Will on the Inside

Available now from Quill Tree Books

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Named a Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal and the New York Public Library; Nominated for the 2025-2026 Louisiana Readers’ Choice Award, Grades 6-8; A California Department of Education Recommended Literature List selection

Will loves playing center midfield on his middle school soccer team. This year, though, Will hasn’t felt like himself: His stomach has been bothering him, and he has no energy at all. When his new doctor diagnoses him with Crohn’s disease, Will hopes that means he’ll start feeling better soon and he can get back to playing with his team before the season ends.

But Will’s new medicines come with all kinds of side effects, and his body needs to heal before he can get back out on the field. Forced to sit out afternoon practice, Will finds himself hanging out with a kid at school, Griffin. This could be a real problem, seeing as Griffin just asked Will’s best friend to the spring dance. As in, guy friend. What would Will’s teammates say if they knew the whole story? Not to mention Will’s friends at church.

With all these changes happening faster than he can process them, Will knows that he has a lot to figure out about who he really is on the inside.

Praise for Will on the Inside:

"Relatable, real, and utterly engrossing, Eliopulos’s writing will have readers hooked from the get-go. Life in a middle school, a new disease diagnosis, and sexual identity are the common themes of this coming-of-age novel. A first purchase for all libraries where unforgettable reads are sought." — School Library Journal, starred review

"[A]n honest, sophisticated look at the myriad emotions surrounding chronic illness and growing up ‘not straight’ in a religious Georgia town. Eliopulos forges a hopeful tone through conversational first-person narration, multifaceted friendships, and a familial church community striving toward inclusivity, even as the narrative confronts the psychological impact of homophobia and religious trauma on queer youth." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Thoughtful, introverted Will’s first-person narration is often funny and takes time examining his daily life…As Will’s reality changes, he remains—and becomes—fully himself. Warm and nuanced.” — Kirkus

“[B]rings a conversational tone and a gentle approach to difficult topics while still clearly depicting the conflict of Will’s frustration and discomfort. Readers will appreciate the variety of perspectives from the people in Will’s life and the empathetic narrator at the helm; the reality the story reflects will reach a broad swath of readers." — ALA Booklist