Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine: The Kids Under the Stairs

Ben Y’s just about had it with school. Every corner she turns, she’s being called ‘Benita’, getting Dress Coded by Mr. Mann for some supposedly inappropriate item of clothing, or running into the ineffable, inescapable, indefinable Ace - who makes her feel weird, weirdly seen, and strangely at peace, all at once. Even her best buds - Ben B, Jordan J, and Javier; the kids under the stairs - are all far too content following the rules and making their school newspaper under the attentive direction of their beloved teacher, Ms. J. And home’s no better. Last year, Ben Y’s older brother died, and the family is still learning how to cope - if you count coming home to cry at lunch, hogging Benito’s bedroom to run a friendship bracelet empire, or typing obsessively into a chatroom Benito no longer exists in. But when Benito suddenly starts typing back - Ben Y must act. But happens when those very actions make Ben Y’s deepest secrets impossible to hide?

Readers will easily identify with the variety of funny, authentic loveable characters - not to mention the emphasis on a Minecraft-like game and fun visuals like online chats and doodles. Parents, kids, and educators and librarians alike will love the way the book celebrates all the different ways to be smart - and all the different ways it’s hard to be a kid. With a loveable cast of characters and raw, authentic emotion, this heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse tells an honest story about friendship, family, and personal identity that celebrates different types of intelligence and shows how every kid deserves to become their own ‘divergent’ self.