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The tragic loss of a younger sibling sends a middle school student on a journey of redemption and healing.

A year after the drowning of Pia Xing’s younger brother, Ben, and nine months after her family relocated to a new town so they could start over, the family is still fully in the throes of grief. Pia’s mother continues to blame Pia for what happened to Ben, while Pia’s father is trying to balance work demands, a broken leg, his wife’s fragile mental health, and Pia’s social struggles in her new school. After a conversation with her school librarian, Pia (who’s determined to right the wrong she feels responsible for) sets her heart on visiting the mystical local attraction Cessarine Lake, which is known for making “IMPOSSIBLE things happen.” The story alternates between vividly colored present-day adventures on a bus trip through the desert—highlighting the excitement of newfound friendship and escape from the weight of Pia’s everyday reality—and flashbacks in muted tones that get readers up to speed on what happened to Ben. From the Copycat Geyser to talking vegetation and the wishes that come true for visitors to Cessarine Lake, the book doesn’t outright reject the possibility of the mystical, leaving room for hope. Pia and her family appear to be of East Asian descent; there is racial diversity among secondary characters.

A poignant story that delicately balances youthful delight and naïveté with profound mourning.