This Day Changes Everything

For clarinetist Abby Akerman, who plays in her Missouri high school marching band, learning that she’ll be performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the push she needs to accomplish her goal. In New York, “you can shout anything you want from the rooftops.” So, while on the trip, Abby plans to tell her best friend Kat that she loves her, which will come as a surprise, since no one back home knows that Abby is gay—not even Kat. Grumpy drummer Leo Brewer’s band is also performing, but he’s much less excited, since being on national TV means that his extended Southern family will find out that he’s transgender. When Abby and Leo end up on the same wrong subway train together, they embark on an adventure-filled outing that will change the way they see their lives—and themselves—forever. After a slow start, Underhill (Always the Almost) picks up the pace with the duo traversing Manhattan searching for souvenirs that Abby can give to Kat. Depictions of Abby and Leo’s gradually developing friendship—as well as their interactions with the loyal supporting cast—cultivate a safe and affirming space in which two queer teens discover new perspectives. Abby and Leo read as white; Kat is of East Asian descent. Ages 13–up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Feb.)