Publishers Weekly
01/30/2023
An autistic, transgender sixth grader attempts to correspond with a cryptid following his best friend’s death in this poignant novel from Gow (A Million Quiet Revolutions). Lewis Hugh was the only person whom Noah Romano was out to; since Lewis died in a car accident three months ago, Noah has been feeling lonely and unmoored. Noah doesn’t believe in Mothman, as Lewis did, but he decides to use Lewis’s idea of finding the figure for a science fair project. As he hunts for proof, writing letters to Mothman that he leaves under a tree, he also receives thoughtful support from adults in his life and befriends a trio of LARPers. Alternating between first-person narration and letters to Mothman, and peppered with creepy-cute sketch-style illustrations, this touching free verse story abounds with hard-hitting and tender lines about grief, queerness, and neurodivergence—concepts that Noah ponders alongside the idea of monstrosity (“ ‘monster’ is what people become/ when other people are afraid of them/ for being different”). Steeped in the atmosphere of a Pennsylvania coal mining town, Noah’s journey to himself is at once melancholy and empowering. Noah is of Irish and Italian heritage; secondary characters represent racial diversity. Ages 10–14. Agent: Jordan Hamessley, New Leaf Literary. (Mar.)
The Horn Book Magazine
Noah’s journey through grief and coming out to the world is authentically messy and joyful.”
author of the National Book Award winner King and Kacen Callender
A hauntingly moving examination of grief, friendship, and identity, reminiscent of my favorite classics. Robin Gow has a magic with words, stirring and shining a light on the deepest of emotions, leaving behind goosebumps (and tears) for Noah’s story. This book is a gift.
Donna Gephart
This tender story explores the emotional journey of navigating loss and feelings of being different. It illuminates the power of friendship, imagination, and compassion to make a person feel celebrated for exactly who they are. An important heart-book that will make young readers feel seen and understood.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Gow beautifully blends verse with epistolary storytelling in this touching novel of a trans kid trying to search for answers about identity and belonging.
From the Publisher
A hauntingly moving examination of grief, friendship, and identity, reminiscent of my favorite classics. Robin Gow has a magic with words, stirring and shining a light on the deepest of emotions, leaving behind goosebumps (and tears) for Noah’s story. This book is a gift.”—Kacen Callender, author of the National Book Award winner King and the Dragonflies
“Dear Mothman gives us all the chance to step out of the shadows—when we’re ready. Gow has crafted a story full of secrets, sadness, and the gentle thrill of knowing who you are.”—Niki Smith, author of The Golden Hour
“This tender story explores the emotional journey of navigating loss and feelings of being different. It illuminates the power of friendship, imagination, and compassion to make a person feel celebrated for exactly who they are. An important heart-book that will make young readers feel seen and understood.”—Donna Gephart, author of Lily and Dunkin and Abby, Tried and True
***STARRED REVIEW*** “At times thrilling and always moving, Gow's middle-grade debut is unquestionably a must-have for all collections.”—Booklist
***STARRED REVIEW*** “A triumphant coming-of-age story about gender identity, strength, and friendship, as well as the different ways that people discover who they are.” —School Library Journal
"Gow captures the complexity of emotions that arise amid grief and self-discovery. . .Poignant and sincere." —Kirkus Reviews
“Gow beautifully blends verse with epistolary storytelling in this touching novel of a trans kid trying to search for answers about identity and belonging.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Noah’s journey through grief and coming out to the world is authentically messy and joyful.”—The Horn Book Magazine
author of The Golden Hour Niki Smith
Dear Mothman gives us all the chance to step out of the shadows—when we’re ready. Gow has crafted a story full of secrets, sadness, and the gentle thrill of knowing who you are.
Booklist
***STARRED REVIEW*** “At times thrilling and always moving, Gow's middle-grade debut is unquestionably a must-have for all collections.”
School Library Journal
★ 02/01/2023
Gr 5 Up—Sixth-grader Noah is struggling after his best friend Lewis's unexpected death. No one seems to understand his deep grief, and now that Lewis is gone, no one knows that Noah is really Noah, not the name he was given at birth. The only connection Noah can find is to Mothman, a mythical cryptid that was a subject of fascination for Lewis. Noah begins leaving letters out for Mothman at night, writing of his isolation, sadness, and quest for understanding. When Mothman begins leaving scribbles in the notebook overnight, Noah's curiosity grows. As he slowly begins making friends, he introduces them to Mothman as well, and to his own true self. A book that so honestly depicts a transgender, autistic character is a rarity, and Noah's story is truly beautiful. His letters to Mothman, interspersed with first-person prose and occasional sketches, speak to a boy struggling to find himself after the one person who truly knew him is gone. Mothman may be symbolic to Noah's own journey, but the magical realism aspect of the book adds another, deeper layer as Noah begins to find his own strength and share who he is. VERDICT A triumphant coming-of-age story about gender identity, strength, and friendship, as well as the different ways that people discover who they are.—Kristin Brynsvold
Kirkus Reviews
2022-12-14
Grieving the loss of his best friend, an autistic transgender boy in a former coal-mining town in Pennsylvania dedicates himself to finding a cryptid for the sixth grade science fair.
Unlike Lewis, Noah only pretended to believe in Mothman, but he doesn’t have any other ideas for his project, because Lewis is all he’s thought about since the car crash three months ago. Desperate for evidence, he writes a note to Mothman in a journal, leaving it under a tree in his yard. The next morning, Noah finds the notebook open to his letter. Scared and yearning for a friend who understands him, Noah pours his heart into completing the project even though no one else believes in it. Written in first-person verse and accompanied by pencil-sketch–style illustrations, the text alternates between Noah’s reflective and earnest letters to Mothman and his narration of his school and home lives. Throughout, Noah questions what it means to be a monster. His exploration of monstrosity ties together themes of loneliness, discrimination, self-identification, and community. He expresses the value and necessity of support while acknowledging the barriers and challenges in seeking it. Gow captures the complexity of emotions that arise amid grief and self-discovery. Moments of humor, joy, and curiosity intertwine with heartache as Noah makes new friends and starts opening up about his queerness and gender identity. Noah is of Irish and Italian descent; Gow depicts ethnic diversity in the world around him.
Poignant and sincere. (Verse novel. 9-13)
