(May 25, 2025) Pearl loves watching majestic loggerhead turtles and octopuses glide through water at the aquarium. Pearl finds it especially easy to identify with the octopuses, who have millions of touch receptors all over their bodies. They feel everything. Sometimes, everything hurts too much.

At the start of fifth grade, that 'everything' doesn’t feel good to Pearl. Not at all. New teachers. New lockers. New routine, shifting to different classes (none with her friends) is far too unsettling. Pearl tries her best. Pretends she’s fine. But soon she struggles with 'everything' —even things that used to come easy (aka schoolwork, laughing, running, sleeping, and even  skateboarding with her best friend, Rosie).

After a disastrous parent-teacher conference, Dr. Jill diagnoses her with depression and is challenged to try one Impossible Thing each day like running, skateboarding, or walking her dog Tuck. She decides to try—and for each impossible thing she attempts, Pearl puts a bead on a string. Bead by bead, Pearl finds her way back to herself and discovers that, just like the moon is always there in the sky even if it isn’t full, she’ll always be herself even when she doesn’t feel whole.