Absenteeism is a topic that often goes unspoken in middle-grade fiction, but for Rex Ogle, it’s personal. His upcoming mixed-media novel, ABSENT, explores the reasons young people may struggle to show up to school and the things happening at home that others may not always see. 📚🎒 We talked with Rex about his own experience with absenteeism, what inspired him to bring the topic into a middle-grade story, and how his conversations with educators helped shape the book. We also got into the different narratives that came together to create ABSENT and the importance of giving young readers space to see these experiences reflected in fiction. 💭 If you’d like to pick up one of Rex’s books, visit our bio for the Bookshop link and read our full interview! 🔗 Featured here: Rex Ogle (thirdrex), author of ABSENT | Norton Young Readers (nortonyoungreaders). | Nicole Banholzer PR (nicolebanholzerpr ) . . #authorinterview #middlegradereads #schoolabsenteeism #bookrec #yabooks