How to Become a Planet

 

My Thoughts:

Pluto Timoney rockets the reader into the black hole of depression and anxiety. The author refuses to let us breathe as the opening scene keeps literally pounding frantically to get to Pluto from the other side of the door.  I know that young readers will empathize with Pluto. That this is a powerful mirror, window and sliding glass door into mental health for readers that need this book is a given. 

For me as a teacher, though, the strength of the character writing put me in my feels and I could not erase my parental empathy with Pluto's parents. Whenever love is not enough as a parent, there is such an immense feeling of guilt and helplessness. I raised three kids that went through that black hole of adolescence and we all made it through fairly unscathed. However, this book just pushed me back in. 

The intentionality of the metaphor that threads through the book on "what is a planet" added to the character's  name and her connection to the new classification of Pluto being "not a planet" is a little too obvious in adult literature, but I think it really strengthens middle grade literature. This will be a great literature workshop pick for 7th grade. 

From the Publishers:

A Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2021
One of The Nerd Daily's “Anticipated Queer Book Releases You Can’t Miss in 2021”
One of Lambda Literary's “May’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Literature”

The two most important things to know about Pluto Timoney:  (1) she’s always loved outer space (obviously); and (2) her favorite season is summer, the time to go to the boardwalk, visit the planetarium, and work in her mom’s pizzeria.

This summer, when Pluto’s turning thirteen, is different. Pluto has just been diagnosed with depression, and she feels like a black hole is sitting on her chest, making it hard to do anything. When Pluto’s dad threatens to make her move to the city—where he believes his money could help her get better—Pluto comes up with a plan to do whatever it takes to be her old self again. If she does everything that old, “normal” Pluto would do, she can stay with her mom. But it takes a new therapist, new tutor, and new (cute) friend with a plan of her own for Pluto to see that there is no old or new her. There’s just Pluto, discovering more about herself every day.