A Notes from the Windowsill annotated bibliography by Wendy E. Betts. Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008
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Last Updated 05/06/08
ABC For You and Me by Meg Girnis. Photographed by Shirley
Leamon Green. Whitman, 2000 (0-8075-0101-8) $15.95
This delightful alphabet of photographs sweeps aside the "otherness"
of disability with winning
aplomb. For each letter, a straightforward picture of one or two
children against a plain white background illustrates a noun: for A, a
boy
simply holds an apple. What makes this book
unusual? Each picture is of a child with Down syndrome--and as the
kids gently play with animals, strum on a guitar, and enjoy toys
together, they project a confidence and joy that's irresistibly
attractive. Without hiding anything that makes a child with Downs
different, the book clearly shows
that "you" is really not all that far from "me." (2-8)
My Travelin' Eye written and illustrated by Jenny Sue
Kostecki-Shaw. Henry Holt, 2007 (978-0-8050-8169-5) $16.95
This book about a girl with what's commonly called "lazy eye" is based on the author/illustrator's own childhood experiences, and she shows throughout that she still likes to give eyes a lot to do, using mixed media and collage to put striking colors, textures and odd bits of detail on every page. Even the acknowledgment page is exciting, with butterfly-winged eyes flying around displaying names of "my special traveling eye friends" and a box for book owners to write the names of their own friends with travelin' eyes.
Young Jenny Sue tells the story of how she was born, "looking both ways." She calls her right eye the navigator: "It sees numbers. It's my guide." (In the illustration, a giant eye wearing a bowtie stands in front of a blackboard, making calculations.) Her left eye, the "travelin eye" is the artist. (Wearing a beret, of course.) "It sees colors. It's the adventurer. Together, we make a great team." But though her travelin' eye reminds Jenny Sue to "look around. And up and down," sometimes it also gets her into trouble, causing her teacher to send a note home recommending an ophthalmologist.
After a visit to an Dr. Dave--a wonderful, exuberant character who waves his arms wildly, exclaiming, "You have a gen-u-ine lazy eye, we must wake it up and set it straight!"--Jenny Sue has to wear an eyepatch and BIG, thick, red glasses. Everything looks very weird for awhile and kids point at her, until she and her mom get creative and make exciting "fashion patches" that the other kids envy. At the next trip to the ophthalmologist, "My travelin' eye had grown stronger. And more confident. I think it just needed some special attention. My one-eyed days were over!" The glasses were there to stay, but Jenny and her mom make them special too, as you can see from the cover illustration. Jenny ends her story by saying "My travelin' eye still wanders sometimes, but that's the true nature of an artist--to see the world in her own unique way."
Kostecki-Shaw does a great job of putting a special, positive spin on
her situation, while still being honest over the difficulties it
caused her. With its bold and wacky images, the book has so much dash
and offbeat humor, it can be enjoyed just as a story--but kids with
similar issues will also find information and inspiration. (4-10)
I Am Utterly Unique by Elaine Marie Larson. Illustrated by Vivian Strand. Autism Asperger Publishing, 2006 (1-931282-89-7)
I'm usually annoyed by books that attempt to sum up personality traits associated with autism, but this book, designed to "celebrate the strengths of children with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism," does it with so much affection and care, I have to like it. Using an alphabet format--in itself an excellent choice for ASD kids, many of whom are extremely attracted to letters and numbers--the book lists 26 positive traits often found in HFA children, from "I am an Animal lover" to the unfortunate Z cop-out "I love piZZa and puZZles." (An engaging illustration of a jigsaw pizza helps redeem this one.) In addition to generally positive traits like "I am a Happy Helper," the book pinpoints some of the more fascinating aspects of the typical HFA brain, like "I am a Detail Detective," "I have Fantastic Focus," "I have a Vivid Vocabulary" and "I have an XXL (eXtra, eXtra large memory.)" Some of these concepts must have been a challenge for the illustrator, who rose well to the occasion, depicting simple, almost stick-figure kids expressing the ideas through one often goofy detail: "I have an original outlook" shows a brightly smiling child wearing psychedelic rainbow striped sunglasses. Many of the kids illustrated throughout the book are shown again on the page for U, "I am Utterly Unique," a reminder that though all of them have HFA, they are all unique beings. And of course, not every child with HFA will find him or herself in every one of these pages, which can be a good start to some conversation about similarities and differences, even in people with the same diagnosis.
