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“Rare and beautiful—a novel that combines wondrous fantasy, searing real-world relevance, and a frank empathetic understanding of the adolescent experience...The way Lukoff combines these elements in a page-turning adventure is nothing short of magic!” —Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Covid lockdown is over, but A’s world feels smaller than ever. Coming out as trans didn’t exactly go well, and most days, he 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?
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 4, 2025 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593945889
- File size: 255203 KB
- Duration: 08:51:38
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from October 28, 2024
A transgender teen and a golem aim to dismantle a supernaturally evil conversion therapy program in this satisfying horror-tinged novel by Lukoff (Different Kinds of Fruit). After 14-year-old A Izenson comes out as trans, his Jewish parents force him to attend Save Our Sons and Daughters, a “support group” that’s coercing participating members into backing a politician’s crusade against gender affirming healthcare. When agender Yarrow, A’s closest friend in the group, stops attending meetings—ostensibly to undergo further “treatment”—A’s attempts to uncover
Yarrow’s whereabouts lead him to discovering a golem made of trash that claims A must save the world from a growing evil. With the help of an understanding rabbi,
A learns more about banishing sheydim, Jewish demons that seem to be possessing the most ardent anti-trans folks he’s encountered. But as A’s search for Yarrow becomes entangled with his mythical calling, he realizes that the challenges are too great to face alone. This superb fantastical adventure tackles serious real-world problems faced by queer youth via unique interpretations of Jewish mysticism that, paired with A’s powerfully raw emotional journey, further flesh out the thrilling plot. Most characters cue as white. Ages 10–14. -
Will Malloy performs this moving fantasy audiobook with skill and care. A's parents have been dragging him to painful group conversion therapy meetings ever since he came out as trans. Ironically, it's the only place A has been able to befriend other trans kids. Then his friend Yarrow is taken away for intensive "treatment," and A discovers demons are behind the abduction--and a whole conspiracy of anti-trans attacks. Malloy infuses his voice with fear and determination as A and his friend Sal flee, and they face down saving their friend on their own. An unusual golem, other unhoused queer kids, and A's rabbi all provide support and guidance. This powerful story steeped in Jewish folklore is about coming together to fight for a better world. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine
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