The Year of the Buttered Cat

Thirteen years ago when Lexi was a baby, something happened that left her with almost no control over her body.  Her brain is fine, and she's happy to have parents and older siblings who treat her like a regular person and find ways to communicate with her, but it's frustrating to not have her own voice.

Her best means of communication is by moving magnetic letters on a cookie sheet.  She can't get all her thoughts across, but it's relatively effective.  Now that she's thirteen she wants to undergo a risky brain surgery that could help her gain some control over her body and her voice, but it could also take away some of the control she already has.  Everyone, even people who don't really know her, has an opinion about the surgery, but Lexi insists it's her decision.

As Lexi and her parents wait through the hours leading up to the surgery, she thinks back to when she was five years old and so many things became clear to her.  

Lexi is convinced if she can just figure out what her gifts are, she will gain control of her body.  She believes her body is just slow coming in, like some kids take longer to learn to talk or read.  This is also the year she meets to new friends, sisters in her homeschool French class who accept Lexi and have the patience to communicate with her.  It's also the year a mysterious letter shows up, and she knows it has something to do with her.  And we can't forget about the family cat who also disappeared during this time.  Well, it's more her therapy dog's cat than a regular family cat, but that's a long story.  

This is a fictionalized memoir written by Susan Haas with assistance from Lexi Haas to tell the story of life with a physical disability.  Lexi comes across as intelligent and strong willed and her mother as a champion for her daughter who also struggled in the beginning to accept help.  The cause of Lexi's disability is finally revealed, and an afterword goes into greater detail.  This book is a great reminder that difficulty in communicating does equal a lack of intelligence or understanding.  Recommended.