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Glitch Girl!

Author Rainie Oet On Tour
Read by Rainie Oet On Tour, Jeff Ebner
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On sale Mar 11, 2025 | 5 Hours and 40 Minutes | 9798217018932
Grade 5 & Up
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“Each poem is as raw as it is beautiful.” —Alex Gino, author of ALA Stonewall Award-winning novel Melissa

A novel in verse about a trans girl diagnosed with ADHD, a computer game, and middle school for fans of Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff.

J—’s life is consumed by the roller coaster video game Coaster Boss, and by the power she exerts over the pixelated theme park attendees. Her life outside the game, however, is less controllable.

Me.
I’m such a big space. I break the universe, a glitch.

She's navigating ADHD, the loneliness of middle school, and an overwhelming crush on a girl named Junie. J— is convinced that Junie sees her as who she really is, a person who isn’t “bad” just because she doesn't stay quiet and sit still in class. As a person who is realizing that the name she's been given doesn’t really fit her. And that maybe boy doesn’t either.

Glitch Girl! follows J— from fifth to seventh grade, from the beginning to the end of her obsession with Coaster Boss, and to the start of a new friendship. When J— meets Sam, a nonbinary classmate, she begins to realize that it's okay to not fit into neat, pixelated boxes.
Rainie Oet is a trans woman who writes fiction and poetry for adults and young readers. She is the author of the picture books Robin’s Worlds and Monster Seek (Astra). She received her MFA at Syracuse University, where she was awarded the Shirley Jackson Prize in Fiction. Glitch Girl! is her debut novel. View titles by Rainie Oet
Adventure Camp Trip to Cedar Point
(Summer after Sixth Grade)
Today a bird poops in Garrison’s
hair at Cedar Point Amusement Park—­
“Why does this always happen to me!” he groans,
and we laugh at him.

Junie and I
ride a wooden roller coaster called Gemini,
which is our favorite
ride, the twins. We are soul twins, and it’s the happiest
I’ve ever been. The rain
starts in the middle
of the ride, pelting our faces
at eighty miles per hour,
and it really hurts, and
we both laugh,
or I laugh and
Junie cries, or
I laugh at Junie
crying
because I don’t
know what else to do,
and the lightning actually hits
at the top of that ride—­boom—­
and Junie hugs me, then
lets go, the lightning flashing red behind my closed eyes.

I buy Junie an
extremely soft teddy bear,
Wicked Twister Bear,
named after one of the rides,
all golden-­yellow and soft, so soft,
softer than a fluffy dog’s fur,
and she doesn’t want it.

But all three of us,
Junie, Garrison, and me,
sit together on the bus ride back—­

I put my head on Junie’s shoulder,
and she’s asleep. I feel so much love
for my friends—­
they are the highest tower in the valley,
the sound of apples falling on grass,
and their eyes always sparkle like rhinestones
in the fluorescent lights at school.
I put Garrison’s head on my
shoulder, and Garrison
says, “This is weird,”
then Junie wakes up
and pushes me off her.

All of us sit in the tiny seat, awake, trying not
to touch, and for me it feels like it’s all over.

Rewind
No.
It’s not over, I tell myself
in the middle of the night, after Cedar Point.
Tomorrow we’re going to see a baseball game
downtown at Jay’s Field—­our field!
Tomorrow I’m finally going to do it.
I’ll tell Junie that I’ve loved her for two years,
that I know she’s loved me too.

I’ll explain it all, my whole soft heart,
from the beginning.

Everything started in fifth grade.
Copyright © 2025 by Rainie Oet. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
REVIEWS FOR GLITCH GIRL!

 “Each poem is as raw as it is beautiful.”
—Alex Gino, author of ALA Stonewall Award-winning novel Melissa

"Rainie Oet brings a fresh and affecting poetic voice to this tender tale of neuro-spiciness and gender quest. Her depiction of gaming's power for good in today's young lives is keenly observed and quirkily imagined. This is an original and necessary book." —Lisa Bunker, author of Felix XY and Zenobia July.

"Explore[s] the intensity and isolation of adolescence. Rainie’s writing is a gift to young readers.” —Mary Karr, Whiting Award winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Liar's Club

"Poignant, illuminating. ...accessible, immersive." —Booklist

"Authentic, heartrending ... stunning." —Shelf Awareness

"An important purchase for all libraries seeking to help their students understand themselves and others better." —School Library Journal

"Hopeful and empathetic. A turbulent, emotionally wrenching coming-of-age story." —Kirkus Reviews

"Simple language injects immediacy into J—’s narration throughout this raw novel about navigating abuse, gender identity, and experiences of neurodivergence." —Publishers Weekly

About

“Each poem is as raw as it is beautiful.” —Alex Gino, author of ALA Stonewall Award-winning novel Melissa

A novel in verse about a trans girl diagnosed with ADHD, a computer game, and middle school for fans of Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff.

