Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis (2009)

Mazzy is "fine". Her severely depressed, mostly catatonic mother is fine. Her ESPN-anchor, absentee father is "fine". Everyone and everything is totally dysfunctional BUT fine. Mazzy (13) takes care of her mother and keeps neighbors and family-services investigators away, while her father is gone chasing his "big chance". This novel of sparse words and vignettes, told from Mazzy's perspective, gives glimpses into her existence over one summer and build into an understanding of the tragedy that brought her family to ruin. Written with humor and believable naivete, on Mazzy's part, and ignorance and self-centeredness, on her parents' part make for a realistic portrait of a family in crisis. Ages: 13+