Schoolchildren as young as 10 have been told to read a book that depicts a family whose father is transitioning to a woman.
Nothing Ever Happens Here by Sarah Hagger-Holt, which follows a 12-year-old whose father transitions into “Danielle”, was included among titles sent to the parents of a Year 6 pupil by their school.
The book appears on the School Reading List, a website utilised by educators seeking classroom materials and parents searching for suitable books for their children.
Teachers and parents are said to use the list for recommendations for their young children.
The inclusion of such subject matter for pupils aged 10 and 11 has drawn concern from parents and campaigners alike.
The mother who received the list expressed immediate alarm upon discovering the title among recommendations for her child’s age group.
“Why do they need to read about a man wanting to transition to become a woman at such a young age?” she questioned.
She confirmed she would not be selecting the book for her own child.
Nothing Ever Happens Here by Sarah Hagger-Holt, which follows a 12-year-old whose father transitions into ‘Danielle’, was included among titles sent to the parents of a Year 6 pupil by their school
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AMAZON
The book appears on School Reading List, a website utilised by educators seeking classroom materials and parents searching for suitable books for their children
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SCHOOL READING LIST
The book, published in 2020, has received crushing criticism in online reviews.
“This is grooming children to cooperate and please their fathers. I hate to think how this could do damage to vulnerable kids,” one reader said.
Another commented: “Chose the book by its cover. Got traumatised for life.”
“This is an awful book on many levels. As it’s basically a propaganda piece for aggressively pro-trans organisation Stonewall, it doesn’t bother with anything like good dialogue, description or humour,” a third said.
Sarah Hagger-Holt has written a multitude of LGBTQ+ books
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A fourth declared: “‘This book grooms children for emotional abuse’ – these are the words of a REAL child whose father transitioned, in their review of this book. The book is little more than a piece of propaganda from an author who works for Stonewall – whose major area of campaigning is for the rights of adult males to self-identify as females.”
The novel also appears in a separate list titled: “LGBTQIA+ themed books for primary-aged children”.
On this list description, it says: “School libraries should endeavour to feature LGBTQIA+ themed books for primary-aged children to help foster understanding, reflect diversity, and promote acceptance, ultimately contributing to a more comprehensive and inclusive educational environment.”
Fiona McAnena, of sex-based rights charity Sex Matters, condemned the recommendation in forthright terms.
“This is barely disguised activism that runs counter to safeguarding,” she said. “It is irresponsible to teach that they must accept a man who says he is a woman.”
She further noted that teaching resources accompanying the book “even imply a child reacting negatively to their father identifying as female is a potential character flaw”.
The website has defended its position on the matter. School Reading List stated: “We take age suitability seriously and stand by our decision to recommend it for Year 6.”
