Bug and Bug’s mom are grieving Bug’s Uncle Roderick, who lived with them and recently passed away after a long illness. It was Uncle Roderick who taught Bug about ghosts, so when spooky things start happening—doors open and close, objects move around—Bug suspects it’s Uncle Roderick, trying to communicate something important. While snooping in Uncle Roderick’s room for clues, Bug finds pamphlets about what it means to be transgender. Uncle Roderick was an out gay man and a drag queen, but Bug begins to wonder: Had Uncle Roderick been trans and afraid to come out? Meanwhile, Bug’s best friend, Moira, has discovered makeup and boys and wants to give Bug a makeover before the start of sixth grade, despite Bug’s disinterest. Bug, white, has always felt awkward, but knows a makeover isn’t the answer to figuring out being a girl. Pondering everything, including the stranger Bug sometimes sees when looking in the mirror, Bug finally realizes that Uncle Roderick wanted Bug to know it’s okay to be yourself. For Bug, expressing the truth that he’s a boy finally brings comfort in his own skin. So much more than a ghost story, this tale of identity, family, loss, and friendship is lovely in every way, from descriptive details to a quietly affirming sensibility. It keenly captures the feeling of dysphoria, the certainty of self-knowledge, and the beauty of family and friends who see and accept the truth of Bug’s identity matter-of-factly and with love. (Ages 8-12)

A Newbery Honor Book • Winner of the Stonewall Book Award • A National Book Award Finalist

"A gentle, glowing wonder, full of love and understanding." –The New York Times Book Review

It's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare. For Moira, this means figuring out the right clothes to wear, learning how to put on makeup, and deciding which boys are cuter in their yearbook photos than in real life. But none of this is all that appealing to Bug, who doesn't particularly want to spend more time trying to understand how to be a girl. Besides, there's something more important to worry about: A ghost is haunting Bug's eerie old house in rural Vermont...and maybe haunting Bug in particular. As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they're trying to say, an altogether different truth comes to light--Bug is transgender.