Awww, I love this book! I liked that Noah started out writing Mothman letters just kind of in the hopes that Mothman would be real and read them just because Lewis so firmly believed in Mothman, but then Noah starts to believe all on his own, with his faith in Mothman growing throughout the story. I also really enjoyed the exploration of what is monstrous, and the parallels between being a monster and being queer. And that maybe it’s okay to be a monster. And there was some really beautiful writing and imagery near the end of the book. This may be kind of a niche book for queer cryptid lovers, but for those of us who fit into that group, it is a delight.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I am enjoying the recent popularity of cryptids in lit! The story is in verse so it took a bit to get used to but other than that I love the story of a trans boy navigating identity and the grief of the death of the only other trans boy in school through his research to see if Mothman is real.

Lovely middle grade novel about loss, identity, and the trans experience. At times haunting, but ultimately touching. Strong trigger warnings required for grief associated with the death of a friend.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It wasn't fully what I expected. I could understand the Mothman hunt as a metaphor for both loss and discover of identity. But there were elements I wasn't sure I fully grasped. And I'm not sure this will resonate with the average reader. It might be a bit too much high strangeness.

"A moving middle-grade novel in verse, about a young trans boy dealing with the loss of his friend by writing to his favorite cryptid, Mothman."
"Halfway through sixth grade, Noah’s best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. Lewis was adventurous and curious, always bringing a new paranormal story to share with Noah. Together they daydreamed about cryptids and shared discovering their genders and names."

This novel was such an important read for me, even though it was so heavy. Noah has just lost his best friend, he's coming of age, trying to communicate that he's trans, AND he's dealing with the heaviness of grief. Anyone who ever felt weird or awkward in middle school can relate to Noah's struggles along with the feeling that parents and adults just won't understand. As a reader I wanted to wrap Noah in a hug and tell him it will all get better and he's not alone, but reading him pour out his feelings to Mothman made me smile. For Noah, Mothman is his link to his friend, and finding Mothman to finish their shared project becomes an adventure in grief, healing and friendship. The first 25% of the novel will break your heart but the other 75% will piece it back together. My absolute favorite parts are how Noah joins a LARPing group in their imaginative games and they accept him so readily. As a table top role playing gamer, I adore seeing a game that made me feel included being used to help others too. A great novel, with some surprising twists.

I loved absolutely every single minute of this. It was such a beautiful story. The cover is stunning. I also cannot pass up a book about cryptids. I enjoy books in verse and this one was done so well. I love Noah. He is such a sweet character. His friendship with Hanna, Molly and Alice was just what he needed after the death of his Beth friend Lewis. They were such great friends. This one just pulled at my heart. Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS kids for the arc of this in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this title.

In 2023, with all the attacks on lgbtq+ individuals, especially the trans community, this story is so important. I cried throughout many parts of this story but ultimately I think it was beautiful. The magical realism taps into your imagination and doesn’t let go. As I expected this story does involve many sensitive topics but is handled with care. I personally am not always a huge fan of books written in verse but this one was done in a way that grabbed me and I was fully invested. Love ♥️


“I think monsters are here to make people like me feel less alone.”

4.5 stars!

Dear Mothman wrecked my soul from page 1, but in the best of ways. Robin Gow wrote this so beautifully, and I have a list of quotes written down that just resonated with me. This book is about loss, identity, grief and so much more. I love epistolary formatting, and it worked so well here making the book such an easy, emotional and delightful read.

I went into this book not knowing much about cryptids, but as I went on a journey of grief and self-discovery with Noah I found myself doing research. Noah is a trans boy that has lost his best friend and first love in a car crash. Watching him work through his grief and self-discovery journey while doing a school research project on the cryptid, Mothman, was devastating, beautiful and hopeful all at the same time. There is so much great representation in this book: grief, LGBQT, anxiety, bullying and so much more. It was so emotionally deep and had me crying throughout.

Please be sure to read all the content warnings for this book before you pick it up. You may not be at a place in life where this will serve you. There are some very hard topics addressed. The only other thing that might discourage you from reading this book is that there are parts that are very drawn out, making it a bit of a sludge at points.

Overall, I loved this book and think that everyone should read it. There was so much good in there and it was so beautifully written. I cannot wait to see what else the author does and will be coming back to read this book because it was so good.

a sweet, tender, and emotional story about a sixth grade trans boy grieving his friend's death and writing letters to mothman as part of a school project. i was not expecting the layers here as we learn more about noah's developing new friendships and family and school and exploring different aspects of identity. i liked when the book took on a "found items" element, with the letters and lists and journal entries and science project hypotheses, and it made me wonder if the "in verse" elements of the letters were necessary - i think it could have worked well as prose, too. noah's letters to mothman give him space to explore his understanding of his own transness and autism by thinking about what it means to be a cryptid, which led to some thought-provoking, insightful moments (a little on the nose but not more than you might expect for middle grade). the parts about grief were also very complicated and tied up in this project, since noah was the only one who knew his friend lewis was trans and noah had also kissed/had a crush on lewis. lewis was the friend who strongly believed in mothman, so noah's letters to mothman revolve around that as well.

