For most of her life, Maisie has had one dream: to be a professional ballet dancer. When a knee injury puts a stop to her intensive training, Maisie slips into a depression. Despite her efforts in physical therapy, she worries she won’t recover in time for spring auditions. She misses her ballet friends and struggles in school. On a family trip to the Olympic Peninsula to hike and hunt razor clams, Maisie, who is Makah and Piscataway, ignores the lingering aches and pains in her knee until a fall reinjures her tendon. Finally acknowledging that a future as a professional dancer will not come to pass, Maisie finds support and solidarity from her mother, who shares the story of her own unexpected and difficult life change: When Maisie was a baby, Maisie’s father died while serving in Iraq. In a novel that offers a welcome look at a pre-teen’s mental health struggles, Maisie realistically hides her feelings and does not initially recognize her depression for what it is. Her family—whose Native identity and history is brought to light in many ways, including through Maisie’s stepfather’s stories—provides consistent love and care despite Maisie’s angry outbursts, and adjusts to Maisie’s needs as they become known. (Ages 9-12)