Cher Upon A Midnight Clear

Cher Upon A Midnight Clear – a Christmas fable for children of all ages, and the queer-friendly holiday story your modern family has been waiting for!

How do adults know when something is for boys and when it’s for girls? Who tells them so? Where do they learn it? For eight-year-old Luca, it’s a mystery, but if he can’t convince his parents to give him the white ice skates he has his heart set on, Christmas is going to be ruined. Who does a child turn to when he can’t even count on Santa Claus?

By Matteo B. Bianchi; English translation by Wendell Ricketts

$8.95| ISBN-13: 978-0989980029 | 5” x 8” | 66 pages

“Last year, they saw a commercial on TV for Barbie Magic Hair, a Barbie with no body, just a big head with long hair, and you can comb it, and color it, and put it up in curlers. And, since Luca and Pamela want to be hair stylists when they grow up, they both asked for Magic Hair Barbie in their letters to Santa Claus. Santa brought one for Pamela, but what Luca got instead was … a bicycle! A mistake that big—well, it could only mean Santa never even read Luca’s letter. This year, Luca can’t run the risk that things will go wrong again.” (from Cher Upon A Midnight Clear)

When Santa keeps bringing eight-year-old Luca the wrong toys, Luca takes matters into his own hands: He’s seen Cher on TV – and he definitely “believes.” He’ll write to her instead!

Can Cher save the day? Will she help Luca’s parents overcome their rigid insistence on what’s “appropriate” for boys? This sweet, charming story (aimed at adults but completely appropriate for children) is for all those who wish there had been a little more gender flexibility in their own childhoods – and who hope today’s kids will grow up differently.


About the Author

Matteo B. Bianchi is a Italian novelist, editor, and television writer based in Milan. His books include Generations of Love* (and the update, Generations of Love—Extensions), Fermati Tanto Così, Esperimenti di Felicità Provvisoria, Apocalisse a Domicilio, and his latest, Maria Accanto. With Giorgio Vasta he edited the Dizionario Affettivo della Lingua Italiana. He wrote the radio program Dispenser (Radio Due Rai) and, for television, he has written for such programs as Victor Victoria (La7), Quelli che il Calcio (Rai Due), X Factor, and E Poi c’è Cattelan (Sky Uno). Visit Matteo’s website.

*Generations of Love has been translated into English and is awaiting a publisher; one chapter has appeared in English in Words Without Borders: “The Lost Language of Crane Operators.”


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