A World Worth Saving

A groundbreaking, action-packed, and ultimately uplifting adventure that intertwines elements of Jewish mythology with an unflinching examination of the impacts of transphobia, from Newbery Honor winner Kyle Lukoff

"Rare and beautiful--a novel that combines wondrous fantasy, searing real-world relevance, and a frank empathetic understanding of the adolescent experience...The way Lukoff combines these elements in a page-turning adventure is nothing short of magic!" --Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Covid lockdown is over, but A's world feels smaller than ever. Coming out as trans didn't exactly go well, and most days, he barely leaves his bedroom, let alone the house. But the low point of A's life isn't online school, missing his bar mitzvah, or the fact that his parents monitor his phone like hawks--it's the weekly Save Our Sons and Daughters meetings his parents all but drag him to.

At SOSAD, A and his friends Sal and Yarrow sit by while their parents deadname them and wring their hands over a nonexistent "transgender craze." After all, sitting in suffocating silence has to be better than getting sent away for "advanced treatment," never to be heard from again.

When Yarrow vanishes after a particularly confrontational meeting, A discovers that SOSAD doesn't just feel soul-sucking...it's run by an actual demon who feeds off the pain and misery of kids like him. And it's not just SOSAD--the entire world is beset by demons dining on what seems like an endless buffet of pain and bigotry.

But how is one trans kid who hasn't even chosen a name supposed to save his friend, let alone the world? And is a world that seems hellbent on rejecting him even worth saving at all?

Author: Kyle Lukoff
Publisher: Dial Books
Published: 02/04/2025
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.42h x 5.93w x 1.18d
ISBN: 9780593618981
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/28/2024
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2024
School Library Journal 12/01/2024 pg. 122
Booklist 01/01/2025 pg. 71
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2025
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Recommended, Satisfactory
BookPage 06/01/2025

About the Author
Kyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers. His debut middle-grade novel, Too Bright to See, received a Newbery Honor, the Stonewall award, and was a National Book Award finalist. His picture book When Aidan Became a Brother also won the Stonewall. He has forthcoming books about mermaids, babies, apologies, and lots of other topics. While becoming a writer he worked as a bookseller for ten years, and then nine more years as a school librarian.