Too Bright To See

Literary awards - Newbery Medal Nominee (2022), Stonewall Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature (2022), National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (2021).

In this poignant and haunting ghost story, we follow the journey of a young soul as they navigate the realms of grief, adolescence, and self-discovery.

It's the summer just before middle school, and eleven-year-old Bug's closest friend, Moira, is determined that they should use these precious months to prepare for the changes ahead. For Moira, this means experimenting with clothing choices, mastering makeup application, and evaluating the yearbook photos of boys for crush-worthy candidates. However, Bug doesn't share the same enthusiasm for diving deeper into the complexities of girlhood. They have no desire to spend their time trying to conform to a gender they don't identify with. Bug's concerns run deeper, primarily focused on a far more pressing issue: a ghost that is haunting their eerie, old house in rural Vermont, and perhaps, haunting Bug personally.

As Bug embarks on the quest to unravel the enigma surrounding this ghost – who they are and what they're trying to convey – an entirely different truth begins to emerge. Bug realizes that they are transgender, setting the stage for an exploration of identity, acceptance, and the profound journey of self-discovery.