The Minus-One Club

Written by Kekla Magoon

Narrated by Dion Graham

Fifteen-year-old Kermit Sanders knows grief and its all-encompassing shadows.

After losing his beloved older sister in a tragic car accident, nothing quite punctures through the feelings of loss. Everywhere Kermit goes, he is reminded of her.

But then Kermit finds a mysterious invitation in his locker, signed anonymously with “-1.” He has no idea what he’s in for, but he shows up to find out. Dubbed the “Minus-One Club,” a group of his school-mates has banded together as a form
of moral support. The members have just one thing in common—they have all suffered the tragic loss of someone they loved.

The usual dividing lines between high school classes and cliques don’t apply inside the Minus-One Club, and Kermit’s secret crush, the handsome and happy-go-lucky Matt (and only out gay student at school), is also a part of the group. Slowly,
Matt’s positive headstrong approach to life helps relieve Kermit of his constant despair.

But as Kermit grows closer to Matt, the light of his new life begins to show the cracks beneath the surface. When Matt puts himself in danger by avoiding his feelings, Kermit must find the strength to not only lift himself back up but to help
the rest of the group from falling apart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781705093641

Kekla Magoon

Kekla Magoon is the author of many novels and nonfiction books, including The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, The Season of Styx Malone, and Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People. Kekla received the 2021 Margaret A. Edwards Award for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. She has been a National Book Award finalist in addition to receiving an NAACP Image Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, a Printz Honor, four Coretta Scott King Honors, and two Walter Award Honors. Kekla teaches writing for children and young adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit her online at keklamagoon.com.

Reviews for The Minus-One Club

[bumblybee-190414 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Minus-One Club is a young adult novel about Kermit, a closeted gay biracial teen who has just lost his sister. The Club in question is a secret group organized by students who have lost loved ones, and Kermit is their newest member - which is where he connects with his crush Matt, an out gay kid who lost his mom. There is a lot of nuance and a lot of emotions in this novel, and Magoon does a fantastic job of navigating the teen experience around loss, friendship, and hope. Kermit's struggles with religion, especially regarding his sexuality, are ones that resonated with me and are shown in a way that feels genuine. This is a book that really gets to the heart of the complex emotions surrounding big issues that teens face, and it knocks it out of the park for the most part.My issues with the novel are rather nit-picky. As someone who was raised Baptist, there are some errors with regard to that theology - there is no confirmation for Baptists, and it's pretty rare for advent to be celebrated in a church context in my experience - but these are minor and likely won't be noticeable unless you were raised in the religion or converted. Overall, this is a fantastic novel that digs deep on topics that teens may be struggling with. As a result, there are some content warnings for suicide, loss of family members, and homophobia. This could be a very important book for a queer kid who can relate to Kermit, and in that way I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for providing a copy for review.