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?
That got heavy quickly! Anti-trans meetings, saving friends from demons, an interesting found community, and handling hard situations no one should have to face. This middle grade book sure did pack a punch!
This story was so interesting. I don’t know much about the Jewish faith at all, and I know even less about jewish mythology. It was great to learn a bit of both.
I will say that it being written so close after quarantine was a bit weird…like going back in time.
I love that A sat a while with the regret of not saying or doing anything while his friend spoke out. That was relatable even for people who have not been in a situation like this one. Everyone has a time in their life when they regret not doing or saying something. It might not have been as heavy as this situation, but everyone knows this feeling to an extent.
I could not even fathom having everyone in my immediate family wanting me to be something im not. To constantly be told that I don’t know who I truly am and what I want. To have to spend time in a space filled with people who want me to push down and hide who I am just to spend a miniscule amount of time with the very few people who accept and like me for me. I know these things happen all the time, but they shouldn’t. Reading stories from a variety of voices is important, especially in a world with a political climate like ours. Im glad to have read this story, and im glad I get to tell you a bit about it.
Is A World Worth Saving on your TBR?
Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada and Netgalley for the ARC 😘 This book comes out February 4th, 2025.
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