Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine

A powerful, emotional look at queerness, pride, and what it truly means to feel held.

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.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for Nicole Melleby:

Moments of madcap humor and familial warmth characterize this emotionally generous summer tale from Melleby, which showcases the author's command of fully realized characterization and distinct relationship dynamics. —Publishers Weekly (Sam Makes a Splash) 

It captures that camp feeling of getting away from home, meeting different people, and growing as a person, all over the course of just two weeks. At its heart, an enjoyable summer camp story. —Kirkus Reviews (Camp QUILTBAG)

* This emotional read shows the power of friendship and family without omitting the work that goes into loving someone. —Booklist, starred review (The Science of Being Angry)

* 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. —School Library Journal, starred review (How to Become a Planet)

* This funny, tender, and heart-wrenching story will have readers calling for an encore. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review (In the Role of Brie Hutchens. . .)

* Melleby deftly tackles weighty topics—mental illness, child protective services, single parenting, sexuality—while effortlessly weaving in elements of the life and works of Vincent van Gogh, creating a thoughtful, age-appropriate and impressive novel. —Shelf Awareness, starred review (Hurricane Season)