this book made me think a lot about the way "weird kids" find each other at a young age - noah makes new friends by playing a wolf role play game which made me cringe a little (my middle school students make fun of the kids who do this) until i thought of all the :weird kid" things i did growing up. a couple of the choices made at the end also gave me pause, although i do think they ultimately worked for the story the author wanted to tell: i personally wasn't sure how to feel about the introduction of a new pov, and i prefer more ambiguous magical realism.

overall, i really adored this book - it was both simple and beautiful, which made it easy to read but left me thinking about it for days afterwards. i hope this book finds its way into the hands of kids who need it!

Oh this book. This was a book I went into with no expectations and it took me all of 12 seconds to fall in love with Noah and to want to hug him tight and tell him that everything would be okay.

There is a lot going on in this book, but don't let that keep you from looking at it. The whole book was done in such a lovely, elegant way and all of the pieces work really well together.

Noah's best friend, Lewis, was killed in a car accident shortly before the book begins, leaving Noah to deal with the loss of someone he loved so much. Noah and Lewis are both trans kids, and nobody knows except each other. Noah, who is Nora to people who don't know Noah's true identity, is trying to navigate his gender identity throughout the novel and what it means to be somebody different than who he was before. This book is Noah's coming of age story as he transitions from sixth to seventh grade, from one gender to the gender he really is, and navigating the grief of losing his person.

Additionally, Noah is fascinated by the idea of Mothman, a cryptid rumored to live in the woods near Noah's house. Noah is determined to prove that Mothman is real. He is so determined that he makes his huge sixth grade science fair project about proving the existence of this creature, much to the amusement of his classmates. Noah gathers some new friends along the way, and develops a crush on one of them, which he is also trying to understand.

This book is told in verse, in Noah's thoughts and letters to Mothman, and later, to his friends. This is a book that I needed as a young person, not because I struggled with my gender, but because I know what it feels like to not be understood or to be excited about things that others don't understand. This is a book everyone should read in order to build empathy and understanding for others. It was just a beautiful, wonderful, incredible book.

I am not sure I can do this book justice. It is amazing. It needs to be in every library like right now. It is a profound and touching book. Beautiful cover. So much good to say about this book and the author. Simply wonderful

ARC was given by NetGalley & Abrams in exchange for an honest review.
This review is being published before the release date (March 21, 2023)

Content/Trigger Warnings: Grief, loss of a loved one, talk of automotive accident (off page), bullying, talk of anxiety, scene of accidental dead naming & misgendering


"And, Mothman, it was the first time in a long time, I didn't feel so alone."


I wasn't expecting to get so soft and squishy over this book or to fill out five whole pages full of quotes. This book just came in and took me by storm. I knew I'd love this book for the Mothman, cryptid goodness and the trans representation, but this book is so much more. It's about grief and healing from that loss, a discovery of figuring out oneself and who we are, and found family themes.

We follow Noah, a trans boy navigating middle school, all while dealing with the death of his best friend and first love, Lewis. Noah faces many conflicting feelings of not just knowing who Lewis truly was, but trying to navigate with life, and school without the only person who made his world feel okay, feel seen for who he truly is. When the school's science fair approaches, Noah uses this as an opportunity to make Lewis's science fair project come to life - finding Mothman and proving he exists. Even though this is no easy task, Noah is determined and long the way will make new friends and coming to terms with many thoughts, and feelings too.

"I wonder if Mothman ever lost someone. I wonder if Mothman feels like he lost Lewis too."


I really enjoyed the fact that this book is told in verse. To feel like you're opening up the pages of the journal and feeling like you were reading the letters themselves. It even adds more feelings onto it once you get to the end of the story and you find out what happens to the journal Noah was using to write these letters in. Also, we get letters from Hanna as well. Now, this is closer to the 75% mark of the book and the way Noah's and Hanna's letters overlap each was very well written. I really enjoyed the way it represented the aspect of time and how they were both writing their letters at the same moment. It was a very lovely touch.

The magical realism was done really well. With magical realism, I don't always like to put emphasis on it because I prefer the readers to go experience it themselves, but this was just beautifully handled and I feel like I have to talk about it. The way Mothman is used as a focal point for the unknown, a world where not many people can connect to, not just with Noah being trans, but also when it comes to believing in the supernatural or any bigger mystery out there. On the other hand, we see Mothman helping Noah tackle the loss of Lewis, head on and help with the healing process, in the terms of these letters. And in small ways, we see how Mothman helps with other small changes and the scary side of preparation for adulthood. The way the author chose to write Mothman almost as a 'jack of all trades' was stunning, as well. Mothman gets to be the mysterious, unknown terrifying supernatural being, but we get a softer side of a cryptid who is beautiful, comforting, and able to provide almost safety for those who need it. It's probably one of my favorite ways of seeing Mothman being described and I think it made me love Mothman even more.

