This Book Might Be About Zinnia

High school senior Zinnia, a biracial adoptee raised by affluent white parents, is fixated on writing a personal essay that will cement her admission to Harvard. When she starts to suspect that a famous novelist might be her birth mother, she sets out to meet the writer, hoping to craft a stellar piece about the interaction before the essay deadline. Alternating with perfectionist Zinnia’s 2024 story is that of Tuesday, a Black high school senior who’s “struggling to function” in 2006. Tuesday, who was raised by a single mother, is having trouble adjusting to high school life after giving up her baby for adoption—experiences she records in her journal. She’s simultaneously searching for information about her own absent father. Zinnia’s and Tuesday’s similar-sounding voices and perspectives (both girls have café jobs) can be somewhat difficult to differentiate. The intricate plot, woven by Morris (The Jump), requires careful attention to navigate the myriad melodramatic elements and events, including an adoption agency mysteriously burning down, a drowning, a secret late-night trip, and hints about Mafia activity. Period references to technological advances and to popular music and other media contextualize each timeline. Ages 12–up. Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (July)