It's Monday and what am I reading?
I've been re-reading a review copy of my friend Janet McLaughlin's new book. It's available for pre-order (see link below) now and will be published in August.
I think middle-grade readers will find this novel so very appealing.
What's inside may surprise you-- and them. I don't know of many books for kids this age about Tourette Syndrome.
This is such an important book. But it's also fun and complicated and beautifully written in Izzy's appealing and spot-on voice.
Books written from the heart can take a long time to percolate, get written and revised many times over!- and find a home. Janet was not about to give up on this book. I'm so happy that DIFFERENT is now ready for the world.
Here's a little of what she says in her very helpful Author's Note about what inspired her to write about Tourette Syndrome-- a family member she's calling Madison:
What was going on in Madison’s head when she couldn’t walk down the street without stopping and touching the ground every few minutes? When she couldn’t leave a room unless she flicked the light switch on and off at least three times. How did she feel when she lost control and went into a screaming rage? I could only guess.
And that’s what I wanted to contribute to the world with this book. I wanted to let
the world know about this neurological condition on an intimate level— what it’s
like to actually live with the condition.
This is the link to the publisher's website. You can order the book, read more about it, and see this great endorsement from a long-time educator:
“As an educator for more than thirty years, it is wonderful to find a text that promotes an understanding of differences. I have had several students with Tourette Syndrome... This book lends itself to class discussions about what it means to be ‘Different.'”
Lora Netherland
Thanks Augusta for your very kind endorsement of my book. Hopefully DIFFERENT will help people understand, at least a little, this neurological disorder. And maybe help make a few lives less difficult.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a pretty important and unique book. Thanks for telling me about it. I will be looking for it. I just finished reading Behind These Hands by Linda Vigen Phillips -- a book about a family dealing with Batten disease. Beautifully written and another important book. Happy reading and writing, Augusta.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, this sounds fantastic!! I'm always looking for new books that allow people with different experiences and conditions to be the stars of their own stories. Really looking forward to this one. Thank you for sharing it!!
ReplyDeleteOh my, DIFFERENT sounds very important. The first middle grade book I read about Tourette syndrome was very eye-opening. Have you read Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus? I wonder if this book will pair well with that one. I'm definitely adding it to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI cannot find DIFFERENT on Goodreads, but I see a blog post about it. So hopefully it will be added soon (or I'll figure out why I cannot find it) because this is one I would really like to read once it's available. Thanks, again!
ReplyDeleteI once taught a boy with Tourette Syndrome. He was in my class for grade 1, 2 and 3. His outbursts became less frequent as he became more comfortable with the rest of the group. His next teacher wasn't so accommodating. There is a child with Tourette Syndrome in Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. I wish these had been around when I had that lovely boy in my class.
ReplyDeleteThis does sound like an important book. Thank you for sharing! Have a great reading week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a completely new to me book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments, everybody. I'll check in with the publisher and am sure it will be on Goodreads soon!
ReplyDeleteRosi- I'm hearing a lot about Linda's new book. Must read!