BOOK REVIEW

Dear Mothman

Robin Gow. Amulet, $18.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4197-6440-0

When transgender 6^th grader Noah (born Nora) looses his first love Lewis (born Ella) to a fatal car crash, he is lost. Gone is the only person who really understood him—the only person who knew who he really was. Emotionally scrambled, Noah turns to the Mothman for comfort—Lewis’s favorite cryptid.

In journal entry letters disguised as science fair research, Noah explores more than a mysterious creature. He explores grief, loneliness, gender confusion and his need to fit in, without losing his true identity.  Each day, Noah writes a note and leaves it at the edge of the forest, hoping Mothman might read it, missing  Lewis as much as he does.

Through his letters, we understand that Noah didn’t ask to be a girl or a boy but found himself out of sync with his female body. Lewis was also mismatched but felt more at ease with the transition. Lewis’s courage gave Noah hope, until Lewis passed away.

A kinship with the monster people didn’t believe in helped Noah find the courage to risk new friendships and new love. That love, helped him share his truth with the rest of the world.

Being a transgender kid in today’s political environment can be hard. But Gow’s tender revelations just might help readers understand the need for compassion and the desire for acceptance…no matter how different they might think they are.

Top notch storytelling with heart and importance.  I loved it.