Sometimes you read something and finish it scratching your head wondering what you just read. Sometimes you finish a book and are simply blown away by the mastery of the plot and writing. And sometimes your reaction is just both. You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This by Aaron Starmer (published 2026) is truly a bizarre middle grade novel but it works. It kept me turning the pages as I read because I could not wait to see how the weird plot resolved itself.
You Are Now Old Enough is about family secrets. When his Grandpa Henry dies, Roman realizes he has lost his chance to find out the secret to the mysterious Toe Beast, which is the story of Grandpa’s severed toe. How can he find out the truth of the story now that Grandpa is gone? He asks his parents with little success. He dare not ask his older brother, who treats him as an immature kid. Though a mysterious set of circumstances, Roman does learn the truth. Add in a bucket, an abandoned town, and a girl with some dogs, and you have a truly mysterious and bizarre story.
It’s hard to describe this book’s plot without giving up details, so I’ll turn to the writing. The novel is told through multiple perspectives. Roman’s story is told from his third person perspective. Then there is the writing in a notebook called “A Girl and Her Dogs,” and then the story is told from first person perspective for Roman, his mother, and a few other people. Somehow all the narrations fit together coherently. It makes sense! The writing is appropriate for a middle grade reader. Roman is twelve and although there is intrigue and bizarre story, nothing about the book is overly scary or written in a way to ostracize a young reader. Somehow, the author makes all the writing unique while still being equally accessible. He manages to give each voice a somewhat unique sound.
You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This is a fantasy novel. I don’t typically like fantasy, so I’ll be honest: As I began reading, I hoped it was realistic fiction and the “Toe Beast” could be explained. But that is not what this book it. Nevertheless, it read as a realistic fiction book. Despite the strangeness, the reader joined Roman in wondering did this really happen? Obviously, not. But it read as if it did. I really liked it, and that is saying something because it is so odd as a whole. Once a kid starts reading this, they won’t be able to stop, even if they, like me, find it quite strange.
