The Boy Maeve

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

He only knows two things for sure: his name is Maeve and he's a boy.

It's 2002, and fourteen-year-old Maeve - an adopted, closeted trans boy - is facing another lonely year at school. At least he's got Jeremy, his lifelong imaginary friend, for company. But even Jeremy, in all their wild wisdom, can't explain the weird things that are happening to Maeve.

Like why Maeve's hair spontaneously changes colour overnight. Or how Maeve knows his granny Beattie is dead, long before anyone can confirm it. Or why a stranger's voice sounds uncannily familiar ...

Maeve is full of questions - about his birth family and adoption, about Beattie and Jeremy, and about himself. But the answers are out of this world ... and Maeve may have to give up everything he's ever known to discover the truth.

For fans of Margo Lanagan and Alison Evans comes this dazzling, beguiling novel about a trans boy, his adopted family, and the search for self-acceptance, from extraordinary debut author Kai Ash.

Perfect for YA readers who love:

Queer stories exploring identity and coming out
Immersive spec-fic and Gaelic mythology
Own-voices LGBTQI+ novels
Stories about adoptive and biological families
Juicy fiction to discuss in book clubs and classrooms

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Paperback / softback
ISBN13: 9781761212468
Published: May 2026

Number of pages: 304
Width: 128 mm
Height: 198 mm
Depth: not specified

Publisher: Hardie Grant Children's Publishing