Books by Robin Gow

Dear Mothman

by Robin Gow

Poet and author Robin Gow’s moving middle-grade novel in verse Dear Mothman is about a young trans boy dealing with the loss of his friend by writing to his favorite cryptid.

Halfway through sixth grade, Noah’s best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. Adventurous and curious, Lewis was always bringing a new paranormal story to share with Noah. Together they daydreamed about cryptids and shared discovering their genders and names.

After Lewis’s death, lonely and yearning for someone who could understand him like Lewis once did, Noah starts writing letters to Mothman, wondering if he would understand how Noah feels and also looking for evidence of Mothman’s existence in the vast woods surrounding his small Poconos town. Noah becomes determined to make his science fair project about Mothman, despite his teachers and parents urging him to make a project about something “real.”

Meanwhile, as Noah tries to find Mothman, he also starts to make friends with a group of girls in his grade, Hanna, Molly, and Alice, with whom he’d been friendly, but never close to. Now, they welcome him, and he starts to open up to each of them, especially Hanna, whom Noah has a crush on. But as strange things start to happen and Noah becomes sure of Mothman’s existence, his parents and teachers don’t believe him. Noah decides it’s up to him to risk everything, trek into the woods, and find Mothman himself.

All the Love Under the Vast Sky

by Mariama J. Lockington, Laura Ruby, Jasmine Warga, Melanie Crowder, Padma Venkatraman, Margarita Engle, David Bowles, Charles Waters, Kip Wilson, Robin Gow, Eric Gansworth, Alexandra Alessandri

Twelve short stories in verse by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the highs and lows of love – romantic, platonic, familial, and self-love.

Love can be many things – all-consuming, fleeting, vengeful, selfless, toxic, uplifting, and always, a core part of the teen experience that leaves an indelible mark. This enchanting, genre-crossing anthology delivers something for every reader with unique characters, global settings, and a dazzling mixture of myth, historical, speculative, and contemporary fiction.

With the turn of a page, get swept away by unexpected love blooming between two princes from enemy Mesoamerican nations in the 15th century, who'd rather make music rather than war; cheer for a timid bearded lady who was shunned by her family and runs away to find belonging and safety at the circus during the 1800s experience the heartbreak of saying goodbye to a beloved pet; breathlessly watch a myth unfold as a siren bound to the water falls in love with a winged forest spirit, their love seemingly impossible from the start. Root for a girl who emerges from grief and battles with chronic pain to discover how to love herself and life again.

Love is complicated, and this anthology embraces the messiness and the joy of all kinds of love. Contributors include:

• Alexandra Alessandri
• David Bowles
• Melanie Crowder
• Margarita Engle
• Eric Gansworth
• Robin Gow
• Mariama J. Lockington
• Laura Ruby
• Padma Venkatraman
• Jasmine Warga
• Charles Waters
• Kip Wilson

Dear Mothman A Novel in Verse

by Robin Gow

Winner, LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Lammy Award (Lambda Literary Award)

Robin Gow's acclaimed middle grade novel in verse about a young trans boy dealing with the loss of his friend by writing to his favorite cryptid, Mothman

Moving and lyrical, Dear Mothman is a story about finding belonging and hope in the most unexpected places.

A few months ago, Noah's best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. Feeling lost and alone, Noah starts writing letters to Mothman, Lewis's favorite cryptid, wondering if he would understand how Noah feels.

At first, Noah isn't sure whether he actually believes in Mothman--not like Lewis did. But when strange things start to happen around his wooded home, Noah wonders whether there might be something to the stories.

He decides to make his science fair project about Mothman, despite his teacher's urging to study something "real." As Noah's mind begins to open, so does his world. He makes friends with a group of girls in his grade and finally feels like he belongs.

But most people are not so accepting, and he has no evidence to prove that Mothman exists. With the science fair looming closer, Noah decides to risk everything, trek into the woods, and find Mothman himself.

"A hauntingly moving examination of grief, friendship, and identity, reminiscent of my favorite classics. Robin Gow has a magic with words, stirring and shining a light on the deepest of emotions, leaving behind goosebumps (and tears) for Noah's story. This book is a gift." --Kacen Callender, author of the National Book Award winner King and the Dragonflies