I Got You Babe

by Paul Coccia

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Pub Date Feb 14 2023 | Archive Date Nov 29 2022

Orca Book Publishers

LGBTQIAP+ | Middle Grade | OwnVoices

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Description

This year’s fun fair will have a Pride Carnival theme and twelve-year-old Mac couldn’t be more excited.

Mac convinces his best friend, Amy, to do a Sonny and Cher drag number. He has their outfits all planned out, right down to the bellbottoms and fur vests. And he wants their performance to be perfect too so he pushes Amy to rehearse every day. Every step, every wave of the hand, every lyric has to be spot on. But Amy has had enough—the day before the event, she reveals that she never wanted to be Sonny. Why can’t she be Cher? Mac refuses to even consider it. There can only be one diva! With no time to recast, Mac plans to go solo. But he's miserable without his best friend. Can the two of them patch things up in time?

I Got You Babe is part of the Orca Currents line of hi-lo books. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. Interest level ages 10–14.

I Got You Babe is written at a 2.1 reading level.

Orca's hi-lo is printed in an ultra-readable, highly-accessible print format with dyslexia-friendly, more readable font, increased spacing between words and lines and cream-colored paper to minimize contrast so readers can focus more easily.

A Note From the Publisher

Paul Coccia is the author of the bestselling Orca Soundings title Cub, which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and The Player. His most recent book, On The Line, was co-authored with Eric Walters. Paul has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and lives in Toronto with his family.

Advance Praise

Praise for Paul Coccia's previous books:

Cub (Orca Soundings):
"Short paragraphs and straightforward dialogue make this ideal for reluctant readers. A gay protagonist and a drag queen will resonate with an LGBTQ+ audience…The tough truth of marginalized communities attacking their own is difficult to face but accurate in its exposure of toxic behavior; Theo's shaky navigation is inspiring."
– Kirkus Reviews
"Cub allows Theo to fully develop as a young gay man…An encouraging and necessary story, Cub is a book that will start important conversations among younger readers, librarians, and educators."
– CM Reviews
"Fiction for teens that deals with the LGBT experience is in short supply, and this one tackles the important concepts of consent and age appropriateness."
– Resource Links
“Sure to delight young and reluctant readers…especially LGBTQ audiences.”
– Must Read Literature: K thru 12

On the Line (co-written with Eric Walters):

“Beautifully and realistically rendered…Shines a light on the restorative power of best friends and caring family…Both straight and LGBTQ+ readers will love a work created by two outstanding writers who, as it turns out, are greater than the sum of their storytelling parts. Highly Recommended.”
– CM Reviews
“A relationship-driven story.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“A story that challenges young readers to see beyond themselves and from different perspectives and with compassion for the struggles that others may be experiencing.”
– CanLit for LittleCanadians
“An emotional, thought-provoking journey exploring identity, with a basketball backdrop.”
– Booklist

Praise for Paul Coccia's previous books:

Cub (Orca Soundings):
"Short paragraphs and straightforward dialogue make this ideal for reluctant readers. A gay protagonist and a drag queen will resonate...