Matteo

Fans of The Real Boy and Rules for Stealing Stars will delight in this queer, magical, uplifting contemporary middle grade reimagining of Pinocchio. 

Eleven-year-old Matteo has never felt like one of the other boys. But when it’s finally his turn to join the Blue Whales, the baseball team his dad once played for, he’s sure it’s his chance to grow into a son his father can be proud of.

Grow he does, but in the most unexpected of ways: he starts sprouting leaves and bark . . . which only gets worse when he tries to lie about what’s going on or how he’s feeling. Alarmed, Matteo starts digging around for the truth of what’s happening to him—and finds that all clues lead back to the maybe magical oak tree at the center of town. As he weeds through the truth and the lies, Matteo makes some surprising discoveries about himself and his entire family tree.

From Michael Leali, author of The Civil War of Amos Abernathy, this earnest deconstruction of what it means to be a “real boy” is full of humor and heart, and a surefire home run for readers of Mark Oshiro, Anne Ursu, and Katherine Applegate.

"This enchanting, modern homage to Pinocchio reminds us anything is possible if we're true to ourselves." -Cynthia Leitich Smith, award-winning author of Ancestor Approved and Sisters of the Neversea

“A wonderfully cinematic, compulsively readable, highly imaginative, plot-rich story with characters who come alive on the page.”  -Booklist (starred review)

“Matteo, the big-hearted, gentle hero of this book, is a shining star. I felt swept up in his magical journey. I'm cheering for his happily ever after.” -Natalie Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of Hummingbird

“Full of laughter and love, kindness and curiosity, Matteo is the best type of character to root for. I loved Matteo, and I know you will, too.” -Varian Johnson, award-winning author of Twins

“Young readers will find it easy to empathize with bright, passionate, insecure Matteo. Tear-jerking and heartwarming in equal measure.”  -Kirkus Reviews