Bug is having a rough summer. Her beloved uncle just died, her mom is in trouble financially, she's starting middle school in the fall, and her house is haunted. Middle school is the worst for kids who are different, but perhaps buoyed by Uncle Roderick, Bug seems to have a good sense of self and clarity about who she is and how she wants to be. She's not into the girly stuff her best friend Moira likes. As it turns out, neither is the ghost, or poltergeist, or...Uncle Roderick?

Regardless, when

Spoiler

Bug finally figures out what the haunting is all about and understands that he's a boy, it's less scary than he expected. Moira is chill about it

She rolls her eyes. "I mean, it's not really something I get to be 'okay with' right? It's just, like, who you are."

I love this relatable revelation from Bug, once he's onto himself.

And all of a sudden I understand why people like shopping. I mean, don't love it. I'd still rather read, or ride my bike. But now that Moira is helping me pick from the boys' section instead of the girls', it's actually fun.

Too Bright to See is cool because it's an issue novel hidden inside a mystery. It also has takes that feel entirely appropriate to a kid who likes to read and has a rich inner life. Bug dissociates, narrating life in the third person, until the reveal toward the end. It's a gentle story, despite being about a big topic, or at least a topic that seems big to people born in the 20th century. I hope most Zoomers are as cool as Bug's cohort.

Disclosure: I am friendquaintances with the author, who I like and admire perhaps to excess.

Thanks: Edelweiss for the ARC