Perfect for:
- Fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- Fans of Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
- Anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t belong
- Lovers of portal fantasies
“A single closet, full of cleaning supplies, an intricate web in the corner . . . And him. One boy, who had somehow changed his life for the better.”
Y’all, all I can say is: this is how you do middle-grade right.
In The Insiders, we follow Héctor (he/him) who decides to wear glitter on his face on his first day at a new school after his parents moved to show people what they’re in for. Héctor is gay, proud, dramatic and stylish to boot. Once he arrives at school, though, things aren’t going as planned: there’s no drama class at this new school and no people for him to sit with in the cafeteria. Determined not to let this get him down, he sits at the table of the self-pronounced Misfits, a group of individuals that don’t fit any other tables and that are also connected by one thing – they have all been bullied by the teacher’s favourite, Mike. And now he’s set his eyes on Héctor. As the story unfolds and the bullying gets worse, Héctor finds himself hiding in a janitor closet that magically turns into a safe space, portalling him away from his school days that turn worse and worse. And while school is turning into a nightmare, in the magic room, Héctor finds friends that are always there for him, and together, they will show the world just what they’re made of.
I wholeheartedly love this book. Héctor is one of the most relatable, funny and compassionate characters I’ve ever read about and his journey was as painful as it was mesmerising.
The bullying aspect of this book was incredibly hard to read because of how authentic Oshiro’s writing is. You can feel Héctor’s pain bleed through the pages and it’s heartbreaking to read Héctor’s journey from an outspoken, confident young gay boy who diminishes his own light by dressing and acting differently just so he won’t be a target anymore—and yet still remains one, despite these attempts. I doubt there will be a dry eye in the world when readers pick up The Insiders, whether they have ever been bullied or not. To read about these kids who have all been bullied by the same individual but knowing that there’s nothing they can do about it because the teachers won’t believe them and everyone else turns a blind eye to it so they don’t become a target next just showed so well how fear can make us do unspeakable things and render us silent.
One of the things that made me almost scream “VINDICATION” at the top of my lungs like Captain Holt on Brooklyn 99 was how Oshiro included teachers that didn’t necessarily help Héctor, even when he reached out to them when the bullying got worse and instead made him the culprit of things gone awry. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t reach out to someone you trust when someone is bullying you but it was just so validating to see that sometimes, even when you reach out people aren’t ready to hear the truth and are so narrow-minded which makes it even harder to come forward. Adults need to do better.
Beyond that very dark and devastating narrative, we also get so many moments of light in this story. Héctor’s parents and his abuela are so compassionate and full of love and that is shown so beautifully in the time they spend together and the food they make. The Misfits that initially are scared to stand up to Mike, eventually become a source of comfort for Héctor in the best way. Moreover, the friends Héctor encounters in the magical room, Sal (they/them) and Juliana (she/her) are so supportive and help each other face the struggles in their separate lives. Transcending time and space, the room gives these three everything they need and after an explosive conclusion to their story, Oshiro offers a wonderful outlook on future generations that need help which might have made me tear up once more. While I wish that magical room would exist in real life, I am at least somewhat emboldened by the knowledge that this book will be just as magical a comfort to young readers and will hopefully find them right when they need it.
Achingly relatable and insightful to a fault, The Insiders is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in. With its revelatory depiction of bullying and transcending friendships, Oshiro’s magical middle-grade debut promises to become a staple in the beloved genre.
The Insiders is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 21st 2021.
Will you be picking up The Insiders? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Three kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything.
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.
San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for Héctor Muñoz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Back home, being gay didn’t mean feeling different. At Héctor’s new school, he couldn’t feel more alone.
Most days, Héctor just wishes he could disappear. And he does. Right into the janitor’s closet. (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 magic, friendship, and adventure.