In addition to the enormous benefit of showing HFA kids a too rare,
positive vision of themselves in a book, I Am Utterly Unique
has value for showing that the stereotypes of these children are often
quite off base: "I have enormous enthusiasm," for example, is
certainly true of my own autistic son, and not something I would ever
have expected before becoming his mom. This is overall a terrific
book for sharing with a young child with HFA or Asperger Syndrome, or
with siblings or classmates who could use more insight into what HFA
is like. (3-9)
The Best Worst Brother by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen. Illustrated
by Charlotte Fremaux. Woodbine House, 2005 (1-890627-68-2) $14.95
This sequel to We'll Paint the Octopus Red is narrated by Emma,
a nine-year-old girl whose three-year-old brother Isaac has Down Syndrome:
"My brother Isaac is not like other little brothers. He is
worse."
Emma loved helping take care of baby Isaac, but now that he's a spirited
toddler, it seems like "nothing I do makes him happy." Emma
especially wants Isaac to learn to talk, but when she tries to sign with
him, he "spit at me and pushed me away." But when an understanding
teacher interacts with Isaac at Emma's Open House, Emma discovers
that her attempts to help Isaac learn have sunk in after all, and that
Isaac isn't really all that different from other little boys.
"Isaac? Like other little brothers? No way! He's better."
Realistic illustrations set against pale backgrounds are on the dull
side, but this
is a refreshingly honest look at the point of view of a typical
developing sibling, showing negative emotions while retaining a
believable sense of optimism and affection. Isaac's condition is not
mentioned directly in the text, but information is included at the
back about why talking can be difficult for children with Down
Syndrome, and about the usage of sign language.
Spaceman by Jane Cutler. Dutton, 1997 (0-525-45636-8) $14.99; Puffin,
1999 (0-14-038150-3) $4.99 pb
Slow, clumsy and often confused, ten-year-old Gary has made a
specialty of spacing out, turning his mind off and "sailing off by
himself to some other and much more comfortable place." It's the only
way he knows to escape when his teacher yells at him and the other
kids tease. But when he's put into a special education class, with
lots of other "different" kids and an understanding teacher named Mrs.
Block, Gary begins to discover the pleasures of staying back on Earth.
Written in a simple, direct style that avoids much of the heavy,
ponderous atmosphere typical of problem-oriented children's stories,
this is an accessible look into the world of a child with learning
disabilities. I was rather put off by a scene in which the special ed
class members all introduce themselves and their problems, which
reminded me uncomfortably of a stereotypical twelve-step meeting, but
it is otherwise a positive and sympathetic portrayal. 8-12)
Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret. Cobblehill, 1996
(0-525-65226-4) $14.99; Puffin, 1998 (0-14-038343-3) $3.99 pb
Set during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, this is a fast-moving
adventure story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
When their mother breaks her ankle on a camping trip and has to be
rushed back to town, twelve-year-old Jonathan and his partially
paralyzed six-year-old sister Abby are left alone at their island
campsite. Then the quake hits, destroying their camper and flooding
the nearby lake. Faced with the enormous responsibility of taking
care of his sister, Jonathan must make some hard decisions and use all
his wits and courage to help them survive. This unsophisticated story
is mostly for thrills, but its vivid detail and understanding portrait
of Jonathan's mixed feelings for Abby are a strong part of the
gripping narrative. (8-12)
From Anna by Jean Little. HarperCollins, 1972 (0-06-023912-3)
$14.89; HarperTrophy (0-06-440044-1) $3.95
In Little By Little, the first volume of her autobiography, Jean Little describes how reading The Secret Garden to a group of disabled children inspired her to write her first children's book, Mine For Keeps. I don't know if Little comments on From Anna in the second volume, but whether consciously or not, it seems even more inspired by The Secret Garden: a story of a lonely, unattractive child who blossoms in a new environment.
