Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution: A Novel

by Kacen Callender

Overview

From National Book Award–winner Kacen Callender, Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution is a contemporary YA that follows Lark’s journey to speak the truth and discover how their own self-love can be a revolution.

“A hilarious and bold love story for the ages.”—Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best

Lark Winters wants to be a writer, and for now that means posting on their social media accounts––anything to build their platform. When former best friend Kasim accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s Twitter declaring his love for a secret, unrequited crush, Lark’s tweets are suddenly the talk of the school—and beyond.

To protect Kasim, Lark decides to take the fall, pretending they accidentally posted the thread in reference to another classmate. It seems like a great idea: Lark gets closer to their crush, Kasim keeps his privacy, and Lark’s social media stats explode. But living a lie takes a toll—as does the judgment of thousands of Internet strangers. Lark tries their best to be perfect at all costs, but nothing seems good enough for the anonymous hordes––or for Kasim, who is growing closer to Lark, just like it used to be between them . . .

In the end, Lark must embrace their right to their messy emotions and learn how to be in love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419756870
Publisher:	Amulet Books
Publication date:	09/27/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	1,012,814
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Kacen Callender is the bestselling and award-winning author of multiple novels for children, teens, and adults, including the Stonewall Honor Book Felix Ever After and the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature King and the Dragonflies. Callender enjoys playing RPG video games, practicing their art, and focusing on healing and growth in their free time. They currently live in St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, where they were born and raised.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/04/2022

Callender (Moonflower) explores themes such as accountability, honesty, and self-love in this West Philly–set novel that follows a queer Black teen searching for a place to belong. Persistent online bullying causes nonbinary Lark Winters, who’s 17 and self-diagnosed as neurodivergent, to feel self-conscious and lonely. Nevertheless, they believe that an active Twitter presence is the only way they’ll get to publish their in-progress novel about a winged teen named Birdie. When Lark’s former best friend, Black trans 17-year-old Kasim, mistakenly posts—from Lark’s Twitter account—a thread about Kasim’s secret crush, the tweets go viral. Lark agrees to say they wrote the thread to protect Kasim’s “hardcore” image after they realize the tweets are increasing their platform, but the more popular the thread becomes, the more lies Lark must tell, and the more they stand to lose. Lark’s fictional protagonist, Birdie, is a constant companion, offering advice and solace as events unfold. Callender proffers complex perspectives on activism, bullying, respectability politics, and polyamory, among other timely topics via a queer, socially conscious cast. Lark’s experiences are emotionally fraught but not overwrought, emblematic of a deeply kind soul who is growing and learning from every triumph and mistake. Ages 14–up. Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A hilarious and bold love story for the ages."—Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Callender proffers complex perspectives on activism, bullying, respectability politics, and polyamory, among other timely topics via a queer, socially conscious cast. Lark’s experiences are emotionally fraught but not overwrought, emblematic of a deeply kind soul who is growing and learning from every triumph and mistake."—Publishers Weekly

**STARRED REVIEW**
"The reverence Callender holds for the vulnerability and joy of their characters suffuses the writing with enduring warmth. Recommend Lark and Kasim to everyone, but especially to Black, queer, neurodiverse teens who deserve representation where their identities are accepted and celebrated." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This is a strongly character-driven novel that will certainly make readers root for Lark, Kasim, and their community and chosen family. It might even make them want to start revolutions of their own."

—Booklist

"References to the COVID-19 pandemic are seamlessly interwoven into everyday life, and frank discussions of topics like autism and ADHD in the Black community, and how to navigate polyamorous relationships, feel fresh and necessary in the YA sphere." —The Horn Book Magazine

“This introspective, character-driven novel tackles thoughts on community, accountability, intersectional identities, mental health, polyamory, online clout, self-worth, and the right to take up space just exactly as you are. Callender’s nuanced portrayals of the main characters and their sincere, vulnerable voices provides important representation. Lark and Kasim make plenty of mistakes but also change and grow from them, leading to self-reflection that feels genuine and earned. A heartfelt and thoughtful look at a fractured friendship and the transformative capability of love and compassion.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

"References to the COVID-19 pandemic are seamlessly interwoven into everyday life, and frank discussions of topics like autism and ADHD in the Black community, and how to navigate polyamorous relationships, feel fresh and necessary in the YA sphere."

The Horn Book Magazine

**STARRED REVIEW**
"The reverence Callender holds for the vulnerability and joy of their characters suffuses the writing with enduring warmth. Recommend Lark and Kasim to everyone, but especially to Black, queer, neurodiverse teens who deserve representation where their identities are accepted and celebrated."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A hilarious and bold love story for the ages."

Mason Deaver

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This is a strongly character-driven novel that will certainly make readers root for Lark, Kasim, and their community and chosen family. It might even make them want to start revolutions of their own."

Booklist

"A hilarious and bold love story for the ages."

bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best Mason Deaver

12/16/2022

Gr 9 Up—A queer Black neurodivergent teen learns about the revolutionary power of love and truth amidst the messiness of teenage life both online and off. Lark, 17 and nonbinary, hopes that if they crack 50,000 followers on Twitter, they will land a literary agent. When a viral tweet thread professing their love to an unknown friend gains them those followers, there's just one problem: Lark didn't write it; former best friend Kasim, who is trans, accidentally posted it on Lark's account. For complicated reasons, Lark takes credit for it. Suddenly, Lark's social media persona, all about love and peace, is threatened. The online world finds Lark's very public proclamations of being in love with another nonbinary person, Eli, to be inspiring and hopeful, but peers from their writing class believe Lark is toxic and fake. Lark, scared of rejection and honesty, navigates realizations about feelings for Kasim; about Eli, who may have ulterior motives; and about Sable, Kasim's girlfriend and Lark's unexpected crush. This introspective, character-driven novel tackles thoughts on community, accountability, intersectional identities, mental health, polyamory, online clout, self-worth, and the right to take up space just exactly as you are. While some secondary characters are underdeveloped, Callender's nuanced portrayals of the main characters and their sincere, vulnerable voices provides important representation. Lark and Kasim make plenty of mistakes but also change and grow from them, leading to self-reflection that feels genuine and earned. VERDICT A heartfelt and thoughtful look at a fractured friendship and the transformative capability of love and compassion.—Amanda MacGregor

School Library Journal