Erica Finkel at Amulet has acquired Sabertooth by Lambda Literary Award finalist Robin Gow, a middle grade novel-in-verse about Jasper, a trans boy who loves rocks and fossils. After his brother moves away for college, Jasper feels lost without his rock of an older sibling and starts to dig in his backyard, and begins to hear the voice of a saber-tooth tiger. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency sold world English rights.
Gow grew up in rural Pennsylvania and lives in Allentown Pennsylvania with their two pugs, Eddie and Gertie and their queer family. He works at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center coordinating supportive services for the local LGBTQIA+ community.
Awarded the Jerry Cain and Scott James Creative Writing Fellow, Gow earned their MFA in Creative Writing from Adelphi University where they also taught writing courses as an adjunct professor.
Gow runs the trans & queer reading series Gender Reveal Party and co-edits the new magazine The Comments Section.
Robin is the author of the chapbook Honeysuckle by Finishing Line Press and the collection Our Lady of Perpetual Degeneracy by Tolsun Books.
Their first YA novel in verse, A Million Quiet Revolutions, is forthcoming March 2022 with FSG Books for Young readers and their first essay collection, Blue Blood, is forthcoming with Nasiona Publishing House.
They is a managing editor The Nasiona and the assistant editor at large at Doubleback Books. They served for four years as the production editor of the Lantern literary magazine and are Social Media Coordinator for Oyster River Pages. They has also worked to help produce several zines and taught creative writing workshops in a variety of community spaces, including online forms.
They are an out and proud autistic bisexual genderqueer man passionate about LGBTQIAA+ issues.
The formatting of the book was little confusing to read and I think many middle schoolers would find difficult as it is a bit all over the place. While the concept was interesting I was confused if this was actually a fantasy novel or if this was really just in his head. I am still a little confused even at the end.... Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and honestly review this book.