HAPPY & SAD & EVERYTHING TRUE

A socially struggling sixth grader finds herself in the unlikely position of providing counsel to others.

After Desdemona Hillman Diller learned that she and her best friend, Juniper, were going to be in different classes, her mom tried to sell it as an opportunity to make new friends. But Dee always felt that Juniper was enough. A subject of mean gossip, Dee now spends her Snack and Stretch breaks hiding in the bathroom. After an unfortunate Parent PE Day during which her mother deeply embarrasses her, Dee flees to the bathroom, where she hears clanging through a vent that connects to the boys’ bathroom. Her classmate Harry, who’s upset about something his father did, is next door, kicking the grate. After Dee consoles Harry, he asks if they can meet again the next day. Only it isn’t Harry who shows up, but a distressed second grader from the elementary school one floor down who was cruelly teased for a spelling mistake. Soon, Dee is giving advice to schoolmates both younger and older—even as Juniper moves on to new friends, who are unkind to Dee. Debut author Thayer skillfully and authentically captures the often-painful social transitions of middle school. In a satisfying growth arc, quiet, kind Dee comes out of her shell, realizing she’s worth more than the judgments of others made her believe. Main characters are cued white.

A compassionate window into the awkward and isolating stages of growing up.