Author of the week: Juno Dawson

With so many wonderfully talented authors out there in the literature world, we thought what better way to start our reading is fundamental section then with our favourite author, and someone you should all familiarise yourself with!

First introduced to Juno Dawson by friend, DA contributor, and fellow book worm Nathan, I had the pleasure of seeing her do a talk for Jecca Blac’s first Transfest in February.

Invited for Dragadventures it was an opportunity to learn, educate, and realize the privilege we don’t appreciate. Juno is incredibly intelligent, funny and her books are a must-read, particularly ‘This Book Is Gay’ and ‘Gender Games’ of which should 100% be read in schools. For us adults too we must educate ourselves and not ask to be educated, we should all be allies and support the LGBTQ+ community. These books aim to re-educate the way we think as a society, I can be guilty of succumbing to the patriarchy and how we as females are taught to cover up, be appropriate with how we dress and behave within society. 

Nathan agrees that her writing style is so accessible, and even gone on to recommended ‘The Gender Games’ to some parents at his school that have children who identify as transgender, due to the brilliance of the book it’s allowed them to gain an understanding of the subject. They’ve found it a great book to help their child with some amazing information. Seeing the work Juno does makes me think about what could be done in the school I work at, and how to help children understand and learn in an easy way.

Nathan’s literature journey started back in 2017 during the Cheltenham Literature Festival, author Juno Dawson, a name some of you may already know, it not then you should! First introduced to her work at the festival during the transgender politics hosted by Juno Dawson and C N Lester. Nathan knew he’d found an author he’d admire “I’ve always wanted to know more about the subject of transgender so I booked myself a ticket. I became so fascinated by the subject and the writer that I had to find out more about her work and the books shed written. I also wanted to find out more about her backstory.”

Juno began transitioning in 2015, working in her previous job as a primary school teacher where she began writing a number of young adult fiction books. In 2014 she wrote the non-fiction book ‘This Book Is Gay’, the manual to all areas of life as an LGBT person. Later going on to write for a number of popular publications such as Glamour, Attitude, and as a School Role Model for the LGBT charity Stonewall.

Our recommendation for starting your Juno extensive reading journey is most definitely ‘This Book Is Gay’. We love this book as it has so much information in a clear and simple way for anyone to understand. Whether you’re just coming out, you’ve been out for years or you want some helpful advice and information on the feelings you have deep inside then this is the go-to book for you. Keep your eyes peeled on here for a more in depth review of this book coming soon. 

Juno also writes amazing fiction books. World Book day special ‘Spot The Difference’ is a lovely short story about a young girl suffering from skin problems and how a miracle cure could change her school life. 

Wonderland (her most recent release) was devoured within a few days, it was that gripping. We follow the journey of our leading lady, Alice, Juno Dawson’s first trans lead character, we follow her on down the rabbit hole in search of the elusive Bunny. 

It is a powerful story and shows strength and growth in our heroine. Yes, she’s faced her struggles but she’s found ways to overcome these. It’s also brilliant to see how her school friends react to her ‘big secret’. We won’t go into too much as once again, we encourage you to read all her books!

With the release of Wonderland and What’s the T? Now rescheduled for Feburay 2021 (boo) here at Dragadventures, we are beyond excited about following the journey of this talented writer and her well-earned rise in popularity. Juno Dawson has fast become one of our favorite authors and we can’t wait to patiently wait and get our hands on her new book (don’t worry, we’ve got it on preorder).