From the acclaimed author of Maybe He Just Likes You and Halfway Normal comes a âcompassionateâŚtouchingâ (Donna Gephart, award-winning author of The Paris Project) and powerful story of learning how to grow, change, and survive.
When twelve-year-old Zinnia Manningâs older brother Gabriel is diagnosed with a mental illness, the familyâs world is turned upside down. Mom and Dad want Zinny, her sixteen-year-old sister, Scarlett, and her eight-year-old brother, Aiden, to keep Gabrielâs condition âprivateââand to Zinny that sounds the same as âsecret.â Which means she canât talk about it with her two best friends, who donât understand why Zinny keeps pushing them away, turning everything into a joke.
It also means she canât talk about it during Lunch Club, a group run by the school guidance counselor. How did Zinny get stuck in this weird club, anyway? She certainly doesnât have anything in common with these kidsâand even if she did, sheâd never betray her familyâs secret.
The only good thing about school is science class, where cool teacher Ms. Molina has them doing experiments on crayfish. And when Zinny has the chance to attend a dream marine biology camp for the summer, she doesnât know what to do. How can Zinny move forward when Gabrielâand, really, her whole familyâstill needs her help?