Before we share info about this month’s book, we’re excited to announce that IT’S OUR FOUR YEAR TOME GNOMIVERSARY this month! Four years flies by when you’re having fun. This also means we’re kicking off our fundraising efforts for booking hiding in 2026! If you’re interested in supporting these bookish scavenger hunts, please consider making a donation. Will you be one of our first donors and help us kick off our fundraising during our anniversary month???

In addition to all that, we also want to recognize that this month’s “Community Kindness Sponsor” (which helps offset the cost of the extra 15 books we hide after scavenger hunt weekend every month – the “random act of kindness” books!) is long-time Tome Gnome supporter, The Tucson Spotlight!!! They are also celebrating their one-year anniversary this month, so please check them out, give them a follow, and share some gratitude with them the next time you see their reporters around town 🙂 There is so much to celebrate!

Do you know someone who might be interested in partnering with us as a Community Kindness Sponsor in 2026 ($250)? 2025 is now full, but we are starting to look for sponsors in 2026. Please send us an email (tucsontomegnome[at] gmail.com) and we can send you some information 🙂

AND NOW, for what you’ve been waiting for: all about this month’s hidden book!

About the book, from Macmillan:

“There’s nothing more human than a broken heart.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only brother wants nothing to do with him, and he’s been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington, DC.

With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family’s summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon, to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It’s not.

Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn’t exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.”

About the author, TJ Klune:

“TJ KLUNE is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award–winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, the Green Creek Series for adults, the Extraordinaries Series for teens, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.”

Why I selected The Bones Beneath My Skin for the September 2025 Giveaway:

• Well, first of all, it’s our FOUR YEAR TOME GNOMIVERSARY, and if you’ve been following us for any length of time, then you know September is the month for us to hide a book by TJ Klune (did you know we started the Tome Gnome by hiding The House in the Cerulean Sea in September 2021???). And, fun fact, TJ is a founding member of our nonprofit board!
• This book feels like your road-trip buddy and a mystery ghost story have a shared heartbeat. I love books that take the ordinary and twist it just enough so magic peeks through the cracks.
• This book is TJ doing what TJ does best: creating amazing characters who are all are tender, real, and fierce. And let’s be honest, Art is incredibly infectious and there is no way you won’t fall in love with her. Old western flair and love of bacon reign supreme…
• Sometimes your real family is the one you choose (or bump into on a long drive). That feeling of belonging (unexpected, messy, beautiful…) is one of my very favorite things to find in a book. The relationship between Alex and Nate is flawed and raw at times, but it’s also geniune and human. You’ll root for their happy ending.
• Just like you finding one of my hidden books, this story slowly unwraps itself. Secrets. Friendships. Truths. All waiting beneath the surface. And if you need some autumn warm fuzzies, this book has it in spades ❤