Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine

The second book in the Kids Under the Stairs series is now available in paperback! Ben Y's just about had it with school. Every corner she turns, she's being called "Benita," getting Dress Coded by Mr. Mann for some supposedly inappropriate item of clothing, or running into the ineffable, inescapable, indefinable Ace - who makes her feel weird, weirdly seen, and strangely at peace, all at once. Even her best buds - Ben B, Jordan J, and Javier; the kids under the stairs - all seem far too content following the rules and making their school newspaper under the attentive direction of their beloved teacher, Ms. J. And home's no better. Last year, Ben Y's older brother died, and the family is still very much learning how to cope - if by coping you mean coming home to cry at lunch, or secretly building a friendship bracelet empire, or obsessively visiting a chatroom to talk to Benicio's ghost. But when Benicio suddenly starts typing back, Ben Y must act - fast, hard, and now. What happens when those actions collide, buried family feelings are exposed, and Ben Y's own deepest secrets become impossible to hide? With a lovable cast of characters and full of raw emotion, this heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse tells an honest, authentic story about friendship, family, and personal identity that celebrates different types of intelligence and shows how every kid deserves to become their own "divergent" self.

K.A. Holt is the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, Knockout, Redwood and Ponytail, and the Kids Under the Stairs series, along with several other books for young people. She lives in Austin, Texas, and is active within the vibrant Texas writing community.