J—’s life is consumed by the roller coaster video game Coaster Boss, and by the power she exerts over the pixelated theme park attendees. Her life outside the game, however, is less controllable.

Me.
I’m such a big space. I break the universe, a glitch.

She's navigating ADHD, the loneliness of middle school, and an overwhelming crush on a girl named Junie. J— is convinced that Junie sees her as who she really is, a person who isn’t “bad” just because she doesn't stay quiet and sit still in class. As a person who is realizing that the name she's been given doesn’t really fit her. And that maybe boy doesn’t either.

Glitch Girl! follows J— from fifth to seventh grade, from the beginning to the end of her obsession with Coaster Boss, and to the start of a new friendship. When J— meets Sam, a nonbinary classmate, she begins to realize that it's okay to not fit into neat, pixelated boxes.

Author

Rainie Oet is a trans woman who writes fiction and poetry for adults and young readers. She is the author of the picture books Robin’s Worlds and Monster Seek (Astra). She received her MFA at Syracuse University, where she was awarded the Shirley Jackson Prize in Fiction. Glitch Girl! is her debut novel. View titles by Rainie Oet

Excerpt

Adventure Camp Trip to Cedar Point
(Summer after Sixth Grade)
Today a bird poops in Garrison’s
hair at Cedar Point Amusement Park—­
“Why does this always happen to me!” he groans,
and we laugh at him.

Junie and I
ride a wooden roller coaster called Gemini,
which is our favorite
ride, the twins. We are soul twins, and it’s the happiest
I’ve ever been. The rain
starts in the middle
of the ride, pelting our faces
at eighty miles per hour,
and it really hurts, and
we both laugh,
or I laugh and
Junie cries, or
I laugh at Junie
crying
because I don’t
know what else to do,
and the lightning actually hits
at the top of that ride—­boom—­
and Junie hugs me, then
lets go, the lightning flashing red behind my closed eyes.

I buy Junie an
extremely soft teddy bear,
Wicked Twister Bear,
named after one of the rides,
all golden-­yellow and soft, so soft,
softer than a fluffy dog’s fur,
and she doesn’t want it.

But all three of us,
Junie, Garrison, and me,
sit together on the bus ride back—­

I put my head on Junie’s shoulder,
and she’s asleep. I feel so much love
for my friends—­
they are the highest tower in the valley,
the sound of apples falling on grass,
and their eyes always sparkle like rhinestones
in the fluorescent lights at school.
I put Garrison’s head on my
shoulder, and Garrison
says, “This is weird,”
then Junie wakes up
and pushes me off her.

All of us sit in the tiny seat, awake, trying not
to touch, and for me it feels like it’s all over.

Rewind
No.
It’s not over, I tell myself
in the middle of the night, after Cedar Point.
Tomorrow we’re going to see a baseball game
downtown at Jay’s Field—­our field!
Tomorrow I’m finally going to do it.
I’ll tell Junie that I’ve loved her for two years,
that I know she’s loved me too.

I’ll explain it all, my whole soft heart,
from the beginning.

Everything started in fifth grade.
Copyright © 2025 by Rainie Oet. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Praise

REVIEWS FOR GLITCH GIRL!

 “Each poem is as raw as it is beautiful.”
—Alex Gino, author of ALA Stonewall Award-winning novel Melissa

"Rainie Oet brings a fresh and affecting poetic voice to this tender tale of neuro-spiciness and gender quest. Her depiction of gaming's power for good in today's young lives is keenly observed and quirkily imagined. This is an original and necessary book." —Lisa Bunker, author of Felix XY and Zenobia July.

"Explore[s] the intensity and isolation of adolescence. Rainie’s writing is a gift to young readers.” —Mary Karr, Whiting Award winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Liar's Club

"Poignant, illuminating. ...accessible, immersive." —Booklist

"Authentic, heartrending ... stunning." —Shelf Awareness

"An important purchase for all libraries seeking to help their students understand themselves and others better." —School Library Journal

"Hopeful and empathetic. A turbulent, emotionally wrenching coming-of-age story." —Kirkus Reviews

"Simple language injects immediacy into J—’s narration throughout this raw novel about navigating abuse, gender identity, and experiences of neurodivergence." —Publishers Weekly

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