Ellie's favorite thing is baking. It doesn't matter if she's in a wheelchair as long as everything she needs is within reach. When she's baking, there's no room left in her brain for worrying about CP, nosy aids, or her sick grandfather.
When her grandfather crashes his truck into a building, Ellie and mom leave Nashville to move into a tiny trailer with Mema and Grandpa.
Ellie is happy to be with her grandparents but nervous about starting a new school. She has one goal: no full-time aid. Having an adult you around everywhere including the bathroom and making all your decisions is not the way to blend in.
Even though she's nervous about school, she's starting with something she's never had before--a real friend. Coralee lives with her grandparents next door in the trailer park. She wants to be a country music star, and she's decided she and Ellie should be friends.
Eufala, Oklahoma, may not be perfect, but it's pretty darn good, and Ellie is learning to roll with the good and the bad.
Jamie Sumner's new book is a sweet story about a girl dealing with the challenges of middle school, a grandfather with Alzheimer's, and divorced parents while also being a girl with a disability. CP is a big part of the novel because it's a big part of Ellie's life, but it's not the whole story. This is a refreshing story about a fully realized character and not just a disability personified. Readers will cheer for Ellie and get a little insight into life with a disability. The author is also the mother of a son with cerebral palsy and writes for parents of special needs children. Highly recommended!
No comments:
Post a Comment