{"product_id":"the-shapeshifters-guide-to-gym-class-by-kai-cheng-thom","title":"[PREORDER] The Shapeshifter's Guide to Gym Class by Kai Cheng Thom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePREORDER, RELEASES SEPTEMBER 2026\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cb\u003e---\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor fans of Judy Blume and Lee Knox Ostertag, a heartfelt and hilarious MG debut from Kai Cheng Thom about learning to listen to that quiet, bold voice in your heart.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn every generation, a special few of Nor Numinem are born shapeshifters.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnfortunately, being one of the “special few” does not get you out of gym class.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNor Numinem. A town of hope and beauty. A place where freedom for all blooms as abundantly as the flowering vines that cover the buildings on every street. Yet even in this beautiful town, a kid like Maia’s got problems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaia is a shapeshifter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd worse, she’s starting middle school.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn every generation, a special few of Nor Numinem are born shapeshifters: children who develop the mysterious ability to transform in to a part-animal shape. Unfortunately for Maia, her ability is merely this: to grow giant moth wings that grow uncontrollably out of her back whenever she’s excited, or upset, or for some reason, whenever her new classmate Luke looks at her in a particular way. Worse than worse? Maia’s wings are useless. Weak and fragile--unlike her talented friends.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Maia’s problems are about get much harder than even she knows. A strange illness is spreading through the gardens of Nor Numinem. The very gardens that feed and sustain this once-perfect town. Worse still, some of the adults think the shapeshifter children are to blame. A rumors turn into hate, life gets tougher for those who aren't seen as \"normal\". Maia and her friends will soon discover that there is a dark rift in Nor Numinem, one that will take all their talents, known and unknown, to heal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKai Cheng Thom\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Chinese-Canadian writer, performance artist, mental health community worker, youth counsellor, and former social worker. Thom, a non-binary transgender woman, has published five books, including the novel \u003ci\u003eFierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir\u003c\/i\u003e (2016), the poetry collection \u003ci\u003ea place called\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eNo Homeland\u003c\/i\u003e (2017), a children'sbook, \u003ci\u003eFrom the Stars in The Sky to the Fish in the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e (2017), \u003ci\u003eI Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World\u003c\/i\u003e (2019), a book of essays centered on transformative justice, and \u003ci\u003eFalling Back in Love With Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls\u003c\/i\u003e (2023).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe won the 2017 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers and was a finalist fora Lambda Literary Prize both in 2016 for Transgender Fiction and in 2017 for Transgender Poetry. In 2019, actress Emma Watson chose \u003ci\u003eFierce Femmes\u003c\/i\u003e as the March\/April pick for the international feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf. In April 2024, her most recent book \u003ci\u003eFalling Back in Love With Being Human\u003c\/i\u003e was nominated for Pat Lowther Memorial Award.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMost recently, Kai Cheng added “advice columnist”to her repertoire with her new column for Xtra, “Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse”. Kai Cheng Thom lives in Toronto.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Booktique","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45842070700092,"sku":null,"price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0711\/4879\/8012\/files\/9781668210871_cfl.jpg?v=1783641465","url":"https:\/\/www.booktique.ca\/products\/the-shapeshifters-guide-to-gym-class-by-kai-cheng-thom","provider":"Booktique","version":"1.0","type":"link"}