Too Bright to See
- Downloads：7586
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-18 06:53:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kyle Lukoff
- ISBN：0593111176
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A haunting ghost story about navigating grief， growing up， and growing into a new gender identity
It's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare。 For Moira， this means figuring out the right clothes to wear， learning how to put on makeup， and deciding which boys are cuter in their yearbook photos than in real life。 But none of this is all that appealing to Bug， who doesn't particularly want to spend more time trying to understand how to be a girl。 Besides， there's something more important to worry about: A ghost is haunting Bug's eerie old house in rural Vermont。。。and maybe haunting Bug in particular。 As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they're trying to say， an altogether different truth comes to light--Bug is transgender。
It's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare。 For Moira， this means figuring out the right clothes to wear， learning how to put on makeup， and deciding which boys are cuter in their yearbook photos than in real life。 But none of this is all that appealing to Bug， who doesn't particularly want to spend more time trying to understand how to be a girl。 Besides， there's something more important to worry about: A ghost is haunting Bug's eerie old house in rural Vermont。。。and maybe haunting Bug in particular。 As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they're trying to say， an altogether different truth comes to light--Bug is transgender。
Reviews
Tiffany Farfan
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 First I would like to thank the author for adding a message at the end of the book about how to properly tell people about this book。 It didn't even occur to me it would be semi-difficult to do so。 I can't quite remember the wording and now I'm regretting turning in my audiobook a day early but someone was waiting in line and I wasn't going to deny them this wonderful book any later。 Also， totally recommend the audiobook。 Anyway， I'll do my best to paraphrase。This book follows an 11-year-old chi First I would like to thank the author for adding a message at the end of the book about how to properly tell people about this book。 It didn't even occur to me it would be semi-difficult to do so。 I can't quite remember the wording and now I'm regretting turning in my audiobook a day early but someone was waiting in line and I wasn't going to deny them this wonderful book any later。 Also， totally recommend the audiobook。 Anyway， I'll do my best to paraphrase。This book follows an 11-year-old child named Bug， the summer before middle school starts， and right after suffering a tragic loss， Uncle Roderick。 Losing someone who's helped raise you is hard enough but right before a big change in your life when it feels like the question of "Who am I？" is at the forefront more than ever makes it even harder。 Except， it seems Uncle Roderickis trying to be there anyway as Bug senses a presence in the house and comes to the only logical conclusion: the house is being haunted by Uncle Roderick and he has a message to pass along。 What's the message？ And could that message help Bug figure out why they don't like their birth name very much， why their best friends' obsession with making sure they look fashionable for middle school by wearing cute dresses and makeup sounds dreadful， and why the reflection in the mirror is just not quite right？ I've never read a book before that dealt with gender identity and I was floored。 And this was handled so well as it goes in huge depth and when done from a perspective of a child adds a simple "Well of course that's how it is" feeling to it。 There's something haunting about the book; maybe becuase of ghosts but that doesn't quite sound right。 I cant' quite put my finger on it yet though。 Either way please read it！I only took off one star though because there were moments where the story dragged for a bit so I had to increase the speed of my audiobook to keep me engaged。 。。。more
Orpheus
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A lovely lovely book！ I wish this had been around when I was in middle school。 Bug is an eleven-year old both learning to cope with grief and a feeling of discomfort surrounding gender。 The book handles these subjects well， while also keeping a positive feel。 It is informative， but doesn't bludgeon you with information or treat the reader like a child。 A good book to give a middle-grade reader in your life。 A lovely lovely book！ I wish this had been around when I was in middle school。 Bug is an eleven-year old both learning to cope with grief and a feeling of discomfort surrounding gender。 The book handles these subjects well， while also keeping a positive feel。 It is informative， but doesn't bludgeon you with information or treat the reader like a child。 A good book to give a middle-grade reader in your life。 。。。more
Danielle
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Sweet story about Bug。 A kid that recently lost their beloved uncle， they are dealing with ghosts， and grappling with their own identity。 I don't know if I've read a middle-grade novel since I was in middle school but cute story。 Sweet story about Bug。 A kid that recently lost their beloved uncle， they are dealing with ghosts， and grappling with their own identity。 I don't know if I've read a middle-grade novel since I was in middle school but cute story。 。。。more
