Gender identity and death lovingly explored in spooky story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Edgar Allen Poe</a>, American Girl dolls, Band-Aid, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/book-reviews/from-the-mixed-up-files-of-mrs-basil-e-frankweiler">From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler</em></a>, Velveeta, Ouija, Hot Topic, H&M, Target, Goldfish crackers, Jacuzzi, Babysitter's Club, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/search/Barbie">Barbie, <em>Time</em> magazine, PFLAG.</p>
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Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
Some scares, but no blood. Bug's house is haunted, which is explored throughout the story. Doors slam, breezes ruffle linens, unexplainable cold spots persist in rooms. A Ouija board is used to contact the dead. Descriptions of poltergeist in action can be scary, but the characters come through unscathed.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
There are frank conversations about sexual orientation and gender (a character is gay, some characters are transgender), but there are no descriptions of sexual behavior.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Bug's mom is a hardworking, understanding parent whose empathetic style allows Bug to feel safe and loved. Bug's Uncle Roderick is one of Bug's favorite people -- s/he moved to Vermont to help raise Bug, even though as a drag performer, s/he needed to be in a big city to reach an audience. Roderick really sees Bug, helping Bug develop into the person they were meant to be.
Educational Value
some
Nods to LGBTQ+ support groups (PFLAG) and literature are mentioned, as is the definition of what a transgender person is, and what they are not.
Positive Messages
some
Face your fears. Talk with people who can support you when you need help. Build a team of allies. Be yourself. Explore new ideas, but remain true to who you are. Trust that you'll find your people. It feels good to be honest. Love yourself. Your true friends will understand you -- or at least will try to understand. Trust your inner wisdom.
Diverse Representations
a little
There's diversity in the gender and LGBTQ+ range of representation, but there's not a lot of reference to teachers, students, or friends from different cultural or ethnic groups, besides a new boy whose last name is Latino. The majority of characters are presumed White.
Parents need to know that Too Bright to See is a 2022 Newbery Honor Book. It's a coming-of-age story couched in a horror novel. There are some poltergeist moments that can be frightening, but there's no blood or violence. Twelve-going-on-thirteen-year-old Bug lives in rural Vermont. Bug's Uncle Roderick has just died, and Bug's life feels like it's falling apart. Uncle Roderick was a drag queen, whose glittery dresses and campy name ("Anita Life") brought light and joy to Bug's life. Now that Uncle Roderick is dead, Bug is left with some big questions about identity, fitting in, and discovering what it feels like to be at home in a haunted house, and in a body that feels foreign. Too Bright to See also won one of the 2022 American Library Association's Stonewall Awards.
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What's the Story?
The house that Bug lives in has been haunted for years in TOO BRIGHT TO SEE -- and everybody knows it. Bug's best friend Moira always asks if there are any "new ghosts" when she comes to spend the night. But since Uncle Roderick died, the haunting is more intense, and much more specific. Bug finds mysterious items like paper left by the bed in the morning after having been visited by terrifying dreams. But as the start of middle school looms, and Bug tries to grasp how to fit in, the house seems to have a more urgent message. Can Bug figure out what's going on with the house? Or does the mystery involve something more personal?
Picking up pace as it develops, a frightening story addresses an intensely personal issue. In Too Bright to See, the metaphor of living in a haunted house is mirrored in the experiences of characters who don't feel at home in their own bodies. Gender identity is explored in a way that helps binary readers understand the nonbinary experience in an artful manner.
Though the haunting lacks the spooky suspenseful realism of a Stephen King novel, there are moments where the possibility of poltergeist feels real. The ending wraps things up a little too neatly, too. But what shines through in this story is the love that Bug's Uncle Roderick left as a legacy. The longing for acceptance, the tenderness that one outsider has for another, the desire to be set free of a burden that nobody asks for -- are a twinkle in Anita Life's heavily made-up eyes. Those wishes feel like a legacy that deserves to be passed on to the next generation of readers who might see themselves in this book.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about gender identity and body image in Too Bright to See. How does Bug's identity change over the course of the book? What clues does Bug receive from Uncle Roderick about being true to oneself?
What books or shows discuss being trans or queer in a way that you find respectful? How have things changed as conversations about gender identity become more prevalent?
Bug doesn't have a cellphone, so cyberbullying isn't on Bug's radar-- but it is for people who use social media. How would dealing with cyberbullying make Bug's story more difficult?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
