Today on the site I am so excited to reveal the cover of Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia, which releases January 2, 2024 from HarperTeen! I know readers have been dying for more trans girl YA, so I’m thrilled to be able to share more about this one!
Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy.
That is, judged on her merits—not on her transness. But there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all.
Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle.
Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?
And here’s the gorgeous cover, photographed by Liam Woods and designed by Catherine Lee!
This is Naomi Kanakia’s third young adult novel. She also has some forthcoming books for adults, and her essays, short stories, and poetry have appeared all over the place. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and she currently lives in San Francisco with her wife and daughter.