About This Book:
*Review Contributed By Adrien Carter, Staff Reviewer*
Navigating Coming Out and Gentrification
What I Liked: This book opens by introducing you to Lucy whose best friend is spending the summer away at camp, and dad is struggling to be a single father and keep up with his store. Fortunately for Lucy, there is a new girl in town that’s her age as an artist who comes to help revive the old carousel. Maybe her summer won’t be as bad as she was expecting it to be.
The cover of this book drew me in as the background images showcased a variety of settings and I was interested in learning more about the two characters on the front. The rest of the book contains illustrations that help carry the story and give you more insight into each of the characters. The illustrations add layers to the story as you can see subtle changes within the characters such as the expressions on their face.
This book tackles some important topics such as coming out and gentrification, and it does a great job of analyzing both of these topics. Lucy’s father isn’t too pleased when she cuts her hair and then he has a hard time when she tells him that she is a Lesbian. Thankfully for Lucy she has another adult, Ray who happens to be in town for the carousel revival, who can help her navigate coming out and help her dad comes to terms with this. While we don’t see everything that Ray says to Lucy’s dad on the page we get a chance to see the change in him as he has the conversation with Lucy about how he feels. The fear that Lucy’s dad has for her because of her queerness and other people’s ignorance is relatable, and is a fear I’ve seen in so many other parents of queer children.
The other story that is told throughout this book is one of the dangers of gentrification and this book does a great job of showcasing both sides, the people selling their business, and the community members who are harmed by developers coming in and building condos. This book also provides you with various viewpoints on gentrification from various generations. This book also showcases how communities can band together in order to get their needs met when developers come in and attempt to push them out.
Final Verdict: Carousel Summer is a sweet summer read that explores coming out in a small town and the impact that gentrification has on communities. Children ages 8 and up will enjoy reading this book as they may be figuring things out for themselves. If you enjoy reading graphic novels, books with LGBTQ+ characters, or are looking for a great summer read then this is your next read.
