand, or is ready for, and be prepared for the many different conversations these books may spark. Happy reading! Teens and young adults, they want more sophisticated characters. Less in their face moral stories, but more connection and acceptance as they navigate the social waters of high school and beyond. Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould - a book about ghosts, queer girls, and the mystery of a young boy's disappearance. An ominous story where the truth is buried but how long can it stay that way? Another similar book is Burn the Bodies Down about a teen who unravels her family's hidden past. Ophelia After All by Raquel Marie - Ophelia rediscovers herself in this YA contemporary book. A diverse cast of characters and coming of age story that pulls at the heartstrings! The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - An epic fantasy book with pirates, dragons, magic, and more. It follows 4 main points of view and several LGBTQA+ characters. Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero - A brand new (May 2023) memoir about Geena, a trans pageant queen from the Philippines. This book discusses the risks of being honest, social acceptance, our views on beauty, pageants, and modeling as well as discrimination. Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy - Ramona addresses the complexity of the heart. She thinks she's gay but then she discovers that love can be fluid which is pretty poetic since she's a teenage swimmer. Loveless by Alice Oseman - Georgia doesn't understand why she doesn't have crushes until she discovers the A in LGBTQIA+ and proves that love and connection can come in many forms. Pedro and Daniel by Frederico Erebia - This historical fiction is a story about two Mexican American brothers growing up in the 1970s. Both are gay and neurodivergent but have different struggles in life. You enter a giveaway to win a free copy of this book on Goodreads. All The Things They Said We Couldn't Have by Tasha Oakes-Monger - a story of trans joy and community, but also the serious struggles of transphobia. Gives a light to trans people in a dark world but also can be used to enlighten cis people who want to learn more about being transgender. Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. - A memoir about a young 14 Mulsim girl who has a crush on her female teacher. She is also grappling with family, displacement, migration, sexuality, and finding her community. In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune - A fantasy book that is a retelling of Pinocchio but with robots and inspired by other stories such as Wizard of Oz and Wall-E. The primary theme is emotions; love, guilt, anxiety, empathy as well as forgiveness, and acceptance. Includes an asexual main character as well as a gay relationship. Fine: a Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing - short stories and interviews presented in graphic novel style. Focuses on gender roles, relationships, and sexuality while proving that there isn't one right way to look at something and that you are enough. A celebration of the transgender community. Endpapers by Jennifer Savron - Gender identity exploration with a nonbinary main character who finds a gay love letter and is determined to track down its author in hopes it can help her understand and answer questions about herself as well. There are so many good books out there, we had a hard time creating our list. Let us know your favorite picture or chapter books to read during Pride month! Also, check out our Bookworm Bookmarks for helping encourage kids to get reading this summer!