Look Past

Gr 9 Up—Avery is gutted when Mary, the first person to truly accept him as transgender, is brutally murdered. He's barely had time to process his grief when the killer begins sending him grotesque messages threatening that Avery will be the next victim if he doesn't atone for being transgender and start presenting as female. The protagonist's supportive girlfriend and BFF have his back, and they use their combined interest in amateur forensics to help solve this whodunit. Unusual for this genre, Avery is comfortable going to his parents and the police for assistance, which the adults provide. While it's refreshing to read a novel about a transgender teen where gender identity isn't the sole focus, Avery's overall characterization feels slight and the secondary characters fail to develop beyond their initial stereotypes, particularly the saintly girlfriend and best friend. This book contains strong language, and Avery's interest in forensics leads to graphic descriptions of Mary's mutilations.