On the face of it, Anna Solden wouldn't seem to have much in common with Mary Lennox. Far from being either spoiled or neglected, she is the youngest in a large, essentially loving German family. But Anna, nicknamed "Awkward Anna" by her self-centered older brother, can't seem to do anything right, either with her family or in school. She's always running into things; she can't dust properly or thread a needle; even the alphabet defeats her, strange letters that all look the same and jiggle when she peers at them. Unable to meet the exacting standards of the world around her, Anna is a lonely outsider even in her own family, and constant hurt has forced her into an angry, suspicious, sad little shell. Only her father sees Anna's special qualities, but his affection isn't enough to sustain her. He also has other worries: Germany, in 1933, is becoming an increasingly intolerant and dangerous place and he has promised his youngest daughter that she will grow up "where thoughts are free."
To keep that promise, the Soldens move to Canada--a dramatic life change that uncovers a dramatic surprise. A routine eye examination reveals that Anna can barely see: her vision is so poor that even glasses can't correct it completely. She will have to go to school in a special class. There, with an understanding teacher, letters that no longer jiggle and other children as handicapped as she is, Anna learns for the first time that she is smart, imaginative and capable--and she even has a pretty smile: "Somehow she was sure she had not had dimples back in Germany." Slowly she begins to let go of her protective bristliness and make friends. But somehow, it's harder to let go of the patterns of the past with her own family. They have seen her as slow and stupid for so long--will she ever be able to show them her real self? And will they believe it if she does?
Feeling misunderstood is one of the side-effects of childhood and reading about it is one of its greatest solaces. But if From Anna were just a story about a misunderstood child, it wouldn't hold up very well. One of its greatest strengths is that it shows how the entire family has gotten off-track. Little gives several perspectives, showing that there are no clear-cut villains, but many at fault--including Anna herself. "She was as difficult to get close to as a porcupine" her older sister Gretchen thinks, while her brother Rudi says, "Helping Anna is like trying to pat a biting dog," yet doesn't realize that--like a dog in a trap--Anna snaps out of pain. Anna's triumph in the end is rather mixed, at first, because although she thought hshe wanted to "show them all," what she really wants is simply to belong to her family. The real triumph does not come from everyone suddenly realizing how wonderful and misunderstood she is, but from Anna learning how to rejoin the family while remaining herself.
From Anna is an utterly convincing book. Almost
everything--from
the effortless recreation of time and place, to the family and school
interactions - rings perfectly, intuitively true.
It wasn't surprising to learn, from
Little By Little that Little herself immigrated to Canada at
a young
age and had to attend a sight-saving class. Whether Anna is
Jean Little, I can't say, but From Anna is certainly
one of her most heartfelt stories, with a truly memorable heroine. *
(8 & up)
Sparks by Graham McNamee. Wendy Lamb Books, 2002
(0-385-72977-4) $15.95; Dell Yearling, 2004 (0-440-41847-X) $4.99 pb.
"The only nice thing they said about me was I have a strong imagination. But what good is that? They never test you on making things up."
Because of his poor reading comprehension and memorization skills, Todd spent most of last year in "Special Needs" class. But this year he's made the big leagues: "the real fifth grade with the normal kids." It's a hard struggle trying to keep up with the normal kids, and it doesn't help that they're always calling him names like Mr. Retardo and Gump. Todd really misses his best friend Eva from Special Needs, but he can't afford to hang out with her anymore: "People will think I'm still Brain-Dead." But when a class assignment about an exploited pygmy shows Todd that his strong imagination actually is good for something, he realizes it's not much fun being "normal" when you can't share your success with your best friend.
