"Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut?"

Maybelline "Maybe" Reed has stuck to a strict set of rules since Mama left five years ago: neatness matters, avoid boys at all costs, and absolutely no talking. She's convinced by being good she will coax Mama back into her life. When her therapist suggests she confront her anxiety and OCD, Maybe must do the unthinkable: enter sixth grade at a public middle school.

Maybe meets a sixth grade boy named Oliver and, after a rocky start, breaks one of her rules when they become friends. But then she discovers her safe haven and last remaining link to Mama, the Salem Public Library, is scheduled to close for good. Maybe pledges to save the library with Oliver's help, but is she brave enough to go through with their ambitious plan and possibly lose Mama forever? She can either obey her anxiety's repetitive demands or use her long-lost voice to finally make a difference.