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The Names We Buried
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26A thrilling, twisty homage to The Face on the Milk Carton about a trans boy who discovers that he was kidnapped as a child, and that his birth parents are still out there searching... for their daughter.
Jaden's seventeenth birthday was meant to be monumental. As a surprise, his dad and Jaden’s boyfriend, Andy, arranged to take him to the courthouse to get his name changed to reflect his gender. But, horrifyingly, the clerk accuses Jaden's dad of forging Jaden's original birth certificate, and due to his criminal past, he's arrested.
Heartbroken but also suspicious, Jaden secretly takes a DNA test and makes an even more shocking he's not biologically related to his dad. Jaden can't imagine his mother cheating, but the truth might be worse -- further DNA testing also identify Jaden as a perfect genetic match for a couple who have spent the last seventeen years searching for their kidnapped child.
Their kidnapped daughter.
After years struggling to come to terms with his gender identity as well as his parents' complicated pasts, Jaden is forced to re-evaluate everything. Who is he really? And where does he belong? With the dad who raised and loved him, and supported his transition without question? Or with the parents Jaden's never met, who might never be able to accept Jaden as their son?
Jaden's seventeenth birthday was meant to be monumental. As a surprise, his dad and Jaden’s boyfriend, Andy, arranged to take him to the courthouse to get his name changed to reflect his gender. But, horrifyingly, the clerk accuses Jaden's dad of forging Jaden's original birth certificate, and due to his criminal past, he's arrested.
Heartbroken but also suspicious, Jaden secretly takes a DNA test and makes an even more shocking he's not biologically related to his dad. Jaden can't imagine his mother cheating, but the truth might be worse -- further DNA testing also identify Jaden as a perfect genetic match for a couple who have spent the last seventeen years searching for their kidnapped child.
Their kidnapped daughter.
After years struggling to come to terms with his gender identity as well as his parents' complicated pasts, Jaden is forced to re-evaluate everything. Who is he really? And where does he belong? With the dad who raised and loved him, and supported his transition without question? Or with the parents Jaden's never met, who might never be able to accept Jaden as their son?
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
56 people want to read
About the author
Mia Siegert
3 books154 followersMia Siegert's sophomore novel SOMEBODY TOLD ME released in Spring 2020 with great trade reviews (SLJ's verdict was "Highly Recommended Read") and features in Teen Vogue, Book Riot, Buzzfeed, and many more.
Siegert's debut JERKBAIT made Goodreads Best YA of May 2016, Top 12 Indie YA from Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, Top 10 YA of 2016 from AndPop!, and gained attention from SB Nation, Publishers Weekly, Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, AndPOP!, MaximumPOP! UK, VOYA Magazine, Paste Magazine, Teen Librarian Toolbox, among many others.
When not writing, Siegert is a self-taught costume designer with their husband and two cats. Their work has appeared on Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and the CW's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."
Siegert's debut JERKBAIT made Goodreads Best YA of May 2016, Top 12 Indie YA from Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, Top 10 YA of 2016 from AndPop!, and gained attention from SB Nation, Publishers Weekly, Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, AndPOP!, MaximumPOP! UK, VOYA Magazine, Paste Magazine, Teen Librarian Toolbox, among many others.
When not writing, Siegert is a self-taught costume designer with their husband and two cats. Their work has appeared on Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and the CW's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."
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