The Lonely Book

From the award-winning author of The Deepest Breath comes a loving story about gender identity, family, and the magic of books. Annie’s family is made of love. When her moms open up their bookshop in the mornings, there is always a mysterious pile of books on the counter. By evening, every book has found its ideal reader. But one day there is a book that doesn’t get bought. It has to lie there all on its own. Who can its reader be, and why don’t they come? Days pass, and the book with no owner gets lonelier and lonelier. The bookshop is unhappy, and the moms are worried that the shop isn’t making enough money. Then someone starts borrowing the book. Eventually, we realise it’s Annie’s sibling Charlotte — and it is a book about being non-binary. Mum explains what ‘non-binary’ means to Annie. Charlotte asks to be called Charlie and says that their pronouns are they/them. The bookshop cheers up. Customers start buying books again. This family is made of love.