But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay.

It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. The Thing About Jellyfish meets The Stars Beneath Our Feet in this story about loss, grief, and finding the courage to discover one's identity, from the author of Hurricane Child.Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death. 'You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?'īut when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies.

Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. Annotation: In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.

King of dragonflies