Mil is a disformed young man who once old enough to survive on his own, was abandoned by his parents to live in the forest. The villagers from his village treat him horribly and he is left to live a solitary life, having his carvings for friends. On a fateful day he discovers a mask that offers him a deal; beautiful for a future favour which you will not be able to ignore or your beauty will be gone.

This is a heartbreakingly beautiful story, that is wonderfully illustrated. It is very short, but packs a punch right to the emotions. The story brings even more weight with the author's personal story at the end. This is a wonderful story that reminds us all the impacts of bullying and reminds and encourages us all to be better people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the family of Clayton Marshall Adams for this ARC.

Short but powerful! It’s a story of a boy who was born disfigured. He is bullied and shunned.
When he finds a magical mask in the dirt - he has to ask himself what is the price of beauty?
He strikes up a deal with the devilish mask - he can wear it but when the mask comes to call for payment he must do as he is told. Years go by before the mask asks for something - and it is a very high price.
Makes you think - what price would you pay for beauty, and acceptance?

This short story has a fairy-tale-like tone, a gorgeous cover, and appropriately haunting interior art. But it's the ending that is perfection.

Given the book is targeted toward middle grade readers, I do wish discussion questions were included. Not only because of the important message, but also because there is quite a bit of nuance here that deserves to be unpacked.

The author leaves behind a beautiful legacy that will inspire critical thinking about how we care for one another--and ourselves.

I love the front cover of this book. It’s one of the reasons I requested to read it. I also love the story behind the writing of the books. I thought it was a pretty deep book for such a young man to write it. To have such deep emotions and thoughts at 16. Wow. It’s not a story I would read to my 6 year old, but I could see reading it with an older group and then sharing the story behind the book.

This story was moving, deep and a little bit dark. And it ends with the beautiful and tragic story of the author. I read this with my nearly 13yo and it sparked a great conversation about bullying, mental health and more. I would certainly recommend this story for parents to read with their child.

This was short but it was so powerful, so good!! The story was put together so well along with the illustrations. Beautiful!!!

Y’all here is a short story the world needs to read and take note about a man that was born looking different than the rest. He’s shunned and ridiculed by the villagers for being different. One day he’s offered a chance to change his life and his looks in exchange for an unknown price. Is that price worth it? This story is so powerful bringing to light all the issues of bullying and body image that I feel like everyone can relate to, maybe not in a extreme way as some, but everyone has issues and has seen people treat others differently.

If you pick this up to read it, make sure to read the note by the parents of the author at the end. The author himself had his own issues with bullying and sadly committed suicide. His parents found this short story on his computer and shared it with the world. It is so heartbreaking that there will not be another story by this talented author, but even more heartbreaking is how this could have been prevented if we just learn to not judge people by their outsides, and teach our kids to be kind.

“When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.” – Rabbi Harold Kushner (quoted form the parent’s epilogue).

Mil is a deformed young man who is treated like a monster. When he stumbles upon a mask that promises to grant him a better life in exchange for doing what it asks when the time comes, Mill takes the chance.

This story is one that I feel like had a number of good morals within it and probably more that I missed. For such a short book, it is deep. The Mask is one that will leave the reader thinking. It will leave them contemplating how to spread kindness and where their morals are even after things have changed for them.

The art style was something I really enjoyed. The style and coloring of it really gave it the feel of an older story which really pulled me in. It was beautiful and really connected well with the written words.

My one complaint would be the cliffhanger at the end. At the same time, that cliffhanger had me reflect even more on the contents, so it could do that with others.

The Mask is a short read that is well worth the time. While I do feel like this could be read with children, I would recommend a little older as I think a number of good discussions could happen with it.

This was a beautiful and tragic story and I can't believe it was written by a 16 year old. Knowing Clayton's story before going in made this story even more heartbreaking. The analogies were really well done and really made me ponder. Clayton's parents are so brave to share this part of their son with the world! Thanks Darcie Rowan PR for sending me a copy.

I teared up. This story is so short, but so deep and speaks volumes about humans and the endurance ones who get bullied have. This is very eye opening with several thought provoking moments, it just reminds you to be a more kind human and spread kindness. It's such a beautiful yet sad story, that truly makes you feel for the characters as well as the author. I want to personally thank the family for publishing this beautiful piece of work for Clayton in his remembrance as you can see his talent shine in this piece. Clayton may have left this world too soon, but this story will have an everlasting affect on me and others who read this story. Breathtaking, heartbreaking and beautiful all in one quick read.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this short story/book.

This story was heartbreaking, as was the story about the author whose personal life influenced the content of his book. Mil is a severely deformed young man, treated like a monster by those in his village. He comes across a mask that promises to grant him a better life and in exchange must do as the mask asks of him when called upon. This story dove deep into how cruel humanity can be towards those who are different and how it affects those who take the brunt of that cruelty. It broke my heart to read about the author, Clayton Marshall Adams and his short life. Trigger warnings include bullying, abuse, abandonment, and suicide. Parents who are interested this book for their children, make sure that you read the book first so that you are prepared to discuss the topics with your child/teen as the content is serious and not to be taken lightly.

This book is a fantastic guide for starting the conversation regarding the body and bullying. Middle schoolers are already going through a tumultuous time and they need all the resources they can get. Not only are student mean to themselves, but others are mean to them. This book will be a wonderful tool for recognizing ill-treatment and the steps one can take to stop and prevent it.
What I particularly like about the book is the inconspicuous cover. Onlookers will be unaware that the reader is learning about a tough topic. The cover is a beautiful design that lends the reader some privacy to learn.