Juvenile Fiction
Harper Collins
2001-10-09
ebook
144
Oyster
2001 Michael L Printz Honor Book
Shawn McDaniel's life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle—he can't even move his eyes. For all Shawn's father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release. And as long as he is unable to communicate his true feelings to his father, Shawn's life is in danger. To the world, Shawn's senses seem dead. Within these pages, however, we meet a side of him that no one else has seen—a spirit that is rich beyond imagining, breathing life. This edition features an Extras section, giving readers even more insight into Shawn's life, and includes a Q&A with Terry Trueman, as well as a sneak peek at the sequel to Stuck in Neutral, Life Happens Next.
I can’t decide if this was awesome or awful. Terrific or terrifying. Delightful or dreadful.
OK, I’ll stop.
It was short and definitely compelling, akin to a trainwreck. I couldn’t help but watch and wonder where this book was going. It’s written from the viewpoint of a 14 year old boy, which I am not, but I spend plenty of time around said beings, so….I think the voice was pretty accurate.
As I read the books in my Printz project list, I’m asking myself several questions. Am I enjoying this? Do I think this is an award-winning book? Would I recommend this to any of the students I know, or any of the adults, for that matter?
In the case of this book, first off: I’m not sure *enjoy* is exactly the right word, but I didn’t hate it. It kept my attention, and I’m sure I’ll continue to think about it for days to come.
As to the other questions: award-winning, important book for teenagers? Recommended to others? I struggle. This feels like a book that adults would read and think was important for teenagers. When I look at Goodreads or Amazon reviews, I can’t tell if the reviewers are adults or teens, so it’s hard to gauge what the target audience thinks of this one. It’s also old enough, that there’s probably not a lot of current teens that have or even will read it. Of the books that I’ve read, only a few have really stood the test of time, as far as I can tell. I suppose that’s the way with all awards.
And so I continue on this journey. I’ve already finished another of the 2001 honor books, and just have one more to go. So far, I’ve been able to read all of these books through my Oyster subscription, Neibors (ebooks through my library), or hard copies from the school library. I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me to check out books from school before, I think of that library as being for the kids…but that’s just silly! All those books, just waiting to be read!