Opting Out
Written by Maia Kobabe
and Swati "Lucky" Srikumar
Illustrated by Maia Kobabe and Srikumar
Published by Graphix
Bodies are the worst. I wish I didn’t have a body.
Saachi is a storyteller. At school, she’s surrounded by kids she’s known forever — including her best friend, Lyla, who shares Saachi’s love of fantasy novels and creating new worlds.
But as seventh grade starts, kids are changing. Suddenly, it matters who you like and if you can find a boyfriend or girlfriend. Even Lyla seems more interested in hanging out with her new boyfriend than in writing and drawing with Saachi anymore. Saachi’s not interested in any of that boy/girl stuff. Why can’t things just stay the way they were?
Saachi also doesn’t love all the ways her body is changing. What if she doesn’t feel like a girl — or like a boy, either? In a world where there is so much either/or, Saachi is going to need to find her own options . . . and create her own story.
Primary ISBN: 9781546110125
Publication Date: May 2026
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Age 10 or older
Community Represented: Indian/Indian American
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Accolades & Awards: Starred Review, Arts, Coming of Age, Cross-Group Friendship, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Format: Graphic Novel, Identity: Body Image, Identity: Exploration, Identity: Multilingual, LGBTQIA+, Mental Health, Multilingual: Tamil Featured Words, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Hindu
Setting: United States
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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Source: Graphix