Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine

Twelve-year-old spitfire Winnifred Maude Nash feels that she’s under a lot of pressure. She must save up her smiles for her depressed mother, who is currently undergoing a high-risk pregnancy after several miscarriages. Winnie is simultaneously compelled to keep her feelings bottled up inside and not share them with the world, and to hide her attraction to girls from her grandmother, with whom she’s staying for the summer at the Jersey Shore. What Winnie really wants is to attend N.Y.C. Pride and be among people she believes will understand her. Despite her best efforts to stay aloof, she befriends gregarious, pretty Pippa Lai and “chubby,” easygoing Lucia Delgado. Now, Winnie must balance her desire for companionship and inclusion with the secrets churning within her. In this summery, heartfelt tale of change and transformation, Melleby (Camp QUILTBAG) tackles themes of family dynamics, queer identity, and quiet trauma. It’s also a nuanced depiction of emotions writ large—Winnie is anything but subtle in her approach to big feelings, an element of her personality that shines brightly and informs how she experiences the world, cementing herself as an indomitable tween protagonist. Winnie reads as white; supporting characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 9–12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Apr.)