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A World Worth Saving
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  • Published: 4 March 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593618981
  • Imprint: Dial
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $36.99

A World Worth Saving

Formats & editions
Hardback
4 Mar 2025
EBook
4 Feb 2025
Audiobook
4 Feb 2025
Audiobook
4 Feb 2025
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A groundbreaking, action-packed, and ultimately uplifting adventure that intertwines elements of Jewish mythology with an unflinching examination of the impacts of transphobia, from Newbery Honor winner Kyle Lukoff

A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A groundbreaking, action-packed, and ultimately uplifting adventure that intertwines elements of Jewish mythology with an unflinching examination of the impacts of transphobia, from Newbery Honor winner Kyle Lukoff.

“Rare and beautiful—a novel that combines wondrous fantasy, searing real-world relevance, and a frank empathetic understanding of the adolescent experience.”—Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

★ “A stunning powerhouse of fantasy and real-world issues.”—Booklist, starred review

Lockdown is over, but A’s world feels smaller than ever. Coming out as trans didn’t exactly go well, and most days, he still barely leaves his bedroom, let alone the house. But the low point of A’s life isn’t online school, missing his bar mitzvah, or the fact that his parents monitor his phone like hawks—it’s the weekly Save Our Sons and Daughters meetings his parents all but drag him to.

At SOSAD, A and his friends Sal and Yarrow sit by while their parents deadname them and wring their hands over a nonexistent “transgender craze.” After all, sitting in suffocating silence has to be better than getting sent away for “advanced treatment,” never to be heard from again.

When Yarrow vanishes after a particularly confrontational meeting, A discovers that SOSAD doesn’t just feel soul-sucking…it’s run by an actual demon who feeds off the pain and misery of kids like him. And it’s not just SOSAD—the entire world is beset by demons dining on what seems like an endless buffet of pain and bigotry.

But how is one trans kid who hasn’t even chosen a name supposed to save his friend, let alone the world? And is a world that seems hellbent on rejecting him even worth saving at all?
  • Published: 4 March 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593618981
  • Imprint: Dial
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $36.99
Categories:

Also by Kyle Lukoff

My Little Golden Book About Pride
I'm Sorry You Got Mad
Just What to Do
Different Kinds of Fruit
Too Bright to See
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Praise for A World Worth Saving


Indie Next Pick

* “Lukoff both explores and then subverts the chosen-one trope through A’s battle with his personal demons…The resolution is both honest and hopeful. Powerful and awakening.” –Kirkus, starred review

* “Satisfying [and] horror-tinged…This superb fantastical adventure tackles serious real-world problems faced by queer youth via unique interpretations of Jewish mysticism that, paired with A’s powerfully raw emotional journey, further flesh out the thrilling plot." –Publishers Weekly, starred review

* “Protests, politics, and hate are given a magical form, adding layers of visual understanding and a bit of distance from the pain of these experiences… A must-purchase; this is a timely title for middle school students as well as parents, teachers, and librarians who are looking for powerful mirrors or windows into trans experiences.” –School Library Journal, starred review

* “A World Worth Saving is not a middle-grade novel that offers answers. Much as protagonist A Izenson, a 14-year-old Ashkenazi Jewish trans boy, wishes for them, this is a story compelled to ask questions instead….Ultimately, Lukoff crafts a stunning powerhouse of fantasy and real-world issues, including the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on teenagers, gender identity, rising transphobia and anti-trans legislation, and homelessness in LGBTQIA+ youth. This is an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White for a middle-grade audience.” –Booklist, starred review

“This is a welcome fantasy starring a trans and Jewish hero that engages thoughtfully with both those identities.” –The Horn Book

Praise for Too Bright to See:
SIX STARRED REVIEWS
NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
STONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER
NATIONAL BOOK AWAR FINALIST
Boston Globe Best Book of 2021
TIME Best Children’s Book of 2021
Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021
New York Public Library Best Book for Kids of 2021
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book for 2021
NPR Best Book of 2021 
PW Best Book of 2021
Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021
Kirkus Best Book of 2021
School Library Journal Best Book of 2021



Praise for Different Kinds of Fruit:
FIVE STARRED REVIEWS
LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST
NPR Best Books of 2022
Bookpage Best Middle Grade Books of 2022
Kirkus Best Books of 2022
Booklist Editors' Choice 2022
Boston Globe Best Books of 2022


Indie Next Pick

* “Lukoff both explores and then subverts the chosen-one trope through A’s battle with his personal demons…The resolution is both honest and hopeful. Powerful and awakening.” –Kirkus, starred review

* “Satisfying [and] horror-tinged…This superb fantastical adventure tackles serious real-world problems faced by queer youth via unique interpretations of Jewish mysticism that, paired with A’s powerfully raw emotional journey, further flesh out the thrilling plot." –Publishers Weekly, starred review

* “Protests, politics, and hate are given a magical form, adding layers of visual understanding and a bit of distance from the pain of these experiences… A must-purchase; this is a timely title for middle school students as well as parents, teachers, and librarians who are looking for powerful mirrors or windows into trans experiences.” –School Library Journal, starred review

* “A World Worth Saving is not a middle-grade novel that offers answers. Much as protagonist A Izenson, a 14-year-old Ashkenazi Jewish trans boy, wishes for them, this is a story compelled to ask questions instead….Ultimately, Lukoff crafts a stunning powerhouse of fantasy and real-world issues, including the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on teenagers, gender identity, rising transphobia and anti-trans legislation, and homelessness in LGBTQIA+ youth. This is an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White for a middle-grade audience.” –Booklist, starred review

“This is a welcome fantasy starring a trans and Jewish hero that engages thoughtfully with both those identities.” –The Horn Book

Praise for Too Bright to See:
SIX STARRED REVIEWS
NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
STONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER
NATIONAL BOOK AWAR FINALIST
Boston Globe Best Book of 2021
TIME Best Children’s Book of 2021
Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021
New York Public Library Best Book for Kids of 2021
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book for 2021
NPR Best Book of 2021 
PW Best Book of 2021
Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021
Kirkus Best Book of 2021
School Library Journal Best Book of 2021



Praise for Different Kinds of Fruit:
FIVE STARRED REVIEWS
LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST
NPR Best Books of 2022
Bookpage Best Middle Grade Books of 2022
Kirkus Best Books of 2022
Booklist Editors' Choice 2022
Boston Globe Best Books of 2022