"I think monsters are here to make people like me feel less alone."


I mentioned found family and you know, it's a theme that I love with my whole chest. There's a found family element laced in this book as Noah tries to make new friends. The way LARPing is used as tool to bridge both Noah's world and this other group of kids together was just perfection. It made my heart so warm and soft. Even more so when we see Noah getting close with all of them, but most Hanna. The way those two become close to one another was just lovely to read about.

"I hope you have people who make you feel less alone. If you don't, I can be that for you. Your friend, Noah."


Overall, there's so much I could say about this book because there's so many themes in this book to unpack. With this book being just over a hundred pages, I think the best thing I can tell you is to just pick it up and read it for yourself. I truly loved this book. The only thing I had issues with was it felt a little repetitive at times, but still such a beautifully captivating middle grade read. I think if you're looking for more queer books that have important themes, but also has some cryptid magic, then you need to give this book a chance!



The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

At first, I was worried. I had to make sure that Noah's friend hadn't died by suicide. It was a car accident.

This Novel-in-Verse is a powerful look at grief, belonging, complications of friendship, and the power of be yourself.

Dear Mothman deserves all the love! I was drawn to the beautiful cover, and the title, we love cryptids here at W&W! This middle grade novel in verse is about a trans boy, Noah, dealing with the grief of losing his best friend Lewis, also a trans boy, in a car accident. Noah tries to keep Lewis with him by making a class project something that Lewis had wanted to do, capture evidence that Mothman was real.

Noah writes letters to Mothman, feeling that the cryptid is the only one who can understand him now that Lewis gone, leaving a notebook with the letters for Mothman to find, and sometimes setting up a camera to get footage. Noah's teachers and parents want him to focus on something more "real" than Mothman, but he is determined to stick with it. Along the way Noah becomes close friends with some girls also in his grade, who while they aren't sure how they feel about Mothman, are willing to help Noah in his project, because it's important to him.

This poignant and sweet story pulled at my heart, and I'm so excited to share it with you all, I hope you love it as much as I did. I loved Noah and the girls, and how they helped him to move on in life, helping him through the period of grief, not by trying to distract him like everyone else, but by taking him seriously and sticking with him through the project that was so clearly what he needed to do.

This bittersweet novel in verse follows Noah as he grapples with the death of his childhood friend by searching for the cryptid Mothman. As a way to entice the creature out of hiding, he writes Mothman letters. These letters document Noah as he comes out as trans to his friends and family, and goes on a journey of self-discovery through the lose of a loved one.
Using the supernatural element helps create a metaphor of how it feels to be a young child exploring their identity. Such material will be relatable to readers in the queer community, and help those outside to understand what it feels like.

Noah...oh my Noah...I wish I could give you a nice big hug. I loved this middle grade novel written in verse. I can't imagine losing my best friend and to Noah, this unimaginable thing happens. He loses his confidant and soulmate.

I loved watching Noah learn to make room in his life for new friends while still keeping space for his deceased friend. Coming into his own as a transgender boy is something Noah goes through throughout the novel. I love how accepting so many of the people around him are.

Mothman represents so much more than an occult figure. He was all Noah felt he had left of his friend, and letting Mothman go was not going to happen.

I wish growing up I had exposure to books like this. This was so poetic, beautiful, and soul crushing. I love Robin Gow and can't wait to continue reading more. Five stars, 11/10, I could just go on and on.

After reading this one and Ode to My First Car, I think middle grades is where Gow shines. The book was so tender and earnest, and fit the verse format perfectly. Gow managed to capture so many themes: grief, trauma, sexuality, gender, austism-rep and they all blended so well. I can't speak to how authentic the autism-rep is, but I think Noah's character brought out a lot of nuance around transitioning. Early in the book, a group of classmates deadnames him, and he says "It's not even really their fault / because I haven't told them / to call me "Noah," mostly because / I don't even know / if I like want to tell them / but it still feels extra terrible," which is a great point about the complexities around coming out.

A wonderful coming-of-age novel focused on a trans kid who processes their feelings about gender and their grief for their recently deceased best friend by writing letters to Mothman. At first, it feels a little gimmicky, but by the end, I was completely entranced. A wonderful addition to a public library collection with a cover that is safe for closeted trans kids to take home without being questioned by transphobic people in their lives.

I wish this existed for a younger me, but I'm so fucking happy it exists for all the young, queer kids now.

The exploration of self, grief, friendships, and monsters was brilliant, beautiful, and absolutely needed for kids.

And ya know, absolutely needed for us adults who never had these stories as kids.