Many of the spirits are nonbinary - not just the trees and the stars but some spirits that take human forms as well.Īs Callender expands the boundaries of what narrative can do, they also expand the boundaries of who we can be, reminding us that the limitations of society mean little in the face of an unlimited universe. This is a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading.-Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound.
When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town.
Summary: Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. If kids can’t explore hard truths in books, where can they explore them?Īnd crucially, this story provides a safe place for that exploration. King and the Dragonflies is a lyrical coming of age tale about grief, friendship, family, belonging, identity, and hope. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender. The book is honest, at times brutally so, for good reason. Transgender and nonbinary people, told that we don’t exist, and don’t deserve the same rights as everyone else.” Black people like me, arrested and killed because of the color of their skin. Moon appreciates that adults try to shield kids from reality, but argues that “there isn’t any point in hiding from the truth when I see it everywhere. Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly.
(Bree Barton’s “Zia Erases the World” and Christine Day’s “The Sea in Winter” are also great examples.)Ĭallender is unflinching, too, in how they write about the intersection of Moon’s mental health and racial and gender identity. “Moonflower” addresses childhood depression without flinching, contributing to a small but growing space in children’s literature. In little over a decade, the number of adolescents who’ve reported a major depressive episode has risen by 60 percent, bringing it to more than one in 10.
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