Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine

The second book in the Kids Under the Stairs series is now available in paperback! A heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse that tells an authentic story about friendship, family, and personal identity. 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 t