Sam is nonbinary, and when Sam's home borough of Staten Island opens up a contest for a new statue, Sam finds the perfect subject: photographer Alice Austen, who lived with a female partner for decades. Soon, Sam's project isn't just about winning the contest. It's about discovering a rich history that Sam's a part of.



From award-winning author Alex Gino comes a groundbreaking novel for children about how important the past can be those trying to create a different future. Sam is very in touch with their own queer identity. They're nonbinary, and their best friend, TJ, is nonbinary as well. Sam's family is very cool with it ... as long as Sam remembers that nonbinary kids are also required to clean their rooms, do their homework, and try not to antagonize their teachers too much. The teacher-respect thing is hard when it comes to Sam's history class, because their teacher seems to believe that only Dead Straight Cis White Men are responsible for history. When Sam's home borough of Staten Island opens up a contest for a new statue, Sam finds the perfect non-DSCWM subject: photographer Alice Austen, whose house has been turned into a museum, and who lived with a female partner for decades. Soon, Sam's project isn't just about winning the contest. It's about discovering a rich queer history that Sam's a part of — a queer history that no longer needs to be quiet, as long as there are kids like Sam and TJ to stand up for it. For fans of MELISSA and RICK Featuring two non-binary protagonists A powerful story to empower kids to think about the history they are traditionally taught and what it means to be included!