Girl Gods: A YA Novel-in-Verse

Girl Gods

An atmospheric YA novel in verse about female rage, a missing high school student, and the girl who goes “missing” trying to find her from National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree K-Ming Chang.

Seven days after Celeste’s grandmother dies, the otherwise perfect Stephanie Hsiao disappears.

The police have their theories. The school has its rumors. But Celeste has a password—guessed correctly—and access to Stephanie’s secret blog.

When Stephanie returns, seemingly unharmed, Celeste is the only one who notices something is wrong. The girl who came back is not quite the same as the girl who left.

Following the blog’s clues, Celeste ventures to find the real Stephanie. Deep in the woods, Stephanie exists in a different body. Stephanie has struck a deal with Mazu, a Chinese sea goddess, to alter the cycle of reincarnation. And Celeste now has an opportunity to make the same bargain.

Written in acclaimed author K-Ming Chang’s gorgeous verse, Girl Gods asks what it means to become divine, and what must be sacrificed to get there.

It is forthcoming from Kokila (Penguin Random House) on March 23, 2027.

Praise for GIRL GODS

“Incandescent. Sapphic Animorphs as seen through a shattered mirror, the shards sharp enough to cut. The language leaps off the page, every line twisting into thrilling new shapes. The story is both fantastical and deeply relatable. At times it felt like it was speaking directly to my teenage self: ‘I can widen your wounds into windows, and I can offer my hand as you climb through.’”

-Mar Romasco-Moore