March 10, 2021: A contemporary queer coming-of-age story with a twist of magic. Can September be here sooner?

When Héctor Muñoz and his family move to Orangevale, he soon realizes how different it is from his home back in San Francisco. Him being gay was never a big deal back home, but now kids like Mike, the schools bully makes him feel like he doesn’t belong. Héctor is soon stuck with this feeling of being different, even having to sit at the Table of Misfits at lunch, literally the table for the kids who don’t fit in. To escape the bullying, he resorts to hiding in the janitor's closet, fully aware o...

This author really knows how to get your blood pressure up! Several times I was so mad at the adults who failed Héctor and at the boys who bullied him. I wanted to jump in there and set some people straight about what is and isn't acceptable. Luckily, a magical room and new friends helped Héctor stand up for himself and know when to ask for help. I thought this had a lot of great representation, including LGBTQ+ students and characters of various ethnicities and backgrounds. I love seeing middle...

We need books like this—creative, diverse, and memorable. I’ve made it my personal mission to find books about feeling like an outsider while growing up that feature main characters who aren’t just rich cishet white boys (Holden Caulfield, I love ya, I really do, but I need to move onto others) and this book certainly checks that box. Touching, warm, a tad frustrating for the right reasons, and overall, strong. Strongly recommended for any audiences!

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Mimi KoehlerAchingly 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.Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily

SUCH A WONDERFUL BOOK. i absolutely adored it. it reminded me of why i love reading middle grade. 3 outsiders from different parts of the country are brought together by a magical room that appears to them in times of need. and there is so much representation!!! the main character is gay and mexican, there’s biracial rep, non-binary rep and lesbian rep. i really loved it and i’m definitely preordering it.

DNF. I'm on page 67 and 12 year old Hector is getting bullied at his new school. Hector was openly gay at his last school, but Mike torments him daily. Hector seems like he is outspoken, so it is very weird he is not telling someone. A teacher catching Hector running away from Mike and his gang (again) has Hector tell the teacher that Mike and his gang have been doing this a lot. The teacher tells Hector that she will give him detention if he lies again, and the Mike is a good boy. There seems t...

If I could get a copy of this book for every one of my middle schoolers that have come out to me, or dropped major hints, or who I've suspected may need it, I would. There's a part of me that knows adults may think of this book a little too heavy-handed, a little too afterschool special, but I work with kids every day like the ones in the book. I know for a fact the way bullying goes unaddressed, or kids' worries go unvoiced or otherwise unheard by adults like Ms. Heath. I know for a fact from m...

The book features a queer boy who, fleeing from bullies, discovers a magical closet that not only provides him sanctuary, but also unites him with two other kids facing persecution at their own schools across the country, helping them find friendship and strength in one another. i just know this is going to make me cry Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram

4.5 starsOshiro definitely hit it out of the park in their middle grade debut! In this book, we follow the story of Héctor, who has just moved to a new school and is nervous about starting. When he starts getting bullied for being gay, a magical room starts to appear that helps him hide. It's there where he meets two students who also need a safe space: Juliana and Sal. The only catch? They all go to schools all across the country.What I love about Oshiro's writing is that it feels so realistic....

CW/TW for bullying/homophobic assault, homophobic slurs (never spelled out but referenced as part of bullying), forced outing (of a side character). The main character's family is supportive of his identity and he is "out" at the start of the book. I want to preface my review with the disclaimer I think this book is important and it is especially important for queer books to be written by qtpoc and it makes my heart happy this was published.However - it didn't do it for me. This book was both to...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I ended up really enjoying this look at kids who feel like they don’t fit in and find each other when they really need it. Hector’s family just moved to Orangevale, and he hasn’t found his people yet. His new school doesn’t even have a drama program, and to make things worse he is being pursued by a bully. Then one day, a janitor’s closet becomes his refuge. The thing is, it changes on the inside, depending on what he is feeling. Things get even more complicated when he meets two oth...

Mark Oshiro's middle-grade debut is a heartbreaking but uplifting look at the lives of young queer kids. They're empowered by community and buoyed by a touch of magic that makes this contemporary novel stand out. Also, there's a Zoraida cameo. Spot it!

I enjoyed this one - I felt for Hector and hated Mike (and the teacher in the hall) with a passion. To my older eyes, there was a LOT packed into this book - all about stereotypes (re: gender, sexuality, race, religion…) and dealing with people who hate or stand by without saying anything… everything was resolved all nicey-nicey, and our middle schoolers’ lives aren’t like that. There is no magic door/closet/library/barista where our kids can get their problems solved. I do think, however, that

E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusHéctor Muñoz and his family move from San Francisco to Orangevale, California so his mother can take a high powered teaching job and the family can be closer to Abuela Sonia. He misses his good friends, and has a rocky start to the school year, where the teachers are more concerned about "proper" behavior than in making sure students are kind to each other. Ms. Heath goes as far as telling Héctor that he is NOT being bullied by Mike, because Mike is a good student...

Héctor knew that his new middle school in the small town of Orangevale was going to be different than his old one in San Francisco, but he wasn't prepared for just how different. As he struggles to make friends, he draws the attention of the school bully. The daily tormenting starts to break him down, and Héctor finds himself hiding in the janitor's closet. (And yes, he acknowledges the irony of the gay kid hiding in the closet.) But this is no ordinary closet. It starts to transform, giving him...

As a GSA sponsor in a middle school, I REALLY appreciate that this book exists. As a librarian and teacher, I appreciate the diversity and empathy. As a reader, I appreciate the authenticity and range of characters. I actually like the fact that we never find out why Mike is a bully. He’s not the focus nor who the reader should sympathize with. I also like that each of them need others to help and stand up with them. That’s an important message. I love Hector’s grandmother. My only criticism is

Thank you to Harper Collins & Harper Kids for sending me a finished copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.4.5/5 This was a delightful middle grade! The Insiders is a middle grade contemporary about young Héctor Muñoz, who is moving to a new school when his mom gets a new job. Héctor wants to fit in and find where he belongs, but a school bully and doubtful authority figure make that task feel almost impossible. Then Héctor stumbles on a janitor's closet one...

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Mark Oshiro's The Insiders is an absolute delight of a book, showing the ways (some magical, some quite ordinary) that a group of middle school "misfits" use to create a safer, more respectful world for themselves.The central character, Héctor Muñoz, is gay, a theatre person, a flashy dresser, and has a gift for making people laugh. His family—Mami, Papi, and Abuela—support him exactly as he is. Unfortunately, the family has just moved from San Francisco to a much more conservative community, an...