How to Become a Planet

With the help of new friends and a planetarium hotline, thirteen-year-old Pluto goes on a journey of self-discovery, in this poignant story about mental health from acclaimed middle grade author Nicole Melleby.

A Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2021
One of The Nerd Daily’s ＂Anticipated Queer Book Releases You Can’t Miss in 2021＂
One of Lambda Literary’s ＂May’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Literature＂

＂Gorgeous.＂ --BuzzFeed

The two most important things to know about Pluto Timoney: (1) she’s always loved outer space (obviously); and (2) her favorite season is summer, the time to go to the boardwalk, visit the planetarium, and work in her mom’s pizzeria.

This summer, when Pluto’s turning thirteen, is different. Pluto has just been diagnosed with depression, and she feels like a black hole is sitting on her chest, making it hard to do anything. When Pluto’s dad threatens to make her move to the city--where he believes his money could help her get better--Pluto comes up with a plan to do whatever it takes to be her old self again. If she does everything that old, ＂normal＂ Pluto would do, she can stay with her mom. But it takes a new therapist, new tutor, and new (cute) friend with a plan of her own for Pluto to see that there is no old or new her. There’s just Pluto, discovering more about herself every day.

Nicole Melleby is a born-and-bred Jersey girl with a passion for storytelling. She studied creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University and currently teaches creative writing and literature courses with a handful of local universities. When she’s not writing, she can be found browsing the shelves at her local comic shop or watching soap operas with a cup of tea.