Addison
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Holy fuck， I didn't realize it was possible to have my soul described by someone who's never met me。 I feel seen。The Cavetown vibes in this book are overwhelming and I adore that。 Holy fuck， I didn't realize it was possible to have my soul described by someone who's never met me。 I feel seen。The Cavetown vibes in this book are overwhelming and I adore that。 。。。more
Sherry
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A ghost story about figuring out who you are！ Engaging Newbery Honor title for the middle grades。
Brennen Isaac Carlson
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this book is very well made and the story is nice to read about and you should too。 Its about a girl Bug and how she tries to figure out what she wants to do before middle school starts and her friend Moria tries to fix it but later finds out that Bug turns out to be。。。 well you have to read to find out。
Jen at work
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This was pitch-perfect middle grade realistic fiction。 Loved the characters working through their struggles。 Excellent diverse representation。
Elizabeth Johnson
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This is one of the best MG books I have ever read。
Nev
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Too Bright to See follows an eleven year old kid who is dealing with the death of an uncle， preparing to start middle school， possibly living in a haunted house， and figuring out his gender identity。 I liked how Kyle Lukoff used the ghosts to detail the main character’s grief and journey of figuring out that he’s trans。 I did think the book felt somewhat lopsided， I wanted to see a bit more of what happened after he came out to his friends and family。 But overall I really enjoyed this as an expl Too Bright to See follows an eleven year old kid who is dealing with the death of an uncle， preparing to start middle school， possibly living in a haunted house， and figuring out his gender identity。 I liked how Kyle Lukoff used the ghosts to detail the main character’s grief and journey of figuring out that he’s trans。 I did think the book felt somewhat lopsided， I wanted to see a bit more of what happened after he came out to his friends and family。 But overall I really enjoyed this as an exploration of grief and gender identity for younger readers。 。。。more
Kevin Balsbaugh
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This is a great story about finding yourself and coming out and I love the blending of the ghost story with coming of age。 I think it really makes a great book for children of any gender identify。 The only issue is that it does feel a little clunky， especially towards the ending which most young readers should miss but still some will catch。
Bradley
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Uh， didn't know this was gonna be as good as it was。 Holy wow。 Adorable gender discovery ghosty book I should have read in middle school。 Uh， didn't know this was gonna be as good as it was。 Holy wow。 Adorable gender discovery ghosty book I should have read in middle school。 。。。more
Sarah
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This book was genuinely scary and creepy AND genuinely moving。 A subtle and nuanced portrait of gender dysphoria with a sad and confused main character who is easy to root for。
Katie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved this book a lot and really appreciated reading about this experience of the trans experience。 It was refreshing to read about a young trans youth who has a safe and supportive house system， the journey of their identity not around shame or denial but self realization。 I think this book would be very helpful to young kids who might relate to the main character and come to their own realization， or start considering things that they had been feeling for a long time but maybe didn't have th I loved this book a lot and really appreciated reading about this experience of the trans experience。 It was refreshing to read about a young trans youth who has a safe and supportive house system， the journey of their identity not around shame or denial but self realization。 I think this book would be very helpful to young kids who might relate to the main character and come to their own realization， or start considering things that they had been feeling for a long time but maybe didn't have the words to describe or think deeply on。 Of course， every experience is unique and other trans youth may not align themselves with the main character in this book， but there are aspects to every story that I think are worth sharing， whether they resonate with the audience or simply just to share。I would recommend this book to students ages 12 and up， right when students start experiencing puberty and may start coming into their own self actualization。 Of course， students do not have to be trans to read this story and I think that it's also important that students who do not fit the demographic also read stories of other journeys and perspectives。 。。。more
Guin Wright
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Read for MCPL 2022 Librarians’ Reading Challenge
Gabie （OwlEyesReviews）
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Super cute！ Definitely a book I want to get for my classroom :）
Chrissy
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This story is endearing， but I thought it could use more editing。 For something so short， it still dragged a little and felt repetitive in places。 I loved the example set for family， friends， and educators on how to respond to a gender change。
