Elliot likes her hair short, wearing baggy hoodies and keeping under the radar at school. Her nemesis is a girl called Kate who calls her weird, a lesbian, alongside all manner of insults. Elliot’s bestie Jessica sticks up for Elliot and checks in on how she’s feeling about the bullying.

Elliot brushes it all off, as Jessica says for the umpteenth time, “Girls Together Forever, right?”

The thing is, Elliot doesn’t feel like a girl. But she doesn’t feel like a boy either, and whenever she is accused of wanting to be one, she loudly denies it.

When she meets a group of skateboarders, she enjoys their company. One guy in particular calls her, “Mate…” consistently, which also makes her uncomfortable. The more time they spend together and the more skilled she becomes on her skateboard heading into a competition, the more conflicted she becomes.

Elliot wants to be themselves. Not a girl. Not a boy. But will anyone understand that? Is their mum right in saying they are living three different lives trying to keep their true identity a secret.

But will Kate be even worse when she finds out, Jessica be mad, and the skateboarders even more so?

This graphic novel is a powerful story in black and white illustrations by Logan Hanning (they/them), and multi award winning author L D Lapinski.

Elliot may have a boy’s name as a girl, but they feel like they are neither – constantly batting off insults at school for their appearance, and struggling to reveal the truth.

Kick Flip shows Elliot’s journey as they struggle to find who they really are inside, before they then worry about revealing their true selves to others. Along the way, they are surprised to meet others with similar struggles, and acceptance from people who they care about.

A moving graphic novel that tugs at the heartstrings and strengthens the point that people don’t have to be labelled to be happy within themselves – just to be themselves.

Looking forward to more in this series.

Author – L D Lapinski

Illustrator – Logan Hanning.

Age – 11+

Publisher – Hachette

Set – School/Home/Skateboarding Park

Viewpoint – 1st person

Violence – None

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Blend – LGBTQ+/Real Life

If you like the sound of this, you might like:

(2025, Graphic Novel, Hachette, LGBTQ+, Non-Binary, Love, Friendship, Bullies, Real Life, School, Series, Secret, Growing up, Identity, True Self, Acceptance, Coming Out, Understanding, Sport, Skateboard Competition, Bullying, Standing up for yourself, Trusting friends)