Jonathan Van Ness Announces 'Extraordinary' YA Novel with "Dumplin'" Author Julie Murphy (Exclusive)
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10/24/2024 12:00 PM
'Let Them Stare,' due out in 2025, is about "finding the extraordinary in perfectly ordinary places," Van Ness says
HarperCollins Children's Books; Courtesy of Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy
Jonathan Van Ness, Julie Murphy and the cover of 'Let Them Stare'- Queer Eye host Jonathan Van Ness and Dumplin' author Julie Murphy will publish a young adult novel together in 2025
- The novel, titled Let Them Stare, follows Sully, a gender-nonconforming teenager who befriends a ghost in their small hometown
- Murphy tells PEOPLE in a statement that Let Them Stare originated as a way for the authors to explore "what we wanted to impart to our younger selves"
Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy are writing a book together.
The Queer Eye host and the bestselling author have shared, exclusively with PEOPLE, that they will publish a young adult novel, Let Them Stare, through HarperCollins Children's Books in 2025.
Let Them Stare follows Sully, a gender-nonconforming teenager who wants to leave their small hometown of Hearst, Penn. When their plans to move to the city for a summer internship fall through, Sully is stuck in Hearst, much to their disdain.
Sully begins spending time at the local thrift store, where they uncover a vintage bag that holds the spirit of Rufus, a 1950s drag performer who doesn't remember how he died. Sully and Rufus must work together to help Rufus cross over and, along the way, find that Hearst holds a history of queer acceptance that they previously didn't know.
HarperCollins Children's Books
'Let Them Stare' by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy. Cover courtesy of HarperCollins, designed by Jenna Stempel-Lobell. Dinosaur designed and printed by Voxel Magic, clothing and accessories by Amara Felice, headphones by Michelle Gengaro, photograph by Alexandra DiGiaimo.Van Ness tells PEOPLE in a statement that the novel's story, as well as that of its main character, was something that he could relate to.
"Just like Sully, I know what it's like to feel trapped in a hometown that doesn't feel like it has room for someone like me," Van Ness says. "That's why I'm so excited to partner with the amazing Julie Murphy to tell this story of finding the extraordinary in perfectly ordinary places and learning how to take up space even in places where you're certain you don't belong."
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"I've realized that places don't change without people there to change them," Van Ness adds. "Because queer people have existed everywhere since the beginning of ever, honey."
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Jonathan Van Ness in 2023Murphy, the author of the beloved 2015 young adult novel Dumplin', also notes that Let Them Stare proved to be a valuable writing experience.
"Like Jonathan (and admittedly myself), Sully is the definition of main character energy," Murphy says in a statement. "Both of us infused so much of our own selves and experiences into Sully's life and were constantly coming back to the fact that queer people deserve to belong and feel safe everywhere. So much of this project originated with what we wanted to impart to our younger selves, but it turned out that our adult selves needed Sully just as much — if not more."
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"What started as an ambitious idea about a haunted handbag (yes, really!) and queer history is really, at its core, about being human and how that is an experience we all have in common," the author adds.
In addition to Let Them Stare, Van Ness is the author of several books for young readers, including 2020's Peanut Goes for the Goldand 2024's Gorgeously Me. Van Ness also published his bestselling memoir, Over The Top, in 2019.
Courtesy of Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy
Jonathan Van Ness and Julie MurphyMurphy, a former librarian, is the author of books for readers of all ages, including the Dumplin' companion novels Puddin' (2018) and Pumpkin(2021). Murphy's most recent release, 2024's seasonal romance A Jingle Bell Mingle, was co-written with Sierra Simone.
Let Them Stare, however, marks an exciting collaboration for both authors, as Kristin Rens, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, says in a statement.
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"Let Them Stare charmed and moved all of us at Harper right from the very first page — and who could resist the dream team of Julie and Jonathan? All the hallmarks of Julie's beloved novels combine with Jonathan's signature humor and bite to create the perfect blend of charm and true beating heart," Rens says.
"And with a cast of queer main characters who identify across the spectrum of gender and sexuality, this voicey, bighearted story reveals the poignant and sometimes harrowing realities of queer individuals in the mid-twentieth century, as well as the erasure of queer history over time — while also making space to showcase queer love, success and joy."
Let Them Stare will be published on May 20, 2025 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.
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