Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not (2017) by Ellie Terry is a dual-perspective novel in verse that tells the story of middle school girl Calliope Snow (who goes by Calli June) as she learns to accept her Tourette syndrome and make a best friend despite her mom constantly moving their family from town to town. Terry draws from her own experience as a person diagnosed with Tourette syndrome to write Calli June’s point of view and explore Neurodiversity and Self-Acceptance. The novel also depicts The Many Faces of Bullying in Schools, Hurt in Child-Parent Relationships, and Conflict Resolution in Friendships. Forget Me Not was nominated for several state book awards, including Louisiana, Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas, and Maine.

This guide references the 2017 Feiwel & Friends first hardcover edition.

Content Warning: The source material features detailed depictions of ableism, bullying, and child neglect.

Plot Summary

Calliope Snow, who goes by Calli June, wakes up on a Saturday morning to find her drawers empty and her things packed away. Her mom tells her that they are going to move—again. Calli’s mom has moved their family 10 times so far, each time after breaking up with a boyfriend. They drive to their next town, St. George, Utah, and Calli hopes that she’ll be able to make a best friend at her new school. Calli June has Tourette syndrome, and both her mom and her doctor have encouraged her to hide her Tourette’s from other people. Calli plans to hide her tics at her new school, hoping that this will make it easier to make friends. On her first night in St. George, she meets her neighbor, Jinsong P’eng.

Jinsong P’eng is a baseball player hoping to make the Little League team in the spring. He's also the student council president of Black Ridge Intermediate School. Jinsong is immediately interested in Calli, and though he notices her tics, he doesn't think much of it until the first day of school. Jinsong’s friends immediately mock Calli for her tics and her clothes, and Jinsong is too afraid to stand up for Calli.

Calli walks home alone from her first day, struggling with her intrusive thoughts. She decides to visit her mom at work at the flower shop instead of going home, but the visit doesn’t make her feel any better. The next day at school, she asks Jinsong to walk home with her, but he says that he has a meeting.

Jinsong lied about the meeting, only wanting to avoid being mocked for walking with Calli. He waits until his friends go home, then he runs to catch up with Calli. Jinsong decides that he’ll be friends with Calli outside of school, but he isn’t willing to be her friend at school. Jinsong invites Calli to his house for the Chinese Moon Festival, and they have a great time together. Jinsong realizes that he likes Calli but doesn't end up telling her.

Calli’s mom starts dating Tom, and Calli worries that her mom will move their family again when she and Tom break up. The bullying at school escalates, and Jinsong still doesn’t stand up for Calli. Calli asks Jinsong to be her valentine, but he lies and says that he already said yes to someone else. Calli is bullied by their classmates all day, and she eventually runs out of class crying. Calli is referred to the school psychologist and finally shares that she has Tourette syndrome. While Calli is out of class, her teacher tells everyone, including Jinsong, that Calli has Tourette syndrome. Jinsong drops off flowers at Calli’s house later that night to try to apologize, but Calli puts them in the garbage disposal.

Calli’s mom leaves town for three days and tells Calli to stay at the P’engs’ house at night. Calli spends the first night alone, but the next morning, the P’engs invite her to the carnival. Jinsong and Calli are still not on speaking terms, but Calli agrees to go to the carnival with his family. While at the carnival, Jinsong apologizes and stands up for Calli in front of their classmates. She spends the next day with Jinsong’s family and tells Jinsong’s brother about her Tourette syndrome. This is the first time that Calli has told someone outside of a therapist about her Tourette’s, and Jinsong encourages her. Calli and Jinsong have repaired their friendship, and they hope that school will be different.

The next week at school, Calli is accepted by the popular girls, but Jinsong ends up punching both of his friends in the face for making fun of Calli. At the end of the day, Calli learns that her mom has married a man from Las Vegas and they will have to move again at the end of the week. Calli is furious with her mom but doesn’t have a choice. Calli and Jinsong are heartbroken. Calli leaves her email address with Jinsong, and they promise to stay in touch.

On the drive to Las Vegas, Calli finally confronts her mom about the ways her mom has hurt her. She tells her mom that the constant moving has made it impossible to keep friends and that suppressing her tics at school has only made that worse. When they arrive at their new house with Calli’s new stepdad, Calli doesn’t talk to her mom for several days. Calli’s mom apologizes, and they talk more openly about Calli’s thoughts and feelings. In the final chapters of the book, Jinsong repairs his friendships with some of Calli’s old bullies, and Calli plans to visit him over the summer.