Together, the three are able to support and help each other. And the biggest need for all three? To feel like they belong, like they’re accepted, like they have their place in their schools. The closet/Room (as they start to call it) seems to be a place that shows up to protect them and provide them with what they need. Small note: Héctor lives in CA, Juliana in SC, and Sal in AZ. But it’s no ordinary closet-it’s a secret portal/space that links him with two other students seeking refuge-Chinese and Black Juliana, who likes girls, and Filipino and white Sal, who uses they/them pronouns. He keeps trying to dodge the bully and his crew, eventually hiding out in a janitorial closet. It so wasn’t a thing at all at his old school, but now that his bully is antagonizing him even more because of this, he’s hesitant to come out to anyone else. This school doesn’t even have drama! He lands on the radar of the school bully, who really starts to go after Héctor when Héctor says that he’s gay. He misses San Francisco, his friends, and the school’s drama department. Héctor is not loving his new middle school in his new town. Don’t you love when you find a book that engrossing? But, oops, I sat there long enough to finish the entire book and all of a sudden it was time to make dinner. When I sat down to read this, I still had a long to-do list of tasks. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country-and opens the door to a life-changing year full of magic, friendship, and adventure. (Yes, he sees the irony.) But one day, when the door closes behind him, Héctor discovers he’s stumbled into a room that shouldn’t be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country-and opens the door to a life-changing year full of friendship, adventure, and just a little bit of magic.Most days, Héctor just wishes he could disappear. Most days, Héctor just wishes he could disappear. At Héctor’s new school, he couldn’t feel more alone. Back home, being gay didn’t mean feeling different. San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for Héctor Muñoz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in.

The Insiders by Mark Oshiro