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134 pp.
| HarperTeen
| September, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-202803-7$17.99
(2)
YA
Shawn (Stuck in Neutral), born with cerebral palsy that prevents voluntary movements, has lived his fifteen years unable to communicate. The problem is he's able to think, learn, and love. Mom's cousin Debi, who has Down syndrome, is able to sense the real Shawn. Shawn lives a rich interior life, and Trueman's characterization of his protagonist is vivid and multidimensional.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2012
(4)
4-6
In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, thirteen-year-old José must quell his fears as he leads his family and small Honduran village in rescue and recovery. Trueman realistically presents his protagonist's anxieties and concerns in the face of disaster. A happy ending for José and his family is never in doubt, though, which dilutes the story's impact.
(3)
YA
Third-baseman Scott sweats out a week waiting for his AIDS test results after his best friend (who once bled all over him after a baseball bat–induced nosebleed) announces he's gay. Rejecting the tough jock mentality around him, Scott confronts his ignorance and homophobia, learning lessons about life and friendship both on and off the playing field.
(3)
YA
Sixteen-year-old Jordan, a loner who's still unable to talk about his father's suicide three years after it occurred, develops an obsession with his mother's boyfriend's 1976 Corvette and sneaks it out for nighttime joy rides. In this spare, emotionally honest first-person narrative, Jordan gets caught up in a tangle of lies about the car but ultimately confronts his grief and anger.
(4)
YA
In this sequel to Stuck in Neutral, basketball star and high school senior Paul McDaniel examines his out-of-control anger and comes to a better understanding of both his estranged father and his severely handicapped brother. Despite some patchy writing, this rather unsubtle character study will interest readers of the earlier book.
(2)
YA
Born with cerebral palsy and unable to communicate, Shawn is presumed to have the mental age of a three-month-old. Bright, funny, occasionally sarcastic, and astonishingly optimistic, Shawn longs to make contact with others. This fascinatingly horrifying premise evokes one of our darkest fears and deepest hopes--that a fully conscious being may be hidden within such a broken body, as yet unable to declare his existence.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2000
6 reviews
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