Lily and Dunkin

Gephart, D. ( 2016). Lily and Dunkin. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Lily and Dunkin is about two tweens that just want to be accepted for who they truly are.

Lily was born as a boy, Timothy, but her true self is a girl, which she has named Lily.  Lily is starting eighth grade, and wants more than anything else to begin hormone blockers to stop further development as a male.  Lily wants to grow her hair long, wear dresses, and show the world her true self, as a girl.  Her father is resistant, through her mother and sister are accepting.

Dunkin's real name is Norbert.  He just moved to Florida with his mother to live with his grandma, Bubbie.  He is tall, unsure of himself, and takes antipsychotic medicine.  He is afraid to tell others about his bipolar condition and just wants to fit in with the other boys.

Lily and Dunkin meet and form a friendship at the end of summer, but never tell each other their deepest secrets.  Once school begins, Dunkin becomes friends with the boys on the basketball team.  They want him to play basketball because he is tall.  Dunkin doesn't play basketball, but goes along with them to be accepted as part of the popular crowd.  He  completely disregards Lily and doesn't stick up for her when the basketball boys tease and make fun of her.  As the year progresses, Lily's father finally accepts the fact that Lily is a girl inside and allows her to get the hormone blockers.  She gains the strength to go to the school dance dressed as a girl and show the kids at her school her true self.

Dunkin stops taking his medicine, has a breakdown, and has to be hospitalized.  In the hospital, he confronts the real reason they have moved to Florida, the death of his father that he's been blocking out of his memory for the last few months.  Dunkin finally tells Lily the true about himself and his sickness at the school dance.

Connections:

Both Lily and Dunkin confront their fears of being ridiculed by others and take the leap to show the world their inner-selves.  This story is about being true to yourself, even if other people will criticize or not understand.  This book can teach young people to stand up for themselves, but also to be tolerant of people who don't exactly fit the "normal" mold.  What is "normal"?  Each person is made special and unique.  No two people are exactly alike, but unfortunately during adolescent, kids want nothing more than to fit in and be accepted by their peers.  This book can show kids that it's ok to be different and accept those that are different from you as well.  Middle school students are changing in many ways both physically and intellectually, and have a hard time with these changes.  This is evident in this book, as Dunkin feels awkward since he is large for his age.