Story of 'little boy who becomes a little girl' to Headline

Headline Publishing Group has acquired Laurie Frankel’s This is How it Always Is, a book about "a little boy who becomes a little girl".

Executive publisher Marion Donaldson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Kerry Nordling and Amy Einhorn of Flatiron Books, to be published in February 2017.

The "compelling and heartfelt" novel is about five-year-old Claude, the youngest of five brothers and a lover of peanut butter sandwiches, who also "loves wearing a dress, grows his hair long and dreams of being a princess". 

The moral of Claude's story, about "a little boy who becomes a little girl" and "the wonder and challenge of a child’s transformation; about secrets, tolerance, fairy tales, and family", is summed up as "telling our stories and secrets is hard and scary. And sometimes dangerous. But we must do it anyway because that’s how life gets better for everyone."

Donaldson said: "I very quickly fell in love with This is How it Always Is and with Claude – who becomes Poppy. This is the perfect novel for readers of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves or Elizabeth Is Missing – smart, poignant, sometimes funny books that make readers think, and start conversations that take on a life of their own. This will be a book reading groups will take to their hearts, and I couldn’t be more excited to be publishing it next year."