A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * An ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 Title for Young Readers
Three kids who donโt belong. A room that shouldnโt exist. A year that will change everything.
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone whoโs ever felt like they didnโt fit in.
San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for Hรฉctor Muรฑoz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Back home, being gay didnโt mean feeling different. At Hรฉctorโs new school, he couldnโt feel more alone.
Most days, Hรฉctor just wishes he could disappear. And he does. Right into the janitorโs closet. (Yes, he sees the irony.) But one day, when the door closes behind him, Hรฉctor discovers heโs stumbled into a room that shouldnโt be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the countryโand opens the door to a life-changing year full of friendship, adventure, and just a little bit of magic.
โSometimes hilarious, sometimes devastating, but always full of heart, The Insiders carves out a space for us all to be our true selves.โ โKwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
Mark Oshiro is the award-winning author of the young adult books Anger Is a Gift (Schneider Family Book Award) and Each of Us a Desert as well as their middle grade debut, The Insiders. They are also the coauthor (with Rick Riordan) of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel The Sun and the Star. When not writing, they are trying to pet every dog in the world. Visit them online at markoshiro.com.