Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution
A Novel
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From National Book Award winner Kacen Callender, a contemporary YA that follows Lark’s journey to speak the truth and discover how their own self-love can be a revolution
Lark Winters wants to be a writer, and for now that means posting on their social media accounts––anything to build their platform. When former best friend Kasim accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s X declaring his love for a secret, unrequited crush, Lark’s tweets are suddenly the talk of the school—and beyond.
To protect Kasim, Lark decides to take the fall, pretending they accidentally posted the thread in reference to another classmate. It seems like a great idea: Lark gets closer to their crush, Kasim keeps his privacy, and Lark’s social media stats explode. But living a lie takes a toll—as does the judgment of thousands of strangers on the internet.
Lark tries their best to be perfect at all costs, but nothing seems good enough for the anonymous hordes––or for Kasim, who is growing closer to Lark, just like it used to be between them . . .
In the end, Lark must embrace their right to their messy emotions and learn how to be in love.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Callender (Moonflower) explores themes such as accountability, honesty, and self-love in this West Philly–set novel that follows a queer Black teen searching for a place to belong. Persistent online bullying causes nonbinary Lark Winters, who's 17 and self-diagnosed as neurodivergent, to feel self-conscious and lonely. Nevertheless, they believe that an active Twitter presence is the only way they'll get to publish their in-progress novel about a winged teen named Birdie. When Lark's former best friend, Black trans 17-year-old Kasim, mistakenly posts—from Lark's Twitter account—a thread about Kasim's secret crush, the tweets go viral. Lark agrees to say they wrote the thread to protect Kasim's "hardcore" image after they realize the tweets are increasing their platform, but the more popular the thread becomes, the more lies Lark must tell, and the more they stand to lose. Lark's fictional protagonist, Birdie, is a constant companion, offering advice and solace as events unfold. Callender proffers complex perspectives on activism, bullying, respectability politics, and polyamory, among other timely topics via a queer, socially conscious cast. Lark's experiences are emotionally fraught but not overwrought, emblematic of a deeply kind soul who is growing and learning from every triumph and mistake. Ages 14–up.
