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A trans kid learns just how powerful he can be in the face of dangers both natural and supernatural in this powerful new book from the Newbery Honor-winning author of When A’s friend Yarrow goes missing, he knows it has everything to do with Save our Sons and Daughters. The organization markets themselves as a support group for parents with trans kids, but;SOSAD does little more than push fears of a nonexistent “transgender craze," and take every opportunity to turn parents against their children.; While Yarrow''s dissapearance is shocking, it''s not altogether surprising; kids have been disappearing from the group for weeks. Still, A never suspected that there was anything supernatural about it, until he finds himself face-to-face with a real-life golem--a creature brought to life by a rabbinic ritual. Turns out, Yarrow''s disappearance is bigger than SOSAD, A''s transphobic parents, or even the rash of anti-trans bills racing through state legistlatures across the country. Sheydim--demons from Jewish mythology--who feed on the darkness in the world, are stirring. And the rise in transphobia is serving up an endless buffet. The golem is convinced that A can help unravel the thread of evil weaving through the world. But how is one trans kid who hasn’t even chosen a full name supposed to save his friend, let alone the whole world?
About the author
Kyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers. His debut middle-grade novel,
Too Bright to See, received a Newbery Honor, the Stonewall award, and was a National Book Award finalist. His picture book
When Aidan Became a Brother also won the Stonewall. He has forthcoming books about mermaids, babies, apologies, and lots of other topics. While becoming a writer he worked as a bookseller for ten years, and then nine more years as a school librarian.
Summary
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A groundbreaking, action-packed, and ultimately uplifting adventure that intertwines elements of Jewish mythology with an unflinching examination of the impacts of transphobia, from Newbery Honor winner Kyle Lukoff.
“Rare and beautiful—a novel that combines wondrous fantasy, searing real-world relevance, and a frank empathetic understanding of the adolescent experience.”—Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
★ “A stunning powerhouse of fantasy and real-world issues.”—Booklist, starred review
Lockdown is over, but A’s world feels smaller than ever. Coming out as trans didn’t exactly go well, and most days, he still barely leaves his bedroom, let alone the house. But the low point of A’s life isn’t online school, missing his bar mitzvah, or the fact that his parents monitor his phone like hawks—it’s the weekly Save Our Sons and Daughters meetings his parents all but drag him to.
At SOSAD, A and his friends Sal and Yarrow sit by while their parents deadname them and wring their hands over a nonexistent “transgender craze.” After all, sitting in suffocating silence has to be better than getting sent away for “advanced treatment,” never to be heard from again.
When Yarrow vanishes after a particularly confrontational meeting, A discovers that SOSAD doesn’t just feel soul-sucking…it’s run by an actual demon who feeds off the pain and misery of kids like him. And it’s not just SOSAD—the entire world is beset by demons dining on what seems like an endless buffet of pain and bigotry.
But how is one trans kid who hasn’t even chosen a name supposed to save his friend, let alone the world? And is a world that seems hellbent on rejecting him even worth saving at all?