Written by a former slow learner, this is an insightful look into the
heart of a "slow" kid, as he learns to conquer his fear of looking
stupid and to have some faith in his own abilities. McNamee shows
great tenderness and understanding of his characters, making the story
real and endearing. (8 & up)
3 NBs of Julian Drew by James M. Deem. Houghton Mifflin, 1994
(0-395-69453-1) $14.95; Graphia, 2004 (0-618-43907-2) $6.99 trade pb.
"ABBREVs + NOs: 170V3them. THEY don't sound like words. THEY don't look like words. THEY sound + look like secret code. THEY don't scare me or my pen."
Four years ago, under great stress, Julian Drew chose to have "a mouth that could not produce many words," a mouth kept tightly closed to "stop words from falling out." Sometimes, though, the urge to communicate is stronger even than the urge for self-preservation, and so Julian turns to a notebook, struggling to let out the secrets he has learned to keep inside, using his own form of code to step around the words that hurt too much.
Writing to someone from his past he calls U, whom he desperately misses, Julian describes how the adults in his life, "43" and "543," abuse him--barely feeding him, constantly accusing him of wrongdoing, and keeping him locked away in a garage with no bathroom. Only his love for his little sister Emma keeps him from running away. Then he realizes that Emma is happy as she is, with no memories of the past that haunts him--and there is no longer anything to stop him from getting away, from trying to get back, so he can find U once more.
This fascinating, compelling novel well repays the initial effort of
deciphering it. Julian's strange writing--not that difficult once
you've gotten the hang of it--gives us the story in tantalizing bites,
becoming more and more revealing as he slowly conquers his need to
distort his own words. But the code is more than a gimmick to
obfuscate the plot: it is doorway into a very troubled mind. From the
start, there is an element of uncertainty as to whether Julian is
genuinely being abused or is just psychotic; his mental measuring of
cereal bowls every morning--"mine always has less. Sometimes a lot
less, sometimes only a little"--sounds more like paranoia than child
abuse. He himself recognizes the difficulty of making his problems
seem important: "How can I do this? How can I write a (true) sentence
that explains what it is like to be cheated and tortured with a small
bowl of cereal and a glass of water?" I'm not sure that Julian--or
the author--does quite succeed in explaining it; although the picture
of neglect, indifference and active malice against Julian does becomes
clear, he seems more disturbed than events alone really justify.
Nonetheless, this is a brilliant portrait of a troubled person, and of
the ways even a troubled person can find to help himself--perhaps the
strongest part of the portrait is that despite everything, Julian is
far from helpless. The ending is especially insightful, offering hope
for Julian's survival without denying the damage that may never be
healed. (14 & up)
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine. Little, Brown, 1997
$15.95; Laurel-Leaf, 1999 (0-440-22785-2) $4.99 pb
"I heard a lot of discussion in the wake of the Polly Klaas murder from parents worrying about how they could prevent their child from becoming another Polly... I heard no discussion at all from parents worrying about how to prevent their child from becoming another Richard Allen Davis." -- Jon Carroll
Winner of the Whitbread award for children's book of the year, The Tulip Touch is a complex, often horrifying, but very personal indictment of the way a society fails its children. The story is narrated by Natalie, as she looks back on the painful memories of her friendship with a troubled girl named Tulip--not just any friendship, but an obsessive love-hate relationship that inevitably led to corruption and betrayal.
Tulip is mean, a troublemaker and a compulsive liar--so much so that Natalie's father dubs the offbeat details she puts into her stories, "the Tulip Touch." But she's also very exciting to be with, constantly making up "games" with names like Stinking Mackerel--making strangers think that they smell bad--or Babe in the Woods--taking Natalie's little brother to the woods and then vanishing. Natalie worries about some of Tulip's games, but she's addicted to the excitement of her presence, only half alive when Tulip isn't around. And in a strange way, she also feels responsible for her, simply because she's the only person who seems to care whether Tulip lives or dies.
In a compelling, suspenseful narrative, Natalie describes how she eventually broke free from Tulip's corrupting influence, after years of being her sidekick and stooge--rejecting the excitement of the "games" when they start to get truly dangerous and she realizes that "other people's feelings aren't dice, or checkers." But Tulip is not so easy to get rid of, and she is even more dangerous as an enemy than a friend.
