Tia Lugo, an asthmatic thirteen-year-old Puerto Rican girl living in NYC, witnesses a murder late one night from her bedroom window. Terrified the killer will do anything to keep her silent and desperate to find the courage to speak out, Tia turns to her grandmother's favourite shopping spot: the botanica. Tia Lugo has a deadly secret. Tia Lugo considers herself an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl. She just wants to enjoy the end of summer, which means hanging out with her best friend and neighbour, Julius, and ignoring her Puerto Rican grandmother's embarrassing reliance on creepy candles, weird-smelling herb bundles, and eerie statues - all available for sale at the nearby botanica. But when Tia witnesses a murder late one night from her bedroom window, everything changes in an instant. Now, Tia is terrified to tell anyone what she's seen. What if the killer comes after her too? He knows where she lives. Even worse, Tia believes he's sending her secret messages, reminding her to stay quiet. Desperate to keep herself and her family safe, Tia turns to the last place she ever thought she'd go: her grandmother's favourite shopping spot, the botanica.
