The Deepest Breath

‘I spent most of this beautifully written verse novel blinking back tears. Grehan has created one of those rare gems, a book that feels so utterly real and involving that the reader lives every page with the main character.’ – Sarah Webb, author

A warm and sensitive LGBT story for young readers from an award-winning author.

Stevie is eleven. She loves reading and sea creatures. She lives with her mum, and she’s been best friends with Andrew since forever. Stevie’s mum teases her that someday they’ll get married, but Stevie knows that won’t ever happen. There’s a girl at school that she likes more. A lot more.

Actually, she’s a bit confused about how much she likes her. It’s nothing like the way she likes Andrew. It makes her fizz inside. That’s a new feeling, one she doesn’t understand.

Stevie needs to find out if girls can like girls – love them, even – but it’s hard to get any information, and she’s too shy to ask out loud about it. But maybe she can find an answer in a book.

This second verse novel from the winner of the 2018 Children’s Books Ireland Eilìs Dillon (first book) award is a sensitive and reassuring exploration of LGBT identity for younger readers.