Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine

by Nicole Melleby

Overview

In this powerful novel by an award-winning author, 12-year-old Winnie Nash is forced to live with her grandma for the summer and finds herself torn between her family’s secrets and the joy of celebrating Pride.

Winnie Nash never used to have so many secrets.

But then she agreed to stay with her grandma for the summer so her mom can take care of her health during her latest pregnancy. Now Winnie plays card games with Grandma’s friends (boring), joins the senior citizen book club (fine, even if no one thinks she’ll read the books), and absolutely does not talk about her mom’s sad days (she never used to be so sad…).

The biggest secret is that her parents asked Winnie not to mention she’s gay to Grandma. And there’s a really cute girl who also hangs out with the senior citizens. What happens if Grandma notices just how much Winnie likes Pippa? The longer Winnie hides the truth, the more she longs to be surrounded by her LGBTQ+ community and the more she feels like the only place she can be herself is at New York City’s Pride celebration. Winnie decides she’ll get to Pride, one way or another. But is this just one more secret she has to keep?

An ALA Rainbow List Selection
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643753133
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.85(w) x 8.55(h) x 0.88(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Nicole Melleby, a New Jersey native, is the author of highly praised middle-grade books, including the Lambda Literary finalist Hurricane Season, ALA Notable book How to Become a Planet, Camp QUILTBAG (co-written with A. J. Sass), and The House on Sunrise Lagoon series. She lives with her wife and their cats, whose need for attention oddly aligns with Nicole’s writing schedule. Visit her online at nicolemelleby.com.

Editorial Reviews

* "Melleby’s latest expertly captures the tumultuousness of tween emotions through its dialogue and third-person narration. While many in Winnie’s generation are so confident in their queerness, the story importantly touches on how it’s not always safe to be out. Multiple queer characters—peers, adults, and elders alike—contribute to an exceptional sense of community that shows the many ways support can manifest…. A powerful, emotional look at queerness, pride, and what it truly means to feel held."

—Kirkus Reviews

"Melleby's latest is a tearjerker with heart—a triumphant exploration of lesbianism, extended family, and
miscarriage from the eyes of a young, would-be sibling. Hand to middle-grade fans of Kate DiCamillo or Ashley Herring Blake."—Booklist

"It’s not a perfect summer at the beach, but Winnie’s feelings are perfectly real, and the resolution is satisfying and hopeful."—School Library Journal

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) 

From the Publisher

★ 2024-02-17
A gay tween struggles to go back into the closet while temporarily living with her grandma.

Between her dad’s new job and her mom’s post-miscarriage pregnancy, Winnie’s family has a lot going on. They send Winnie to stay with her grandma for a “summer at the shore” in New Jersey. Winnie’s angry. With a name like Winnifred Maude Nash, the 12-year-old fits right in at her grandma’s book club for seniors. The problem: She can’t quite be her true self, because her parents asked her not to tell her grandma she’s gay. Winnie eventually makes friends her own age—Pippa Lai and Lucía Delgado—who let her be her authentic self. But what she really needs is to feel “held” by going to Pride in New York City. Trouble is, Pride is the same day as Pippa’s annual family party, which Winnie agreed to go to. What’s a girl to do? Melleby’s latest expertly captures the tumultuousness of tween emotions through its dialogue and third-person narration. While many in Winnie’s generation are so confident in their queerness, the story importantly touches on how it’s not always safe to be out. Multiple queer characters—peers, adults, and elders alike—contribute to an exceptional sense of community that shows the many ways support can manifest. Winnie and her family read white; Pippa’s surname cues Chinese ancestry, and Lucía is implied Latine.

A powerful, emotional look at queerness, pride, and what it truly means to feel held. (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews