THE MOTH GIRL

Anna is happily average. She runs track with her best friend, gets good grades, and sometimes drinks beer at parties.

Then one day at track practice, Anna faints, but instead of falling down, she falls up, defying gravity in the disturbing first symptom of a rare, mysterious disease.

She is diagnosed with lepidopsy, which causes symptoms reminiscent of moths: floating, attraction to light, a craving for sugar, and for an unlucky few, more dangerous physical manifestations.

As Anna learns to cope with her illness, she finds herself drifting further and further away from her former life. Her friends don’t seem to understand, running track is out of the question, and the other kids at the support group she attends once a week are a cruel reminder that things will never be the same . . .

From debut author Heather Kamins comes a beautiful and evocative story about how one girl’s journey with a chronic illness pushes her to choose who she wants to be—in a life she never planned for.

Praise for The Moth Girl:

“Beautifully written . . . Through the lens of a fictional illness, the novel depicts universal experiences of living with chronic illness.” —BuzzFeed

“Kamins knows her territory, and Anna’s emotional experience rings true. Readers . . . will be well served by this detailed, convincing, and timely depiction of learning to live with chronic illness . . . Effectively shines a spotlight on how the onset of chronic illness reshapes one teen’s world.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Recommended for readers seeking to ­understand living with a chronic condition—their own or someone close to them.” —School Library Journal

“Compelling.” –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Perfectly encapsulates the kaleidoscope of emotions that come with a chronic illness diagnosis.”
—Karol Ruth Silverstein, author of Schneider Family Book Award winner Cursed

“A beautifully imagined novel. The surreal elements offer a thoughtful metaphor for coming of age with a chronic illness. Readers will be drawn in by the compelling story and its mesmeric prose.”
—Kyrie McCauley, author of the 2021 William C. Morris YA Debut award winner If These Wings Could Fly

“Combines beautiful imagery with a sensitive, nuanced exploration of a teen girl’s experience being diagnosed and treated for a chronic illness. This story is surprising, lyrical, and wholly unique.”
—Shannon Takaoka, author of Everything I Thought I Knew

Selected for Locus magazine’s 2022 Recommended Reading List (First Novels)

Named a Must-Read by the Massachusetts Center for the Book