Natalie's heartbreaking story is filled with questions. What made
Tulip what she is? Is she evil by nature or just horribly damaged by
her brutal father and lifeless mother? Could anything have been done
to save her? And most importantly, why did the adults in Tulip's life
do nothing for her--why was it all left on the shoulders of a child?
Telling the story with a mixture of anger and guilt and never denying
her own complicity in Tulip's betrayal, Natalie forces us to think
about how people can stand by watching while a child turns into a
sociopath. This is a book that readers of all ages will find hard to
forget. * (10 & up)
Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser. Delacorte, 1998
(0-385-32329-8) $15.95; Laurel-Leaf, 1999 (0-440-41314-1) $4. 99 pb
Until she was eleven, Tara Sullivan felt pretty normal. Okay, she did have frequent bad dreams, constant eczema, and a tendency to worry about everything from fire drills to whether aborted fetuses go to heaven. ("By fourth grade, I didn't care about prochoice or prolife, but I was extremely proafterlife.") But then she hears the phrase she can't got out of her mind: "Step on a crack, break your mothers back." It follows her everywhere she goes--"like listening to the sound track of a movie that I wasn't watching"--forcing her to watch ever step she takes. Soon she is not just watching for cracks but counting them: counting the 495 chances that she might break her beloved mother's back simply by walking to school.
The first obsession leads to others and soon Tara's life is bound-up by complex rituals that must be preformed exactly right for an exact number of times, rituals that drive her friends away and her family to the brink of insanity. Psychologists variously diagnose her as insecure, angry and anorexic, but never offer any help. Until finally someone appears to tell Tara she isn't crazy, that her problem has a name, and that it might even be curable.
Very much an issue book, Kissing Doorknobs is rather sparse as
a novel. Although Hesser claims it is not autobiography, she writes
as
if it were, with much detailing of facts but little background
development and a noticeable lack of meaningful transitions; it's
probably quite true to life, but lacks something as literature. But
the bizarre, often horrifying details do make for engrossing,
sympathetic reading, and though many readers will enjoy this story
simply for its strangeness, they will also end up with a better
understanding what Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is and how
devastating it can be.
Ellen's Case by Lois Metzger. Atheneum, 1995; Puffin, 1997
(0-14-038372-7) $4.99 pb
Long a staple of adult media, the courtroom drama is equally gripping in this fascinating novel for young adults, a sequel to Barry's Sister. Sixteen-year-old Ellen doesn't want to be involved in the malpractice suit against the doctor who delivered her brother; she hates the idea that trial will be focused on proving that Barry's cerebral palsy makes him inferior. "It always came back to this. That my Barry was the wrong Barry. Would another Barry, a "normal" one, give the best hugs?" But when Ellen meets Jack, the vibrant, passionate trial lawyer representing her family, she decides she wants to get involved after all. Her view of the trial begins to be built around fantasies how she'll impress Jack: "This trial could bring us together... it could be like the background music to a movie, the action happening all around the real story. Us." But the real story of the trial isn't about Ellen and Jack at all... it's about Ellen and Barry. And only at the end of the trial does Ellen realize that there was at much at stake for her as for her brother.
The description of the trial testimony, as seen by Ellen, makes this
book impossible to put down, and readers will be breathless by
suspense by the time they reach the ending. But perhaps even more
intriguing are the insights the book offers into why people would want
to pursue a case like this: not for greed, not for revenge, but so
that Ellen won't be trapped being only "Barry's sister" for the rest
of her life.
