THE IHEARDS

A companion to The Whatifs (2020), this time exploring gossip.

Mason is a meddlesome lad, which makes him especially attractive to the buzzy swarms of “Iheards”—insectlike creatures with long proboscises, perfect for fitting in ears and whispering secrets. The Iheards surround Mason, telling him rumors of other classmates. “I heard Ameera is scared / of thunderstorms.” “I heard Valeria broke / Maya’s crayon on purpose!” All of these secrets build up inside of Mason until he can’t take it anymore. They burst forth, whether true or not, and he tells everyone. A special History Day project is assigned, and no one wants to be Mason’s partner. On the day of the presentation, Mason is distraught; the Iheards prey on his weakness, crowding and zipping around, creating literal clouds of insecurities. Luckily, classmate Natalie offers a different perspective—what if the Iheards can be good? A shift appears in both Mason and the art: He beams, and the room brightens. This tale follows the same emotional pathway as Kilgore and Perisco’s previous work but not quite as seamlessly. Framing the Iheards as positive is a bit more clunky and difficult; still, given how relevant the topic is, this one may be a jumping-off point to conversations about gossip. An author’s note further explains that we all deserve to share our own stories and that repeating rumors can be painful. Mason is light-skinned, Natalie is brown-skinned, and their classmates are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A clumsy but sweet springboard to discussions about spreading rumors.