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A note for parents
This YA novel centers on a trans teen finding community and self-acceptance at a magical safe haven for queer youth across decades. The core themes—identity, chosen family, and LGBTQ+ history—are handled with depth and care. While parental rejection and references to societal hatred create emotional weight, the story ultimately affirms acceptance and resilience rather than dwelling on trauma.
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From the publisher
In this beautifully profound YA novel, a trans teen finds a home where queer kids from all different decades have found refuge from hatred-and from time. Calla Quick has no future. At least, that's how it feels. Her parents disowned her via text message, and now she can't afford to go to an all-women's college with her... In this beautifully profound YA novel, a trans teen finds a home where queer kids from all different decades have found refuge from hatred-and from time. Calla Quick has no future. At least, that's how it feels. Her parents disowned her via text message, and now she can't afford to go to an all-women's college with her girlfriend Ramona like they planned. But Calla wonders if maybe that's for the best-because even though Calla told Ramona her parents disowned her because they found out she's gay, the truth is, Calla has been questioning whether she's a girl at all. Calla wishes she had more time to figure everything out, and one night, her wish is seemingly granted. When Calla and Ramona stumble upon a mysterious farmhouse the woods, they meet five teens who claim they've lived there for decades. The land, which they call Amaranth, acts as a safe haven for queer kids throughout history-a place free of hate, free of violence, free of time itself. Here, Calla can be Cal, and they feel instantly accepted. They don't have to worry about the future because at Amaranth, it will never come-until one night when the clock strikes twelve. Now under a literal ticking clock, the housemates must find a way to stop time again or face going back to their harsh realities, but as Cal learns everyone's story, they begin to wonder what queer people lose when their history is lost to time.
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- Young Adult Fiction
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ISBN 9781547611409 · Bloomsbury YA