NEED TO KNOW
\nA paperback edition of Aiden Thomas’ YA fantasy hit, Cemetery Boys, is arriving this summer
The novel was the first book featuring a transgender character, written by an openly transgender author, to hit the New York Times’ fiction bestseller listIn an exclusive excerpt from the new edition’s foreword, Thomas looks back on the success of Cemetery Boys, and the importance of trans, queer and Latino representation in fiction<\/p>\n
Aiden Thomas\u2019 celebrated young adult fantasy novel, Cemetery Boys<\/a>, was a hit upon its 2020 publication.<\/p>\n A spot on the National Book Award longlist and nominations for the Bram Stoker Award and the Locus Award were just a few accolades bestowed upon the book about a boy named Yadriel who accidentally summons the ghost of a fellow high school student. Cemetery Boys<\/a> was also the first book written by an openly transgender author, and centering a transgender character, to hit the New York Times\u2019 fiction bestseller list.<\/p>\n This summer, Thomas is publishing the long-awaited paperback edition of Cemetery Boys, ahead of the second book in the series, Cemetery Boys: Esp\u00edritu<\/a>, out in 2026. The author is looking back on the success of the novel that started it all \u2014 and the importance of transgender, queer and Latino representation in fiction \u2014 in the new edition’s foreword, exclusively excerpted here.<\/p>\n Read Thomas\u2019 foreword to the new edition, entitled \u201c5 Years of Magic, Mischief, and (Gay) Ghosts\u201d below.\n<\/p>\n The cover of ‘Cemetery Boys’ by Aiden Thomas.<\/p>\n Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group<\/p>\n Five years ago, I introduced the world to Yadriel, a stubborn, bighearted brujo who just wanted to prove himself \u2014 to his family, to his ancestors, and, let\u2019s be real, to\u00a0that one very annoying, very attractive ghost he accidentally summoned. And now, five years later, here we are, celebrating the fact that Cemetery Boys is still here, still finding new readers, still making people cry and still proving that trans, queer and Latino kids belong in the world of magic.\n<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about Yadriel for a second. My boy has been through it. Not just in the \u201cOops, I summoned a dead boy and now I have to solve his murder\u201d way, but in the \u201cWhy won\u2019t people just believe me when I tell them who I am?\u201d way. And if you\u2019re here, I probably don\u2019t need to tell you that this isn\u2019t just fiction. Every single day, trans kids \u2014 especially trans kids of color, and especially Black trans kids \u2014 are forced to fight for the most basic recognition of their identities, their humanity and their right to exist safely. Yadriel\u2019s story is about magic and love, sure, but it\u2019s also about the reality of constantly having to prove yourself in a world that refuses to see you.<\/p>\n Which brings us to Julian.\n<\/p>\n Julian Diaz, aka human golden retriever energy incarnate, aka Yadriel\u2019s personal chaos demon, aka the boy who saw Yadriel exactly as he was \u2014 no questions, no hesitations, no conditions. Julian charged into Yadriel\u2019s life with the force of a supernatural hurricane and decided, immediately, This is my person. And that\u2019s what trans and queer kids deserve \u2014 people who don\u2019t just tolerate them, but love them. Fiercely. Unapologetically. Without question.\n<\/p>\n Aiden Thomas and fans.<\/p>\n Aiden Thomas 2021<\/p>\n I wish I\u2019d had a book like this when I was younger. I wish I\u2019d had a story where the trans, queer and Latino kid didn\u2019t have to be tragic, didn\u2019t have to be erased or sidelined, didn\u2019t have to beg to be seen. I didn\u2019t grow up seeing someone like me in books. And when you don\u2019t see yourself, it\u2019s easy to believe you don\u2019t belong. That\u2019s why this book exists \u2014 because we do belong. We always have. And we always will.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t lie to you \u2014 things outside the pages of this book have not gotten easier in the last five years. If anything, they\u2019ve gotten worse. Across the U.S., politicians are actively making life more dangerous for trans kids. Schools are banning books (including this one!), stripping away rights, and fueling hate that puts queer and Latino youth at risk. They want to erase us. They want a world where kids like Yadriel don\u2019t exist \u2014 where trans kids don\u2019t get to grow up and fall in love and be happy.\n<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the thing \u2014 we\u2019re still here.<\/p>\n And a huge reason why is because of the incredible teachers, librarians, authors and publishers who refuse to let these stories be silenced. To every educator who sneaks banned books into the hands of the kids who need them most, to every librarian who fights for inclusive shelves, to every author who keeps writing stories despite the fear and backlash and to every publisher who takes a stand \u2014 you are the reason books like Cemetery Boys exist. You are saving lives. You are showing kids that no matter what anyone tries to tell them, they are not alone.\n<\/p>\n Aiden Thomas and a fan.<\/p>\n Aiden Thomas 2021<\/p>\n And to the readers who needed this book \u2014 who held on to it like a lifeline: Maybe you read it in secret, late at night, afraid someone might take it away. Maybe you saw yourself in Yadriel for the first time and felt relief, or hope, or even grief for the years you spent not knowing you could belong. Maybe this book was a promise \u2014 a reminder that you are not alone, not now, not ever. If that\u2019s you, if you needed this book like I once needed a book like this, I want you to know I see you. I\u2019m so, so glad you\u2019re here.\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Because survival is not just survival. It is a fight. It is proof that you made it.\u00a0 Five years ago, when this book first came out, I couldn\u2019t have imagined how much worse things would get for trans kids, for queer kids, for Latino kids. And yet here we are. We are still here. And if you\u2019re reading this \u2014 so are you. Maybe you had to fight for it. Maybe it wasn\u2019t easy. But you\u2019re here, and that matters. You matter.<\/p>\n And I want you to remember this:<\/p>\n The world will tell you that you don\u2019t belong. That you should be quiet, or ashamed, or afraid. But you don\u2019t have to listen to it. You belong in stories, in magic, in love. And one day \u2014 maybe tomorrow, maybe years from now \u2014 you\u2019re going to meet someone who looks at you the way Julian looked at Yadriel. Someone who sees all of you and doesn\u2019t hesitate. Someone who loves you exactly as you are, and for exactly who you are.\n<\/p>\n Aiden Thomas at Barnes & Noble with his Book ‘Cemetery Boys’.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Aiden Thomas<\/p>\n And until then? You have this book. You have me. And you have a world full of people fighting for you, even if you don\u2019t know their names.\n<\/p>\n