Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine

Twelve-year-old Winnie Nash spends the summer at her grandmother's home in New Jersey while her mother looks after her health during a pregnancy. Before Winnie leaves, her parents ask her to keep quiet about being gay and about difficulties at home. Days spent playing cards with her grandmother's friends and visiting a senior citizens' book club become more complicated when Winnie develops feelings for a girl named Pippa. Keeping those feelings hidden makes her increasingly eager to find a community where she can be herself. She sets her sights on New York City's Pride celebration, even if getting there means keeping another secret. Nicole Melleby's contemporary middle-grade novel explores family expectations, identity, first attraction, and the need for belonging.