What Gives Abby White Hope

More hope. From the kidlit community, to you.  

No matter where you are. No matter what’s going on around you. No matter what is pulling your attention or competing for space in your mind. May these next few minutes offer you rest, peace, and hope.

Hope - February 7, 2026

Abby White, author of D.J. Rosenblum becomes the G.O.A.T. (Levine Querido), shares what is giving her hope today: pockets of people are taking wonderful care of each other, despite the world being bad in a thousand ways right now.

Listen along:

About the Book:  D.J. Rosenblum becomes the G.O.A.T. by Abby White. Published by Levine Querido).

"A fresh new voice, Abby White delivers the perfect dose of humor and heartbreak with her debut D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. Readers will root for D.J. as she navigates a new home, friends, even a crush, with such insight and truth. A standout especially-young adult from an exciting new voice!"-- Lilliam Rivera, author of Barely Floating

"Such a fun read!" -- Rick Riordan

WHERE: Middle Woods, Briar, Ohio

VICTIM: Rachel Simon

HERO: D.J. Rosenblum

VILLAINS:

It's the beginning of the school year--and Briar's newest resident, D.J. Rosenblum, is not here for it. Ever since her cousin Rachel died, D.J.'s family has been a mess: Her aunt and uncle are catatonic. Her mom is even more scatterbrained than usual. She had to postpone her bat mitzvah a whole year. Worst of all, she and her mom had to move--leaving her best friend, Eva, behind.

Briar does have one redeeming factor, though: Here, in Rachel's hometown, D.J. can finally get to the bottom of her cousin's death. With the help of a chatty journalist and a queen-bee hacker, D.J. can fill in the last days of Rachel's life. And if she can just figure out her Torah portion--with help from her cute tutor, Jonah--maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to solve a bigger mystery.

For fans of Looking for Alaska and Never Have I Ever comes Abby White's debut novel, D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. It's a basket of matzo ball soup dumplings for anyone learning to chart their own path, navigate new friendships and crushes, and figure out how to love--and live--after loss.

Transcript:

Abby: "After DJ was published, I drove from San Francisco to Washington DC to share this book with readers. Along the way, I met so many people and organizations that give me hope. A queer youth center in Omaha, Nebraska, a bookstore and nonprofit in St. Louis, and a Jewish community group in Wichita, Kansas, just to name a few.

The world is bad in a thousand ways right now, but pockets of people are still taking wonderful care of each other. DJ learns the same lesson over the course of her journey. It's hard to affect systemic change, but we can all work to improve the lives of our neighbors, the people we love, and the most vulnerable among us.

I hope this message is clear to readers of DJ Rosenblum becomes the goat, and I hope they see that no person is ever alone in their struggles. We can always find a source of love in which to anchor ourselves, and we can become anchors for one another when the seas get rough.

Hint, hint. That's one of the ways you can become the G.O.A.T."