Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away

A tween yearning for connection begins to fade from existence in this introspective and heartfelt tale by Burch (Camp Twisted Pine). When Black 13-year-old Olivia starts seventh grade, she realizes that a lot of things changed over the summer. All her classmates are suddenly obsessed with crushes, gossip, and popularity, and all of their attention is seemingly occupied by social media. Things at home have taken a similar turn, especially now that her beloved older brother is too distracted navigating his first relationship to focus on his sibling. Olivia would rather work on her art than talk about dances and boys, but the more overlooked and out of place she feels at school and at home, the more invisible she becomes—literally. As Olivia undergoes sporadic instances of physically fading in and out of reality, she finds comfort in her school’s sympathetic new librarian and her classmate Jules, who also knows what it’s like to feel unseen and ignored. While attempting to simultaneously fit in and remain true to herself, Olivia considers that she may be asexual and aromantic, experiences that Burch deftly weaves into a timely story about complex emotions and queer identity. Ages 8–12. Agent: Trinica Sampson-Vera, New Leaf Literary. (Mar.)