Emily Good as Gold by Susan Goldman Rubin. Browndeer, 1993
(0-15-276632-4) $10.95 hc; (0-15-276633-2) $3.95 pb
In some ways Emily Gold is an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl: liking pretty things, hating to seem different, starting to get curious about boys but grossed out at what she's heard about sex. But some things about her aren't ordinary at all: she needs to have her hand held when she goes anywhere unfamiliar, has trouble remembering whether it's a school day or not, and reads Frog and Toad Are Friends instead of Judy Blume books. Emily is developmentally disabled; she learns slowly, panics easily and has trouble remembering things. With the help of her loving family, she's learning how to take care of herself, but some things are hard to learn--like why she can't have a baby of her own or why she shouldn't be alone with certain boys. It doesn't help that her parents think she shouldn't be friends with any boys, even nice Donny who's in her class. Getting to know her sister-in-law Phyllis changes things for Emily, as she learns what it's like to be treated like an ordinary teenager--but her parents still won't let her pierce her ears or spend time with Donny. Then Emily is forced to make a decision for herself, and finally proves to her parents that she's ready to grow up.
With her sympathetic yet honest portrayal of Emily, Rubin shows that
the struggle to assert independence and maturity isn't limited to
"normal" teenagers. Emily's well drawn strengths and weaknesses make
it easy to identify with her as she learns both to understand her own
capabilities and to protect herself from becoming a victim. (10-14)
Emily in Love by Susan Goldman Rubin. Harcourt Brace, 1997
(0-15-200961-2) $14.00
The sequel to Emily Good as Gold finds Emily beginning high school with the "regular" students, although she still has to take special classes for the developmentally disabled. Even so, Emily expects to finally start acting like a normal teenager, and maybe even find a normal boyfriend; when a cute boy named Hunt is nice to her, she is sure he is the one. But Hunt also seems to like the very girls who pick on Emily the most. Meanwhile, Emily's friend Donny is making it clear that he likes her--but Emily doesn't want to be with another "special" person, not when she's trying to so hard to be normal...
Emily in Love continues an honest portrait of a developmentally
disabled teen. Its simple, direct language gives a sense of what it's
like to be inside Emily's head, as she struggles with problems and
decisions that are partly caused by her handicap and partly universal
to all teenagers. Anyone who's ever felt like a teenage freak--and
who hasn't?--will be intrigued by this journey into the world of a
girl who may always feel barriers separating her from "normal" people,
yet who is struggling to make a good life for herself anyway. (10-14)
Waterbound by Jane Stemp. Dial, 1996 (0-8037-1994-9) $15.99
In a bleak future, in which the environment is so depleted that people must pay for the privilege of walking on grass, computers monitor how much food you've eaten and how much studying you've done, and the all-powerful "Admin" keeps tabs on where everybody is at all times, sixteen year old Gem Rannesen discovers a shocking secret: a group of society's rejects--either mentally and physically handicapped--hidden out of sight, out of mind in river tunnels under the City. Strangely fascinated by the group, who call themselves "the Waterbound," Gem manages to visit them as often as she can. But when she falls in love with one-armed J2, the brother of a boy from the outside world, Gem unwittingly jeopardize the Waterbound's plan to force the City people to recognize their existence.
Reminiscent in theme and tone of John Rowe Townsend's young adult
science fiction--with a touch of Tanith Lee's Silver Metal
Lover--Waterbound is an intriguing Dystopian novel with
a surprisingly
satisfactory ending. The future society is rather carelessly
constructed, with too many plot holes for plausibility--for example,
we're expected to believe that despite the otherwise complete lack of
civil liberties in this society, "medical confidentiality" keeps
doctor's offices free from Admin's bugs--but the story is gripping and
thought-provoking nonetheless, bringing up questions about disability
rights, abortion and euthanasia, as well as just what it means to be
"normal."
Are You Alone on Purpose? by Nancy Werlin. Houghton Mifflin, 1994
(0-395-67350-X) $14.95; Fawcett Juniper, 1996 (0-449-70443-9) $4.50 pb
Alison Shandling and Harry Roth seem to be natural enemies: she's a nerdy loner, immersed in books and mathematics, he's an athlete, a popular kid--and a jerk, especially about Alison's autistic twin brother, Adam. In ordinary circumstances, their only relationship would be as tormentor and prey. But Alison, after fourteen years of being the good, normal twin, has well-developed guilt reflexes; when Harry's spine is injured in a diving accident, she feels morally responsible for ill-wishing him. Or does she perhaps sense that Harry--alienated from his widowed father, forgotten by his former friends--is as lonely as she is?
