Verdict: An absolute must-have for every library. The main feedback was that they loved the character of Ellie, who "tells it like it is." But Ellie has hope for the future, friends, and feels part of a community in a way she never has before. Sumner has a son with cerebral palsy and also consulted children with disabilities in writing this book. There's no moment when an all-school assembly realizes how Ellie has changed all their lives and inspired them all to be better people (yes, this me being extremely sarcastic). In the end, there's no perfect ending everyone still has problems they have to deal with and that affect their daily life. In other words, Ellie is a typical middle schooler she's full of potential, has plenty of additional challenges to handle, and does her best to deal with what she's got. She secretly fears being put in an institution, like the nursing home her grandfather will eventually have to go to, and even when she understands why her mother is stressed she sometimes just can't let go of her own plans and problems. She sees her mom from a mature, almost adult viewpoint, understanding how much she's sacrificed to care for her and how difficult it is for her to handle her grandfather's decline, while still having moments as a kid. But she's also growing as a person, becoming aware of the issues faced by other people and of the challenges in and around her family. She's aware of her limitations, hates having to have help to go to the bathroom because the trailer is too small and inaccessible, and gets snarky and tells people off when they get on her nerves. Ellie is a refreshing and realistic character. Nothing is set up or accessible, and the only bright spot if the gym coach who has a background in physical therapy and rehabilitation.Īs Ellie makes it through bad days - her grandfather's episodes - and good days - experimenting with baking - she comes to realize that, as Coralee says, this is her new family. The kids (and staff) treat Ellie like some kind of weird freak one moment, then ignore her the next. Ellie figures he's probably on the spectrum. Bert, who lives along with his dad and is a bit (ok a lot) weird. To her surprise, she makes friends - Coralee, whose mother has left her with an elderly relative and who dreams of getting out by winning talent contests. Life in the trailer park is better and worse than Ellie expects. Ellie and her mom decide to extend their Christmas vacation and stay with their grandparents until things calm down a little. Meanwhile, Ellie's grandfather's dementia is getting worse and her grandmother is not able to cope with him. and has finally been seizure-free long enough to go off her medication. Ellie's gotten her long-awaited appointment with the dr. Luckily for Ellie, her mom has other things to think about. But kids in wheelchairs who have CP (Cerebral Palsy) are a "health risk" and are absolutely NOT supposed to skip. The thing is, she just needed a break and zipped out during lunch at school. She's eating freezer food while watching a baking show and hoping her aide doesn't call her mom. The story opens with a typical day for Ellie. So it wasn't a draw for me that Palacio had blurbed this book - is every book with a disabled character going to have to have the mark of approval of an abled person? Ahem. I will just say straight out that I am not a fan of Wonder, although I know it's extremely beloved and we own a ridiculous number of copies.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |