The Insiders

Starred review from July 19, 2021
Injecting a contemporary story of middle school cliques with magical realism, Oshiro’s (Each of Us a Desert) gentle, imaginative novel drops 12-year-old Héctor Muñoz, a gay theater kid of Mexican descent from San Francisco, into an inland suburb where his family moves for his mother’s new teaching job. Targeted by Mike, a white kid who declares that being gay is “so... gay,” Héctor takes refuge in a janitor’s closet that seems to appear whenever he needs it. He soon finds that the room is a sort of pocket dimension; it not only roves, but also morphs to meet the needs of anyone drawn there from their own school—including Juliana Chin, a hot-tempered, gay Black and Chinese girl in Charleston, and Sal Ocampo, a quiet nonbinary Filipino and white kid outside Phoenix. Oshiro literalizes every middle school kid’s dream of occasionally disappearing, while investigating the idea of safe spaces and, eventually, brave ones, as the three Roomies venture into their respective schools to navigate their specific difficulties. Starring an assured queer protagonist who turns his flair for drama into a means of helping others, and a number of supportive adults, Oshiro’s intersectional saga conveys a strong message about letting go of secrets and, with help from loved ones, reclaiming space. Ages 8–12. Agent: DongWon Song, Howard Morhaim Literary.

August 1, 2021
When his mom lands a new job, H�ctor Mu�oz leaves San Francisco--and his best friends and beloved neighborhood--for a town near Sacramento. The Mexican American 12-year-old starts Orangevale Middle School with optimism, hopeful that new friends will appreciate his flair for fashion and confident that he will find fellow musical theater-obsessed peers. His optimism wanes when he finds out there is no drama club or theater program; Ms. Heath, the head of school security, seems to have targeted him for harsh discipline; and the Table of Misfits, a ragtag group of outsiders, is the only place for him to sit at lunch. Matters get worse when Mike, a relentlessly homophobic bully, and his so-called Minions target H�ctor. When a janitor's closet magically appears whenever and wherever H�ctor most needs to hide, he finds a respite from the bullying. The room not only offers him safety, it also connects him to other outsiders who find their ways there from their own schools when they need escape: Black and Chinese Juliana from South Carolina and Filipino and White Sal from Arizona. With compassion and humor, Oshiro creates a fantastical scenario that holds deeper implications for three outsiders who face struggles as queer and biracial youths. Reading this heartwarming blend of realistic fiction and fantasy, young people will appreciate H�ctor's brave and earnest quest for happiness and belonging set among a richly diverse cast of characters. Sweet and full of heart. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2021

Gr 4-6- Oshiro's middle grade debut follows a young Latinx boy, H�ctor Mu�os, as he starts a new school in an unfamiliar town. Back in San Francisco, H�ctor's personality, style, and sexuality weren't an issue with his classmates. In Orangevale, however, H�ctor, who is gay, quickly becomes the victim of a particularly aggressive bully. Luckily for H�ctor, a magical door appears exactly when he needs it most. H�ctor discovers a secret room that caters to his needs and comfort. On subsequent visits to the room he discovers that two other tweens are also there: Juliana, who is Black and Chinese, and Sal, who is white and Filipino and uses they/them pronouns. H�ctor, Juliana, and Sal all have deeply personal problems to solve, and while the mysterious room is never fully explained, it's clear that it exists to bring the tweens together-across time and space-to learn from and help one another. Oshiro uses a diverse cast to demonstrate many positive ideals regarding race, family, friendship, gender, and sexuality. While the ending is a bit pat, the overall themes of love and acceptance are bright and encouraging-readers will wish they had a mystical door to spirit them away from their troubles. VERDICT Many readers will find resonance in this magical tale. Recommended as a general purchase.-Taylor Worley, Springfield P.L., OR

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2021
Grades 4-7 A 12-year-old theater nerd, Mexican American H�ctor feels like an outsider at his new school upon discovering that it doesn't have a drama club. Things take a turn for the worse when he finds an enemy in Mike, for when Hector makes the mistake of admitting he is gay, Mike and his two minions become his worst nightmare, bullying him mercilessly. H�ctor finds sanctuary in a most unusual place: a janitor's closet. Incredibly, it proves to be a magic closet which opens into a spacious room that offers him sanctuary and in which he discovers two other needy kids like him: Sal, who is nonbinary with white and Filipino parents, and Juliana, who is gay and also biracial (Black and Chinese). The room appears to know what they need and protects them, but outside, their problems are still waiting. Can they resolve them on their own? Oshiro (Each of Us a Desert, 2020) makes their middle-grade debut with this empowering novel, filled with knotty but relatable problems for its empathetic characters to solve.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2021
Hector Munoz's life is upended when his family relocates from San Francisco to the Sacramento suburbs. He enters his new middle school with high hopes of finding his people in the drama club, only to realize that his new school is nothing like his old one, which was more diverse and accepting. Accustomed to bold fashion choices and having a larger-than-life presence, Hector quickly finds himself at the "Table of Misfits" in the cafeteria. After he is bullied for being openly gay and Mexican American, Hector discovers an unexpected escape in the form of a janitor's closet. The room turns out to be a magical portal to respite when it's needed -- and also a means of support, as the portal transports students in similar situations from other schools to the same room. Oshiro brings readers close to the protagonist -- and to common middle-school experiences -- through a running narration of Hector's internal dialogue. The story is infused with thoughtful references to Mexican American life in California, from Hector's learning how to make tamales from his abuela to chilled glasses of horchata providing just what the doctor ordered while he hides from his tormentor. The story's plot is fantastical, but the lessons imparted about standing up for yourself and asking for help will resonate with anyone who has experienced bullying. An appreciation of intersectional identity and a story of resilience. Nicholas A. Brown

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
Hector Munoz's life is upended when his family relocates from San Francisco to the Sacramento suburbs. He enters his new middle school with high hopes of finding his people in the drama club, only to realize that his new school is nothing like his old one, which was more diverse and accepting. Accustomed to bold fashion choices and having a larger-than-life presence, Hector quickly finds himself at the "Table of Misfits" in the cafeteria. After he is bullied for being openly gay and Mexican American, Hector discovers an unexpected escape in the form of a janitor's closet. The room turns out to be a magical portal to respite when it's needed -- and also a means of support, as the portal transports students in similar situations from other schools to the same room. Oshiro brings readers close to the protagonist -- and to common middle-school experiences -- through a running narration of Hector's internal dialogue. The story is infused with thoughtful references to Mexican American life in California, from Hector's learning how to make tamales from his abuela to chilled glasses of horchata providing just what the doctor ordered while he hides from his tormentor. The story's plot is fantastical, but the lessons imparted about standing up for yourself and asking for help will resonate with anyone who has experienced bullying. An appreciation of intersectional identity and a story of resilience.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)