Thoughtful and sweet middle grade book with magical elements about the importance of having friends who understand you and belonging.

Cute, heartwarming middle grade story, for anyone searching for a place and community to belong. The touch of magic brings the whole story together

Héctor Muñoz found his place in San Fransisco but when he moves to Orangevale he is completely alone. Until he finds a door that may lead to the exact place he needs. The Insiders is a realistic fantasy that all students dream of. An escape from the pressures of a rigid societal structure and stereotypes and what happens when you don't fit into them. Oshiro is a mater t tapping into the lives of children and leading with empathy and understanding weaves a story that is relatable and imaginative.

This is a fun adventure book about a boy named Hector who has just moved to Sacramento with his parents. He misses his friends desperately but is trying to adapt to a new school and make new friends because his mom has a big new job that she loves. They are also living closer to his abuela, which is a big upgrade! The new school is hard though-some of the teachers are nice and there are some kids that he finds to make friends with, but the school bully targets him almost immediately and it's bad. Hector finds a place to hide that seems perfect, until one day he finds someone else hiding there- a girl from another school all the way across the country! It turns out the room has some really awesome magical powers (like the Room of Requirement from Harry Potter) and the kids Hector meets there need him as much as he needs them. This is a fun story to read-Hector is a great character and most of the adults are kind and supportive of him. It was a great story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This was a really interesting book about problems and how they can be solved. The addition of the room (almost called it the Room of Requirement because that's what it reminded me of) was an interesting touch. Overall I liked the book but I did feel that there were some loose ends / confusing parts. For example, why did the room not let the main character get to the stage right away - wasn't really explained. Another unexplained event happened when they all helped with the library and there was a curious interaction there with a teacher who seemed to know about the room or something. Just a few niggling things that seemed to not get closure. I also wish the original friends hadn't just been dropped because it seemed more of the main character's fault than theirs. Who's to say that he will keep in touch with this new group now that the room is no longer available?

I wanted so much to like this book, but he trope wore out early on and the characters did not feel believable.

Oshiro easily pulled me into this world of blossoming friendship. Magical Realism is not typically in my realm of interest, but this story was lovely. As an educator, I see everyday students who could benefit from a place where they could escape into the comfort of friendship and where they could learn to overcome some of the challenges of the real world.

This novel was not only heartbreaking, but was also full of home as it gave insight into the lives of queer children. I think it's wonderful that novels like this are making it into the hands of younger readers who may see themselves in the novel and gain a sense of support from it.

This book had a bunch of important lessons and cool author cameos, but it was way too long for what kind of story it was trying to tell, and it was trying to be too many things. Descriptions of mundane things were too long, and the two subplots were treated as main plots. I love the concept and the emotional journey of the main character, how he really wrestled with people who were supposed to help him failing him.

I’m a sucker for speculative fiction, and this is a stunning middle grade example! Mark Oshiro puts you right back into middle school. The awkwardness, budding self awareness, and general anxiety of being a preteen. Hector is so likable, and the perfect underdog in this heartwarming story. The Insiders takes the uncertainty and fear of middle school, and offers a safe space for those in need. This book is going to help a lot of kids feel less alone.

I've loved both of Mark Oshiro's young adult novels, so I was excited to pick up his middle-grade debut, and it did not disappoint. A light fantasy novel about secret rooms and finding a place where you belong, this novel felt reminiscent of the works of Rebecca Stead, a high compliment in my book. It is also amazingly, delightfully, wonderfully queer. This is a book that will help young queer kids everywhere know that they belong, and I'm so happy Mark Oshiro brought it into the world!

The Insiders is a fabulous middle grade! Hector is like so many students who move to a new school and find they are in a new territory they don't know how to navigate. I'm sure most would love a magic closet that would stop time, have their favorite drinks ready and allow them to meet others who are like just like them. This is a great story about friendship, dealing with bullies, affirming identities and living your truth. Every middle school classroom needs a copy!!

This is a fun and entertaining MG read that helps kids see that they can belong somewhere. I did find the adult figures to be a bit unrealistic, but then the whole premise was unrealistic but in a good way.

There's a lot to like about this book. It's certainly inclusive in the main cast and it has a realistic response to being bullied. While the protagonist has no desire to fit in, he does feel the need to reduce himself, to hide his true self to escape notice. We have a lot of exploration of the bystander effect. And any insensitive behavior is called out, even that committed by the "heroes". They all make mistakes and have to learn sensitivity. The central themes are a bit idealized but it's a solid middle grade read.

This was a sweet story. I loved the premise: a magical room that appears when three kids need it the most. I also loved the LGBTQ+ representation. However, I also thought the lesson was a little heavy-handed. This might be better for younger middle-grade readers as opposed to older ones.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

A well-written story covering moving to a new place, bullying, homophobia, and being yourself. I really appreciated all the supportive families and the realistic portrayal of fading long-distance friendships, and Héctor certainly comes off as individual. However, much of the story ended up feeling repetitive, the fantasy element didn't necessarily seem to be used to best advantage, and the side characters didn't feel particularly fleshed out. A thematically strong offering but perhaps not as well developed as it could have been.

Twelve-year-old Héctor Muñoz’s whole world is turned upside down by his family’s move from San Francisco to the small town of Orangevale, California. Back home in San Francisco, Héctor didn’t have to worry about fitting in or being bullied just because he was gay. But things are very, very different in Orangevale. When he’s singled out by the school bully, Héctor can’t shake just how alone he feels. All Héctor wants to do is get away, so he finds solace inside the janitor’s closet. But one day, Héctor enters the closet to hide from his bullies, and instead finds a place—and people—that shouldn’t be there. With a magical room and two new friends from different states, Héctor slowly realizes that he’s not as alone as he thought he was.

Mark Oshiro’s middle-grade debut is all at once hilarious, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. Héctor is such a richly complex character. He is chock-full of personality, humor, and wit, but he also feels his emotions deeply and shows that even the most confident of people can be weighed down by their struggles. Héctor’s growth over the course of the novel was a rocky road, but I was rooting for him through it all. I also adored the two friends Héctor made in the magical janitor’s closet. Both kids faced their own struggles, but they were always there for Héctor when he needed them, just like he was for them. The support system the three of them created with each other was beautiful to witness. Filled to the brim with LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC representation, this book opens up many necessary conversations about identity and the importance of being proudly—and unapologetically—yourself. The Insiders is filled with heart and hope and is a book I think everyone should read. It’s definitely one I will never forget.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This is one of those books that reminds me why I love reading middle grade. I love the characters and how real all of their friendships felt. From trying to establish new friendships while you’re not feeling confident in yourself to the way friendships fade when you aren’t in the same place, I could see a lot of middle grade readers relating to this.

Hector was such a great character to follow. As an adult, it was so easy to see how many people cared about him and thought he was worth more than he was giving himself credit for. However, the former “outsider” in me could completely remember thinking I had to handle all my middle school struggles myself; you can’t burden your family and you feel like your new acquaintances couldn’t possibly want to be closer friends with you.

My favorite part was how the ending resolved so much, but didn’t answer every question. The bully and the adults who had ignored his behaviors were not the focus of the story, so I didn’t need to know why they had behaved the way they did. I just needed to see that the characters I had grown to care about were on their way to a much happier experience.