For Pluto, summer has always started with a trip to the planetarium. Ittsquo;s the launch to her favourite season, which also includes visits to the boardwalk arcade, working in her mumesquo;s pizzeria, and her best friend Meredithssquo;s birthday party. But this summer, none of that feels possible.
A month before the end of the school year, Plutomsquo;s frightened mum broke down Pluto/squo;s bedroom door. What came next were doctormsquo;s appointments, a diagnosis of depression, and a big black hole that still sits on Plutoasquo;s chest, making it too hard to do anything.
Pluto can squo;t explain to her mom why she canesquo;t do the things she used to love. And it isnfsquo;t until Pluto squo;s dad threatens to make her move with him to the city rdash; where he believes his money, in particular, could help tdash; that Pluto becomes desperate enough to do whatever it takes to be the old Pluto again.
She develops a plan and a checklist: If she takes her medication, if she goes to the planetarium with her mum for her birthday, if she successfully finishes her summer school work with her tutor, if she goes to Meredithisquo;s birthday party . . . if she does all the things that ddquo;normaltdquo; Pluto would do, she can stay with her mom in Jersey. But it takes a new therapist, a new tutor, and a new (and cute) friend with a checklist and plan of her own for Pluto to learn that there is no old and new Pluto. Theressquo;s just her.
