Aubrey and Joel are both “the same kind of weird.” Even though they have finished sixth grade, they both still enjoy playing the games they’ve always played in the woods behind their homes—games of imagination and pretend, particularly the “Running-Away Game,” where they plot their escape from their small, predominantly Catholic, Kentucky town. Joel, who is biracial, has long been bullied at school for being effeminate; Aubrey, who is White and somewhat less of a target than Joel, feels like they don’t fit in at school or as the girl everyone sees them to be.
When Joel goes missing, taking the raft that the two of them had been building as part of their games, Aubrey knows they have to find him. They set off together with their sister Teagan and friend Mari (who has also felt like an outsider because she has two moms, but seems to handle things with more ease). The journey to find Joel, however, is also a journey of self-discovery for Aubrey, as they reflect on why Joel disappeared, the toxic dynamics in their school and community, and their own identity.
The depths of this book reveal themselves as the story unfolds. More than a missing-person mystery, this is also a look at how not only bullying, but also silence and inaction from adults, can cause serious harm. At the same time, it is about the resilience and community of queer youth (even if they don’t quite realize they are part of it yet), despite barriers of silence and shame that could have kept them apart, and about the personal journeys of the characters, Aubrey in particular, to better know themselves. It’s a story that will stay with readers long after the last page.
Thoughtful characterizations and a non-pedantic exploration of serious and timely topics make this one a must-read title for any middle grade bookshelf.
(Note: We don’t know what pronouns are correct for Aubrey, who is still in the process of figuring out their gender identity. I have used “they/them,” which feel generally respectful, in the absence of other information, for someone who seems unsure of their exact gender and has expressed the possibility of being nonbinary.)
