My Life in the Fish Tank By Barbara Dee
Expected publication by Aladdin: September 15, 2020
Mom's Review
My Life in the Fish Tank should be in the hands of middle-schoolers and their parents this fall. I would suggest reading alongside your 6th/7th grader because you'll both want to discuss it. It is a powerful, difficult read that pushes the reader to examine his own attitudes and possible prejudices.
Zinny is a seventh grader whose brother gets in a car wreck during his freshman year of college. Upon their return from a hospital visit, Zinny's parents reveal to her and her two other siblings that Gabriel's car wreck stemmed from an episode of his bipolar disorder, for which he will move to a residential treatment facility. The parents direct the children to tell no one; the mother even lies to neighbors saying that Gabriel is all better, back at college, and doing well with his paleontology work. Zinny is baffled by this – why hide the truth? Is Gabriel's diagnosis and treatment something to be ashamed of? My Life in the Fish Tank chronicles Zinny's seventh grade year: her brother's accident and diagnosis, a breakup with her best friends, a growing passion for marine biology, inclusion in the counselor's "Lunch Club," caring for her little brother and herself, and most of all keeping the truth secret.
Hard-hitting, raw, and real, My Life in the Fish Tank validates the complex feelings family members face in mental health crisis, illuminates the internal struggles of middle-schoolers for parents, and enlightens readers about mental health. This middle-grade/YA novel* is a valuable addition to the conversation about mental health and goes a long way to de-stigmatize the topic.
*The publisher recommends this for ages 9-13, but I always think that's flexible and should depend on the reader and his family.
Extra: Maybe He Just Likes You is also by Barbara Dee. It tackles sexual harassment in middle school.
Note: A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
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