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Kickflip Vol. 1

A heartfelt graphic novel about LGBTQ+ identity, acceptance and friendship

L.D. Lapinski, Author

Logan Hanning, Illustrator

Imprint: Orion Children's Books

Publication date: June 19, 2025

Category: Graphic Novels

ISBN: 9781510112537

School girl. Skater boy. What if neither label fits? A poignant LGBTQ+ graphic novel about self-discovery, skateboarding and finding your true community of friends, perfect for fans of Heartstopper.

At school, Elliot gets bullied for being ‘different to other girls’ whereas at the skate park, everyone welcomes Elliot – presuming they’re male – but neither label feels right.

As Eliot’s love of skateboarding and friendships grow, their worlds collide at a sports expo where the school netball team and skate crew are competing. Can Elliot find the courage to share what they’ve learned about non-binary identity? Will best friend Jess or the skateboarding crew accept Elliot for who they are? And what about Ryan, the skater who Elliot has been feeling increasingly close to?

The first volume of a new graphic novel series that will steal your heart!

Reviews

A thoughtful, compassionate 12+ graphic novel about self-discovery, courage and acceptance.

The Guardian

L.D.Lapinski

L.D. Lapinski

L.D. Lapinski lives just outside Sherwood Forest with their family, a lot of books, and a cat called Hector. They are the author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency trilogy, and the standalone novel Jamie.

When they aren’t writing, L.D. can be found cosplaying, drinking a lot of cherry cola, and taking care of a forest of succulent plants. L.D. first wrote a book aged seven; it was made of lined paper and Sellotape, and it was about a frog who owned an aeroplane. When L.D. grows up, they want to be a free-range guinea pig farmer.

You can find them on Twitter @ldlapinski or at ldlapinski.com

To get in touch about booking an event, please visit my website.

L.D.Lapinski

Logan Hanning

Logan Hanning is a comic artist and illustrator based in Shropshire, UK, originally from America. After graduating from Kutztown University, Pennsylvania with a degree in Art Education and Fine Art, they worked in Falun, Sweden as a textile and art teacher before studying for an MA in Illustration at Nottingham Trent University, then teaching as an Art Facilitator in Telford. Throughout their years of teaching, they’ve found that working with students lends authenticity to their work as they design characters that reflect younger generations. Their experience living and teaching in multiple countries has helped them better understand people and the ties that connect all of us.
Logan has been creating comics on everything from notebook paper to Post-it notes since their childhood. For them, comics are a language – how they process feelings, and experiences and connect with others. Logan’s current work celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and challenges how we engage with gender in society and within ourselves. By working with traditional materials like dip pens and combining textures with digital elements, their comics have a hand-drawn feel which hopefully evokes memories of reading comics in the Sunday pages. They hope to keep creating comics and sharing them with others forever.