by Robin Gow
Amulet / Abrams, 2023
320 pages
9781419764400
Ages 9-12
Noah’s best friend, Lewis, was killed in a car accident several months ago. Noah and Lewis were only out as trans to each other–not their families or at school, where Noah is Nora and Lewis was Ella. Noah, autistic, has not only lost his best friend but the essential sense of being known, seen, and understood. Lewis was deeply imaginative and determined, and for the sixth grade science fair had planned to find proof of the existence of Mothman, a legendary cryptid in their region. Noah hadn’t been interested in the project, but is now planning to carry it out. He starts with writing letters to Mothman. In them, Noah expresses his grief and loneliness, something he suspects Mothman understands. Leaving the notebook with the letters out near the edge of his yard, Noah (white) sees evidence each morning that Mothman is reading them. This tender, lovely novel in verse follows Noah from isolation and grief to an emerging sense of belonging and healing. His journey is helped by a connection with three other kind, imaginative kids at school: Molly, Alice and, especially Hanna. They are the first people beyond Lewis whom Noah comes out to, trust well placed overall, and Noah slowly is able to broaden that circle to his parents and teacher. The supernatural elements are given space to exist in a way that allows readers to decide for themselves how to make sense of this aspect of a quietly captivating story. ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center