Dragging Mason County
Description
*A White Raven List selection*
*A White Pine Award finalist*
*A Publishing Triangle Award winner*
A laugh-out-loud YA debut that examines the realities of small-town queer life and celebrates the transformative power of drag鈥攑erfect for fans of RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race and Pumpkin.
Peter Thompkin needs a public image overhaul. After a tense confrontation with one of the few other queer kids in his small-town high school, rumors about him are becoming more elaborate by the day. Meanwhile, his best friend Alan (aka teen drag queen Aggie Culture) is throwing Mason County鈥檚 debut Drag Extravaganza. Although Peter is a self-described 鈥渄ragnostic,鈥� he decides to help produce the show, hoping to prove that he isn鈥檛 a self-hating gay. In the process, he finds himself facing down angry guard dogs, angrier bigots, and a very high-strung church lady. As backlash grows, Peter begins to wonder whether he's setting fire to his already damaged reputation and if his friendship with Alan will survive past curtain call.
At turns touching, sharply funny, and a little absurd, Dragging Mason County explores the pains and pleasures of queer community through one teen鈥檚 journey to self-acceptance.
"A timely tale of friendship, self-acceptance, and the importance of proper contouring."鈥擪evin Christopher Snipes, author of Milo and Marcos at the End of the World
Awards
- Nominated, White Pine Award, OLA 2023
- Joint winner, Best Bets, Top Ten, OLA 2023
- Short-listed, The Publishing Triangle Award 2024
- Joint winner, The White Ravens, International Youth Library 2024
Reviews
With biting humor and big personalities, Dragging Mason County serves up enough memorable one-liners to fill an entire season of RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race. But at its shiny, sequin-loving heart, there鈥檚 an emotionally tender story about learning how to fully accept who you are . . . and celebrate it as well.
- Brian D. Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country
A book filled with big heels, big laughs, and a big heart. Dragging Mason County reminds us about the importance of community, the need for visibility鈥攔egardless of where you live鈥攁nd the courage it takes to be yourself.
- Brian Francis, author of Fruit
Painfully relatable and bitingly funny, Dragging Mason County is a timely tale of friendship, self-acceptance, and the importance of proper contouring.
- Kevin Christopher Snipes, author of Milo and Marcos at the End of the World
Fast, witty, and full of heart, Dragging Mason County is an unflinching reflection of the prickly realities of small-town queer adolescence. Come for the snappy dialogue and an acerbic wit so cutting it鈥檚 almost lethal鈥攕tay for the surprisingly complex and tender heart underneath.鈥�
- Alexandra Mae Jones, author of The Queen of Junk Island
鈥淎 sharp and startlingly timely story about drag's ability to transform not just a person, but a community.鈥�
- Anthony Oliveira, GLAAD Media Award鈥搘inning author
鈥�Dragging Mason County is like a good drag show: fun, messy, celebratory, and over much too soon. Peter and the queens of The House of Rural Realness show us how much a positive queer space means to people, especially young people.鈥�
- Dani Jansen, author of The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life
鈥�Dragging Mason County feels like the teenage love child of David Sedaris and John Waters. In hero Peter Thompkin, Curtis Campbell has created a wholly singular yet deeply familiar character whose coming-of-age journey takes us through a crackling seen-it-all wit into the tenderness of self-discovery where we are reminded that feeling more can help us need less. Smart, funny, relevant, and ultimately touching. A delightful debut.鈥�
- Daniel MacIvor, award-winning playwright and performer
鈥�Dragging Mason County is a timely book about a small town grappling with its humanity. This gem of a novel is chock-full of humor, heart, and hair spray. Campbell has given us characters who, if given a chance, could definitely rule the world. A worthy and important debut.鈥�
- Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, author of Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town
