Rafi Mittlefehldt has worked as a reporter for a small-town newspaper in central Texas and has freelanced as a theater critic for Exeunt magazine. This is his debut novel. Raised in Austin, Texas, he works in book publishing and lives in New York City.
It Looks Like This looks to be the debut novel of the season. Mike
and Sean’s discovery of their love for each other is told with such
exquisite tenderness, I could not put the book down, even when I
knew that something dreadful was going to happen. Despite many
obstacles, Mike comes into his own with the help of understanding
friends, a few kind adults, a faithful dog, and Toby, the greatest
little sister since Phoebe Caulfield. This is an extremely powerful
book.
—Lesléa Newman, author of October Mourning: A Song for Matthew
Shepard
It Looks Like This perfectly captures the buzzing static that hits
your brain the second you realize you’re not the person your
parents expect you to be. A painful, poignant story about choosing
compassion over anger.
—Maggie Thrash, author-illustrator of Honor Girl, a Los Angeles
Times Book Prize Finalist
The first-person narrative is easy, casual, and calm and indicative
of Mike, whose quiet perceptiveness can be misconstrued by
outsiders as passivity (no speech marks make the dialogue feel
direct and intimate)...A haven of understanding for readers who
have felt the foolish hand of ignorance trying to prevent them from
knowing, being, and loving who they are.
—Kirkus Reviews
There is a grace in the slow reconciliation of Mike with his
family; hard-won connections feel authentic as Mike’s dad slowly
thaws long after his mother has adjusted. Mike’s wry,
wise-beyond-her-years sister, Toby, is a contemporary Phoebe
Caulfield, and she bears a lot of social risk to protect her big
brother. There are plenty of sunny coming-out stories; this stark
reminder that being gay can also still mean getting prayed over at
straight camp or being shunned is also, unfortunately, part of the
lived experience. It’s handled with beauty and care here, and the
concluding muted hopefulness is perfectly aligned with the novel’s
arc.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Debut author Mittlefehldt’s direct style of writing cuts to the
heart of Mike’s struggle to embrace his true self and to take
control of his life, bringing freshness to a familiar plot. The
story is propelled in small, quiet moments that steadily build
toward much-deserved hope and acceptance.
—Publishers Weekly
It Looks Like This tackles first love, bullying, religion, finding
yourself, and forgiveness...Mittlefehldt pens a coming-out story
that does not have a happy ending, but gives hope towards a more
tolerant future for Mike and his family.
—VOYA
A moving...examination of the costs of homophobia.
—School Library Journal
This first novel is a powerful, sympathetic, and insightful look at
what goes through the mind of gay kids when the understanding of
their identity hits. The confusion of adolescence is written about
with empathy and compassion.
—School Library Connection
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