Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy - OPTIONAL

Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy, 336 pages. Harper Collins, 2025. $23

Language: R (100+ swears, 15 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

When their dream summer internship implodes on the day they were supposed to be leaving their po-dunk town, 18yo Sully is devastated.  As the most out and proud gay person in Hearst, the other being Brad, or “Bread” as Sully prefers to call him, Sully has been proudly waving the queer flag. To console himself he buys a rare and valuable bag at the local thrift store - which comes complete with a ghost. Rufus, the ghost, also grew up in Hearst as a gay man in the 1950’s.  He has no idea how he became tied to the beautiful bag. As Brad drives Sully around town investigating the mystery, Sully begins to learn more about his nemesis and about the secrets hiding in his own town.

Fans of Murphy will probably love the chaos that Sully brings to the page.  I do love how the author’s used Rufus’s history to highlight history and challenges of being gay in the 1950’s. Whether student readers will appreciate the history - I don’t know.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS