My Life in the Fish Tank, Barbara Dee
My Life in the Fish Tank, Barbara Dee
2 Rating(s)
List: $18.00 | Sale: $12.60
Club: $9.00

My Life in the Fish Tank

Author: Barbara Dee

Narrator: Emily Eiden

Unabridged: 5 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/28/2021


Synopsis

From acclaimed author of Maybe He Just Likes You and Halfway Normal comes a powerful and moving story of learning how to grow, change, and survive.

When twelve-year-old Zinnia Manning's older brother Gabriel is diagnosed with a mental illness, the family's world is turned upside down. Mom and Dad want Zinny, her sixteen-year-old sister, Scarlett, and her eight-year-old brother, Aiden, to keep Gabriel's condition "private"--and to Zinny that sounds the same as "secret." Which means she can't talk about it to her two best friends, who don't understand why Zinny keeps pushing them away, turning everything into a joke.

It also means she can't talk about it during Lunch Club, a group run by the school guidance counselor. How did Zinny get stuck in this weird club, anyway? She certainly doesn't have anything in common with these kids--and even if she did, she'd never betray her family's secret.

The only good thing about school is science class, where cool teacher Ms. Molina has them doing experiments on crayfish. And when Zinny has the chance to attend a dream marine biology camp for the summer, she doesn't know what to do. How can Zinny move forward when Gabriel--and, really, her whole family--still needs her help?

Reviews

Goodreads review by Darla on September 08, 2020

I am a huge fan of this cover! Such beautiful artwork and so inviting! I also really appreciated the way Barbara Dee framed a discussion of mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, through the eyes of Zinnia. When one family member gets ill, the entire family is affected. Zinnia's big brother......more

Goodreads review by Katy O. on November 14, 2020

Barbara Dee can do no wrong. I have loved everything she has written and this one was absolutely exquisite - so many tears for me. Middle grade doesn’t have nearly enough high quality representation of mental illness and this one is the gold standard for the impacts it has on families. LOVE. Can’t w......more

Goodreads review by human on January 25, 2023

man, this is EXACTLY why i still read middle grade. we love emotionally resonant books for kids in this household.......more

Goodreads review by Margo on October 25, 2020

Barbara Dee has written another gem for our middle grade readers. Mental illness is given a new more open lens as Zinnia copes with issues facing her family when her older brother is diagnosed with bipolar disorder.......more

Goodreads review by PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps on September 17, 2020

After Zinny’s parents tell her not to talk about her brother Gabriel’s mental illness after his bipolar diagnosis, she begins pushing her friends away. With the help of a caring science teacher, a lunch time guidance counseling club and her own fighting spirit, she finds her way. Barbara Dee is the J......more