Phoebe Ogawa and the Art of Not Caring

An emotional and deeply funny middle-grade novel about our public and private personas, and how sometimes it’s worth letting others see your true self—no matter how embarrassing.

12-year-old Phoebe Ogawa wants everyone at school to know that she does not care what they think. She definitely does not care about the fact that they’re still laughing about her heartfelt performance at last year’s talent show. Most of all, though, she tries to prove to everyone that she isn’t struggling as much as she actually is with her Grandma Yumi’s passing. To her surprise, her family discovers that Yumi, a world-renowned pop star, left Phoebe a mysterious note that hints at her last song, which has been seemingly lost for decades. Phoebe decides to find it and secretly pass it off as her own to finally show everyone that she is not someone to be laughed at. But as she starts delving deeper into Grandma Yumi’s past, Phoebe starts to realize that maybe everyone feels vulnerable from time to time, and that some people might be worth letting in and showing your true, even embarrassingly heartfelt self.

Incredibly poignant and relatable, Sara Truuvert’s debut middle grade novel explores the ever-relevant themes of the dissonance between our public and private personas, and the courage and vulnerability it takes to allow others to see what happens when the two connect. Alongside journal entries and letters from the characters, readers will also view glimpses of the behind-the-scenes of songwriting.