Inside Out and Back Again meets Nancy Drew in this novel-in-verse about a tween Taiwanese-American girl who contends with school bullies, worries about her sister's mysterious illness, and finds strength and validation at the local tennis court.

Frances Chin, a ten-year old Taiwanese-American girl, lives in the suburbs of Detroit with her immigrant parents and older sister, Clara. At school Frances contends with bullies and the related loneliness that comes with not quite fitting in. She also feels a different kind of aloneness at home. Her parents are preoccupied with work and worry about Clara, whose hair is inexplicably falling out. But with her friend Annie (the Bess to her Nancy Drew), Frances is determined to solve the mystery of Clara's condition. She also faces the everyday challenges and thrills of being a tween, especially when she unexpectedly receives encouragement from a tennis coach. While Frances struggles to speak up, her powerful inner voice is captured through gorgeous imagery and evocative free verse.