鈥淚 loved Peter鈥檚 personal journey of self-discovery, navigating the challenges of prejudice and intolerance while producing the gaggiest drag show his county has ever seen. Dragging Mason County is an empowering young adult novel that celebrates the vibrant spirit of queer individuals, advocacy in a digital age, and the transformative magic of drag.鈥�
- Bombae, from Canada鈥檚 Drag Race
鈥淗old on to your wigs! Dragging Mason County serves a hilarious, heartwarming story of acceptance and bravery, all while boasting a sickening cast of characters with charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to spare.鈥�
- Erik J. Brown, author of Lose You to Find Me and All That鈥檚 Left in the World
鈥淎 hilarious romp through small-town drag. The 'face' of this book is all sequins and glitter, but behind the shiny exterior is a story about messy, fraught friendship and self-discovery.鈥�
- Tanya Boteju, author of Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens
鈥淪howcasing a friendship that withstands hardship and disagreements, DRAGGING MASON COUNTY is a comedic novel in which queer teenagers butt against small minds, but still put on a heartwarming, showstopping display of selfdiscovery.鈥�
- Foreword Reviews, September/October 2023
鈥淎 book filled with big heels, big laughs, and a big heart. Dragging Mason County reminds us about the importance of community, the need for visibility鈥攔egardless of where you live鈥攁nd the courage it takes to be yourself.鈥� 鈥�
- Brian Francis, author of Fruit
鈥淟iterally every single page is overflowing with hilariously sharp, sassy, and shocking prose鈥攎aking the amount of times I found myself giggling like a lunatic, screaming 鈥極h my GOD鈥� impossible to count. Not to mention THE funniest chapter titles in any book ever. Make Dragging Mason County part of your self-care routine.鈥� 鈥�
- Mark Samual Bonanno, writer and performer of Aunty Donna
鈥淧ainfully relatable and bitingly funny, Dragging Mason County is a timely tale of friendship, self-acceptance, and the importance of proper contouring.鈥� 鈥�
- Kevin Christopher Snipes, author of Milo and Marcos at the End of the World
鈥淲ith biting humor and big personalities, Dragging Mason County serves up enough memorable one-liners to fill an entire season of RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race. But at its shiny, sequin-loving heart, there鈥檚 an emotionally tender story about learning how to fully accept who you are . . . and celebrate it as well.鈥� 鈥�
- Brian D. Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country
鈥淚 loved Peter鈥檚 personal journey of self-discovery, navigating the challenges of prejudice and intolerance while producing the gaggiest drag show his county has ever seen. Dragging Mason County is an empowering young adult novel that celebrates the vibrant spirit of queer individuals, advocacy in a digital age, and the transformative magic of drag.鈥�
- Bombae, from Canada鈥檚 Drag Race
鈥淗old on to your wigs! Dragging Mason County serves a hilarious, heartwarming story of acceptance and bravery, all while boasting a sickening cast of characters with charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to spare.鈥� 鈥�
- Erik J. Brown, author of Lose You to Find Me and All That's Left in the World
鈥淚n taking a microscope to issues such as allyship, anti-fatness, anxiety, insecurity, and internalized homophobia, debut author Campbell presents an impassioned homage to queer community and culture that proffers clever and laugh-out-loud explorations of self-expression and acceptance.鈥�
- Publishers Weekly, *starred review, 08/17/23
鈥淭he verbal swordplay from the drag queens plus the generally cutting remarks from the other high schoolers give the novel an edge; many of the characters鈥� defenses will feel relatable for some readers . . . Fabulously acerbic.鈥�
- Kirkus Reviews, 07/29/23
鈥淸Campbell] utilizes large doses of humor without pulling any punches in order to shine a light on issues many LGBTQ+ teens face today. Fans of Julie Murphy鈥檚 Pumpkin (2021) will delight in this candid and campy account of teenage angst.鈥�
- Booklist, 10/12/23
鈥淸A] witty and charming young adult novel that encourages learning to be kinder to oneself and others . . . the themes of friendship, self-acceptance, and forgiveness are essential ones for teens, and the novel does a beautiful job of weaving together the stories of characters doing the best they can.鈥�
- Quill & Quire, *starred review, 11/23