To give their parents time alone to recalibrate their marriage, Simon and his sisters, Talia and Rose, are spending the week with their grandmother, Nanaleen. Things have been rough since their dad lost his job, and now there’s a new worry: Nanaleen has become alarmingly forgetful, and her big, old house seems like it might be too much for her to take care of. With all this weighing on his family (white), the last thing Simon wants is to add to their stress by telling anyone that he is trans. No one in his family knows he’s a boy, or that he’s chosen the name Simon. Instead, he switches words in his head when someone unknowingly calls him the wrong thing. For now, at least, it works. At Nanaleen’s, Simon becomes preoccupied with the scratching sounds in the walls. Could it be a ghost? Perhaps it’s Nanaleen’s sister, Brie, who moved away from the family when she was only 17 for reasons Simon doesn’t know. As Simon becomes more desperate to solve the mystery of the ghost, he also grows increasingly frustrated at being perceived as a girl, and more concerned about what seems to be a growing rift between him and his sisters. The characterizations of Simon and his sisters shine in a story that underscores the significance of strong sibling bonds, especially in the middle of family change. (Ages 9--13)

From the author of The Best Liars in Riverview comes a subtle exploration of gender identity, family, and the personal ghosts that haunt us all, perfect for fans of Kyle Lukoff and Ashley Herring Blake.



Eleven-year-old Simon and his siblings, Talia and Rose, are staying the week at Nanaleen's century-old house. This time, though, it's not their usual summer vacation trip. In fact, everything's different. It's fall, not summer. Mom and Dad are staying behind to have a "talk." And Nanaleen's house smells weird, plus she keeps forgetting things. And these aren't the only things getting under Simon's skin: He's the only one who knows that his name is Simon, and that he and him pronouns are starting to feel right. But he's not ready to add to the changes that are already in motion in his family.



To make matters worse, Simon keeps hearing a scratching in the walls, and shadows are beginning to build in the corners. He can't shake the feeling that something is deeply wrong...and he's determined to get to the bottom of it--which means launching a ghost hunt, with or without his sisters' help. When Simon discovers the hidden story of his great-aunt Brie, he realizes that Brie's life might hold answers to some of his worries. Is Brie's ghost haunting the old O'Hagan house? And will Simon's search for ghosts turn up more secrets than he ever expected?