Emily Tyler
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4 starsAnother middle grade that revives my cold， dead heart。 :'）While I was reading this， I happened to watch a video about surveillance of womanhood and gender performance， which happened to tie into the themes of this book really well。 Basically， this story is the intersection of a lot of my interests， so of course I loved it。 I think this book will make a lot of readers feel seen， which is one of the things I love most about literature， and it's especially important in middle grade stories。 4 starsAnother middle grade that revives my cold， dead heart。 :'）While I was reading this， I happened to watch a video about surveillance of womanhood and gender performance， which happened to tie into the themes of this book really well。 Basically， this story is the intersection of a lot of my interests， so of course I loved it。 I think this book will make a lot of readers feel seen， which is one of the things I love most about literature， and it's especially important in middle grade stories。 Watching Bug's journey through self-discovery is so rewarding and just wholesome。 Lukoff's writing and the way he captures emotion is lovely， and I really enjoyed the added speculative elements with the ghosts。 I wish there had been more ghosty stuff， actually， as well as more development of the side characters。 But this is a debut novel， so I'm really excited to see what else Lukoff writes in the future。 。。。more
Marinda
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I read this because it was a Newbery but didn’t know anything about the story。 It deals with LGBTQ issues and my daughter and I had just talked a few days prior about how we felt there is a place/need for these books to offer support and perspective。 I can’t say that I could relate to everything in the book but it is really well written and I’m glad I read it。
Christy
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A bit of a weird premise - a ghost story starring a soon to be middle schooler trying to figure themself out after the death of their Uncle。 Ends up it’s the story of a gender identity quest during a grief filled summer。This book would only be picked out by a very specific reader in my class， but then may spread around through word of mouth。 Or it will just sit in the shelf waiting for the perfect reader to find it。
Megan Murphy
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I really， really enjoyed this book。 I like that it provides another perspective on gender identity and that it may be difficult to navigate through and you may not know who you are immediately。
Stephanie
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A middle school ghost story about a rising middle schooler who is haunted by the ghost of their recently deceased uncle。 Through the story they find out important things about their identity， friendship and family。
Lynn Plourde
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Important book about a transgendered middle grader。 The telling felt like a grown-up narrating the story at times。 Everyone is so accepting in this novel， which is great & ideal， but not likely realistic。 Having a son who's gay， our family has witnessed discrimination & cruelty。 If Bug the main character in TOO BRIGHT TO SEE had faced some discrimination and shown the readers how they dealt with it， I think it would have been more realistic & helpful。 Important book about a transgendered middle grader。 The telling felt like a grown-up narrating the story at times。 Everyone is so accepting in this novel， which is great & ideal， but not likely realistic。 Having a son who's gay， our family has witnessed discrimination & cruelty。 If Bug the main character in TOO BRIGHT TO SEE had faced some discrimination and shown the readers how they dealt with it， I think it would have been more realistic & helpful。 。。。more
Maia
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A very short middle grade book which still manages to deliver a very successful ghost story and a sweet trans coming out narrative。 The book opens at the beginning of the summer， when 11 year old Bug's beloved queer uncle has just died。 Bug's house was already haunted before this death， but it's even more so after his passing。 Bug struggles to process grief as well as pressures from friends to prepare for the transition to middle school- an opportunity some kids take to reinvent themselves。 But A very short middle grade book which still manages to deliver a very successful ghost story and a sweet trans coming out narrative。 The book opens at the beginning of the summer， when 11 year old Bug's beloved queer uncle has just died。 Bug's house was already haunted before this death， but it's even more so after his passing。 Bug struggles to process grief as well as pressures from friends to prepare for the transition to middle school- an opportunity some kids take to reinvent themselves。 But Bug is haunted by both uncertainty about the future and literal ghosts。 。。。more
Erin Donaldson
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A story about finding yourself， making friends， losing someone you love， and ghosts。
Jelka
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Really liked how the ghost story was woven together with the main character's of working out his gender and dealing with the loss of his uncle。 Really liked how the ghost story was woven together with the main character's of working out his gender and dealing with the loss of his uncle。 。。。more
