For fans of Stand Up, Yumi Chung! and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes an honest and heartfelt novel about a girl who's determined not to let her growing anxiety and OCD hold her back from using stand-up comedy to bring her parents back together. Eleven-year-old Maya-s life is bit of a mess. Her dad just moved out to pursue his stand-up comedy dreams, her mom seems more preoccupied with running the family-s Russian deli than getting Dad back, and Maya-s anxiety and germ worries have only been heightening. Her grandma always tells her -slozi goryu ne pomozhet--tears won-t help sorrow-but right now it-s hard to be strong. So when her teacher Ms. Banta announces the sixth-grade talent show, Maya sees an opportunity. If she can perform stand-up comedy in the show, she can prove to her mom and dad that comedy has a place in all their lives and try to bring them together again. But conquering her fears amidst her family falling apart and a growing hot-hot-hot feeling inside is eas
