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Juno Dawson is the multi award-winning author of 12 books, including bestselling YA novels Clean, Meat Market and Wonderland and adult memoir The Gender Games. Juno has contributed to news stories concerning sexuality, identity, literature and education across the media including BBC Breakfast, BBC R4 Woman's Hour, The Guardian and ITV This Morning. She was part of the BBC's 'The Novels That Shaped Our World Festival', and was chosen by Val McDermid as one of the ten most compelling LGBTQI+ writers working in the UK today. Until recently, Juno worked as a teacher, specialising in PSHE. She is most proud of her work surrounding anti-bullying and family diversity. In 2014 she became a School Role Model for the charity Stonewall. Juno also works with charity First Story to visit schools serving low-income communities. She grew up in West Yorkshire and now lives near Brighton and writes full time.
Pacey, racy and reeling with real-life struggles, comforts and joys, Juno Dawson’s Stay Another Day is a cracker of a Christmas novel, with a compelling home for the holidays set-up - if you watched the TV series Why Women Kill, you’ll also appreciate how the novel is framed through the 120-year history of the family home. Sparkling with the author’s trademark talent for writing authentic dialogue (funny, thought-provoking, always on the mark) and rounded characters, this seasonal story is as satisfyingly-formed (and moreish) as a chocolate orange. When the three McAllister siblings convene at the family home in Edinburgh for Christmas, secrets, lies and lusts come together to create an absolute banger of a novel. Star student Fern, a self-professed embodiment of Lisa from The Simpsons, arrives from London with her stunning boyfriend, Thom, while her twin Rowan (gay, an aspiring actor, and consumed by FOMO) brings his best friend Syd. Though Fern is, as always, determined to enjoy the perfect family Christmas, she notes that “Christmas with a mixed-race boyfriend and a non-binary and mixed-race best friend is a potential minefield. Where are you from? But where are you really from?” Then there’s the twin’s younger sister, Willow, still living at home and constantly scrutinised due to her anorexia. As the big day draws closer, past liaisons and unfolding secrets envelop the family like a tangle of Christmas tree lights, setting the scene for a series of snowy showdowns and a whole lot of soul-searching. Hearty, satisfying stuff, with seasonal cheer shining bright through the real-life strife.
Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2022 Information Books 3-14 | What’s the T? is street talk for ‘tell me the truth’ and this is exactly what Juno Dawson sets out to do. This Book is Gay by the same author became a staple purchase for school libraries and this new title absolutely deserves the same treatment and indeed should be purchased for the staff shelf too. This reader is paranoid about the correct language and terminology and I feel far more confident in my understanding now. The excellent glossary is worth the purchase price alone. Although it sets out to answer all the possible questions that anyone feeling body dysmorphia or anybody supporting a friend or family member with similar anxieties, could come up with, my strongest impression was one of moral rectitude. Without being strident or patronising and in her warm, witty and friendly way, the author makes very clear the right of every human being to define themselves and to be able to live their lives without fear. Many misconceptions (often generated by ill-informed or blatantly hateful messages in mainstream and social media) are firmly laid to rest. Notably what is and is not actually possible in terms of treatment for young people under 18. The information and advice given does not sugar coat anything. Nobody could be left in any doubt of the difficulties and the time that it would take to make any sort of transition, nor that there is one simple answer or one simple journey. The fascinating look at the history of transgender in different cultures and the witness statements from trans and non-binary people across the globe, give those of us in our cisgender privilege a salutary wake-up call, which is why this book has value for any sociology, politics or philosophy students too. An essential purchase for secondary schools and a recommended addition to any young person's bookshelf. For more books visit our LGBTQI Literature Collection.
Winner of the YA Book Prize 2020 | Honest and raw, this is a timely expose of the dark underbelly of the fashion industry in an era of #TimesUp and #MeToo. It might just be Juno Dawson's most important book yet.
The most addictive novel you'll read this year | Strong content, written with wit, a compelling read with authentic characters.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8 | Teenage love is the subject of Juno Dawson’s thoroughly creepy new book for Barrington Stoke: ‘I think we love more freely… more playfully, with reckless abandon’, says Eliza to her boyfriend Sam shortly before she is killed in a car crash, which almost explains his actions after her death. Sam’s grief is all-encompassing, and he is prepared to do absolutely anything to see her again… It’s a genuinely chilling story, but Dawson keeps a playfulness there too, and finally leads Sam back to hopes of a happy future. Beautiful full page illustrations by Alex T Smith send more shivers down the spine; one to read with all the lights on. Readers gripped by this dark story would enjoy short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, M R James and E F Benson. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic teen readers.
A funny and pertinent book about being lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer, transgender or just curious - for everybody, no matter their gender or sexuality Former PSHCE teacher and acclaimed YA author Juno Dawson gives an uncensored look at what it's like to grow up as LGBT. Including testimonials from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, this frank, funny, fully inclusive book explores everything anyone who ever dared to wonder wants to know - from sex to politics, how to pull, stereotypes, how to come-out and more. Spike Gerrell's hilarious illustrations combined with funny and factual text make this a must-read.
