Elena is quieter and steadier than her fun, unpredictable older sister, Dora. But they have always been close, and have always told each other everything. So when Dora is diagnosed with depression and has to be admitted to the hospital, nothing makes sense to Elena without her.

At school, the only people who acknowledge Elena are Dora's friends and Jimmy Zenk—who wears black every day of the week and seems to be getting through ninth grade on his own special schedule. At home, Elena's parents' new hobby seems to be arguing with each other after they think Elena has gone to bed, and it just gets worse once Dora is finally discharged. Now Elena will do anything to help her sister get better and get their lives back to normal—even when the responsibility becomes too much to bear.

In this gripping, moving novel about a family in crisis, Julie Schumacher thoughtfully explores how far we'll go to protect the ones we love.

"Black Box is a vivid, intimate portrait of the effect depression has on its immediate victim and on the people around her. Taut and compact, it is written with passionate clarity."
--Andrew Solomon, bestselling author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

Black Box is a Junior Library Guild selection and a nominee for the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults 2009.