How to Become a Planet

Starred review from May 1, 2021

Gr 3-7-Pluto's struggle with coming to terms with her anxiety and depression has caused her to miss 34 days of school. Her mom has agreed to tutor her from home so that she won't have to repeat seventh grade. But all is for naught, because Pluto is not cooperating. She's lost all her friends, doesn't attend to her studies, and doesn't take her daily meds, and her relationship with her mother is increasingly strained. Pluto doesn't have any idea what is happening or how to stop it. All she knows is that she can't spend her whole summer in bed, though she certainly has no plans to work at her mother's pizzeria on the town's boardwalk. Pluto forges an unexpected new friendship with Fallon, who wears boys' clothes and styles her hair like her brothers, but is still working out what that means for her. The two make a wish list of things to accomplish before summer's end. But Pluto is not prepared for the funny feelings in her stomach each time she finds herself in Fallon's presence. This middle grade story touches on the experience of first love, the transition to high school, and the struggle to find one's place in the world. Pluto is described as having blonde hair and gray eyes, while Fallon has blue eyes and curly brown hair. VERDICT A raw yet honest portrayal of a young person's experience with depression, this is a must-read for both middle grade readers and the teachers, counselors, parents, and other adults who interact daily with youth undergoing similar experiences.-Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden M.S., Newport News, VA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2021
Dealing with depression and anxiety lies at the heart of this gentle coming-of-age story. Lambda Literary Awards finalist Melleby tackles the gravitational force of the youth mental health crisis through Pluto, an astronomy-loving seventh grade girl facing struggles alongside her single mother at their family pizza shop on the Jersey shore. The scents and sounds of this summer hot spot make for a lively backdrop, but it's not all fun and games at the boardwalk, as Pluto's family deals with her new mental health diagnosis. Pluto's worries are compounded by expectations, both external and internal, such as adjusting to new medications, meeting with a tutor to catch up with missed schoolwork, balancing the competing expectations of her divorced parents, and making headway on a self-assigned checklist she believes will help her feel better. Nervous about reconnecting with old friends and starting therapy, Pluto befriends Fallon, whose family runs another boardwalk business. As Fallon explores her gender identity, Pluto discovers they have a surprising and special bond. Pluto feels caught between her parents, as her father wants her to move in with him and his new girlfriend in the city, but ultimately, she articulates what she wants and learns to value herself and her complexities. Readers will find insight and compassion around setting realistic goals and navigating results that may not match initial expectations. Main characters present as White. A realistic, hopeful account of personal recovery and discovery. (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 15, 2021
Grades 4-7 After the night she had a meltdown and her mother broke down her bedroom door, 12-year-old Pluto slid into depression and missed the last month of seventh grade. Now it's summer, and thanks to medication, Pluto can function, but she hasn't come back into herself entirely. She dreads seeing her best friend Meredith after ignoring her for so long, and she doesn't know if she'll be allowed into eighth grade. On top of that, her father wants her to come live with him in New York City. All of these factors shake her equilibrium, and she starts to lash out. But new friends help, as well as a therapist who guides her toward feeling more agency. Pluto's struggles to manage her depression are all very true to life, and Melleby handles the subject with respect and empathy. She extends that empathetic tone to the people in Pluto's orbit, who want to help but don't always know how, especially when their well-meaning attempts have unintended consequences. A character-driven novel with a hopeful tone that will resonate with many tweens.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
As the book opens, twelve-year-old Pluto, so named for her mother's space obsession, asks the Hayden Planetarium's question-and-answer hotline how to create a black hole, because she wants to "just stop. Just turn off the lights and shut her eyes and stop." Her soon-diagnosed depression and anxiety are severe enough that she stays home for the remainder of the school year. But by summer, she makes a list of goals in order to "be the real, full Pluto." Her process of finding where she fits, including navigating her parents' separation, is affecting, as she recalibrates her own self-expectations (attending a birthday party, for instance, is too much for now) and as a new friendship with gender-questioning Fallon begins to turn romantic. As always, Melleby (In the Role of Brie Hutchens..., rev. 3/20) naturally integrates her queer protagonist's discovery of her sexuality into a larger story. The love of space that Pluto shares with her mother (whose own stress level is honestly portrayed) informs her way of thinking about herself and the world; Pluto's interest in the history of the Challenger disaster is just one reason this introspective novel might appeal to fans of Erin Entrada Kelly's We Dream of Space (rev. 3/20). Shoshana Flax

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
As the book opens, twelve-year-old Pluto, so named for her mother's space obsession, asks the Hayden Planetarium's question-and-answer hotline how to create a black hole, because she wants to "just stop. Just turn off the lights and shut her eyes and stop." Her soon-diagnosed depression and anxiety are severe enough that she stays home for the remainder of the school year. But by summer, she makes a list of goals in order to "be the real, full Pluto." Her process of finding where she fits, including navigating her parents' separation, is affecting, as she recalibrates her own self-expectations (attending a birthday party, for instance, is too much for now) and as a new friendship with gender-questioning Fallon begins to turn romantic. As always, Melleby (In the Role of Brie Hutchens..., rev. 3/20) naturally integrates her queer protagonist's discovery of her sexuality into a larger story. The love of space that Pluto shares with her mother (whose own stress level is honestly portrayed) informs her way of thinking about herself and the world; Pluto's interest in the history of the Challenger disaster is just one reason this introspective novel might appeal to fans of Erin Entrada Kelly's We Dream of Space (rev. 3/20).

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)