Middletown

Eli is thirteen, drawn to baggy clothes and baseball caps, and quietly crushing on best friend Meena. At home, a different uncertainty demands attention: Eli’s mother’s drinking has made family life precarious. Keeping things together with an older sister means making choices children should not have to manage alone. As the sisters try to protect their home, Eli also needs space to consider identity, friendship and the possibility of being understood. Sarah Moon’s middle-grade novel follows a gender-questioning young narrator through family instability and emerging feelings. Its coming-of-age story keeps the practical demands of daily life close to questions about who Eli might become.