The first half of Are You Alone on Purpose, told alternately between Harry and Alison's point of view, is fairly interesting but not especially exciting. Even what should seemingly be the book's most dramatic moment--Harry's accident--happens "off-stage," and the book does not return to Harry's point of view until several months after the accident, completely bypassing his initial reaction. This apparent omission is well-planned, though: it leaves an opening for the real turning point of the story, the explosive moment when Alison realizes that she and Harry are somehow inextricably bound together:
"'I said get the fuck out of my life!' Harry repeated. 'Leave me alone.' If he hadn't been whispering, it would have been a scream. Alison managed to force her eyes up to his body, to his face, as white as his feet. She looked into his eyes. She though he was about to lose it, and begin screaming at her. Her head, miraculously, cleared. She reached behind her with one hand for the doorknob. 'I can't leave you alone,' she said. The words came from somewhere deep inside her and she knew, however horrible, they were true. 'And I won't.'"
From this moment, which happens at the exact center of the book, Are You Alone on Purpose? changes focus, as we start to see each character through the other's transforming perspective. In sweet, funny and touching scenes, Alison and Harry begin learning both how much they have in common, and how charming their differences can be--in other words, to fall in love. They move closer together, both emotionally and physically, until their two stories can be narrated as one--breaking apart at the end, narratively, only so each can start to deal with the other issues in their lives.
Are You Alone on Purpose? isn't completely successful as a novel
about
teenage alienation: Harry's side isn't badly done, but Alison's is so
well-diagnosed, there's not much room for subtle discoveries: we know
exactly what her problem is by page three. Harry's reactions to his
paralysis also seem a little too textbook at times. But though it
doesn't always work on an intellectual level, on an emotional one it
is endearing and memorable.
Author: a True Story written and illustrated by Helen Lester.
Houghton Mifflin, 1997; 2002 (0-618-26010-2) $4.95 pb
The cover illustration of this book, showing the author tossing page
after page of notes out of the shower as she washes, sets the mood for
this fresh and joyful picture-book autobiography. Lester writes a
short, engaging story about growing from a three-year-old, scribbling
hundreds of useful lists for her mother, who never once said "No thank
you, dear, I have enough," into a published author, "the first author
I had ever met." Even after overcoming a learning disability, writing
stories was sometimes very HARD as a child, and continues to sometimes
be very HARD as an adult--yet Lester's love for her craft could not be
more clear. Sprightly, unsophisticated pen & ink and watercolor
drawings enhance the humor of the story; although Lester writes
disparagingly of her skill as an illustrator--"my pig" is a simple
creature made mostly of circles, while "my illustrator's pig"
nonchalantly balances a refrigerator on one trotter while riding a
bicycle with the other--it's easy to be fond of her self-portrait of
herself as a rosy-cheeked, smiling, enthusiastic toddler who grows
into a rosy-cheeked, smiling, enthusiastic adult.
Succeeding with LD by Jill Lauren. Free Spirt (800-735-7323),
1997
(1-57542-012-0) $14.95
Although there have been great strides in recognizing and treating learning disabilities--or as this book calls them, learning differences--people with LD are still often thought of as stupid or weird. This collection of profiles of real people explodes the myths about learning differences, showing that people with LD can be highly intelligent, creative and successful. Their first person stories focus both on the problems they've had and on the accomplishments they've made, in all kinds of areas; Lauren, a special education teacher, did an excellent job in gathering a widely diverse batch of people, including doctors, writers, athletes and a seventeen-year-old musician in a punk rock band.
This book will probably most appeal to readers with LD, who will find
it an encouraging resource; lists of other resources are also
included, including several web sites. Some of the intriguing people
included, such as science fiction writer Samuel Delany and Dr. John
Horner (the model for the paleontologist in the movie "Jurassic Park")
may also grab the attention of readers who don't have a personal
interest in LD, and help them to understand that there's nothing
stupid or weird about it. (11 & up)
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