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2026 Rainbow Book List

“Contrasts the disturbing with the beauty of human connection. . . . A moving contemplation on queerness and gender identity, the immigrant experience, and moving beyond survival to fight back against oppressors.”

—Booklist, Starred Review

“A strange and grisly tale of what we can survive to get closer to our truest selves, deeply infused with Vietnamese cultural concepts.”

—School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Tran fills the pages with sensory detail, creating a haunting setting that immerses readers in their worldbuilding. Noon is a complex and multifaceted protagonist, whose reckoning with trauma and selfhood (especially gender identity and Vietnamese ancestry) is the emotional center anchoring the extraordinary plot events.”

—Kirkus Reviews

They Bloom at Night

Written by Trang Thanh Tran
Published by Bloomsbury YA

Since the hurricane, the town of Mercy, Louisiana has been overtaken by a strange red algae bloom. Noon and her mother have carved out a life in the wreckage, trawling for the mutated wildlife that lurks in the water and trading it to the corrupt harbormaster. When she’s focused on survival, Noon doesn’t have to cope with what happened to her at the Cove or the monster itching at her skin.

Mercy has never been a safe place, but it’s getting worse. People are disappearing, and the only clues as to why are whispers of underwater shadows and warnings to never answer the knocks at night. When the harbormaster demands she capture the creature that’s been drowning residents, Noon finds a reluctant ally in his daughter Covey. And as the next storm approaches, the two set off to find what’s haunting Mercy. After all, Noon is no stranger to monsters . . .

Primary ISBN: 9781547611119
Publication Date: March 2025
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Louisiana)

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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An Introduction from the Author

Source: Bloomsbury YA