June
，
There are many topics being addressed in this book: Grief， gender identity， school， friendship and the paranormal。 The weaving together of a ghost story alongside the other issues in the book worked very well。 This is a sensitive telling of middle school angst and identity。 It seemed the ending was a bit overly positive although I would wish this for all students。 It might be prudent to read this book asap in many states。
Elna
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have never struggled with my gender identity - sure， there were moments where I felt uncomfortable in my body or in the fact that people were looking at me and thinking things that I had no influence over， but that's the reality of being a woman in this world。 I fully support transgender people and people interrogating their identity， but I never understood it （not that I need to）。 But this book really takes me through what it feels like to constantly question yourself and who you are， without I have never struggled with my gender identity - sure， there were moments where I felt uncomfortable in my body or in the fact that people were looking at me and thinking things that I had no influence over， but that's the reality of being a woman in this world。 I fully support transgender people and people interrogating their identity， but I never understood it （not that I need to）。 But this book really takes me through what it feels like to constantly question yourself and who you are， without even knowing it or being able to put the words to it。 And that makes it incredibly valuable - to friends and loved ones of someone who's going through it， yes， but especially to kids who have been doing the same things and need a little guidance on what that means and how to approach it。 I've recommended it to two students already who I felt needed that and they've thanked me for it; one student in particular gushed about how he felt truly seen and understood in Bug's journey， and if no one else reads it again at least it did that。 I very much appreciated Lukoff's note at the end， about how you might be unsure how to describe this story and Bug's journey - it's messy and complicated and it's OK to give yourself grace。 As a librarian it's very helpful， and I think the kids who will read it and enjoy it and recommend it to their friends will be thrilled to have that note to guide them。 Because even though it tries to sell itself as a ghost story， it really isn't。 It's a gender discovery story with a few supernatural elements。And that's great！ We need more LGBT stories that are more than realistic "struggle" novels。 But this one basically is the standard "trans discovery" narrative with a few supernatural elements thrown in， and that's a little disappointing。 But at the same time， it's a very inventive way to tell the story and guide Bug to the truth。 （I LOVED that Lukoff managed to go almost the whole book without using pronouns for Bug and never deadnamed him without it feeling clunky - incredible writing。） And that's my problem （and it's not the worst problem）: it makes for very didactic reading。 It's all about Bug's experiences and thoughts and insecurities。 It was very interesting to see his coming out and how supportive everyone was and how much that threw him - there definitely is more public awareness and acceptance around this issue than there ever was which is not yet depicted in the lit Bug would have been reading。 （I was a little surprised how readily accepting everyone was; the feel was that everyone except Bug knew to expect this， [with Uncle Rodrick even pre-emptively researching resources） but it didn't feel authentic to me。 We spend so much time in Bug's head we have no idea how others perceive him so it doesn't make sense for everyone to be so agreeable [other than general politeness， I guess， which is not a bad reason]。）It's a Very Important book and incredibly empathetic and well-done; as a pleasure read it may lack something。 There is not a lot of plot and the supernatural element is not enough to entice fans of the genre。 Is there maybe something to the idea that we need books about kids feeling uncomfortable in their own skin simply because that's a part of life rather than being trans？ Do we need more books about how non-standard gender presentation is OK and that there are a multitude of ways to be a boy or a girl？ Maybe， but there are definitely books like that out there， and less like this one。 4 stars because I'm not the intended audience and there will be kids who absolutely love it even if I didn't。 。。。more
Lee
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A+ reading by Jax Jackson for the audiobook！ Interesting blend of spookiness， grief， friendship， and self-discovery that somehow came together PERFECTLY。 I love finding great YA books！ Kyle Lukoff is a favorite of mine， with picture books “Call Me Max” and “When Aidan Became a Brother”， so I’m not surprised this chapter book is equally （if not more） fantastic。 Such a good ghost story！！
Kelli Freed
，
Too Bright to See was a beautiful coming of age/coming out story。 As well as a ghost story。 It ready easily and a lot of youth will see themselves in this book， which is so important。
Kelly
，
Exceptional。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Too Bright to See
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Too Bright to See&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Too Bright to See&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0