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Honor Roll titles

Cover for Wonder
January 19, 2018

Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

In the time since I first read Wonder, my understanding of my disfigurement, and the world it occupies, has transformed. How will I now read and receive what was the most personally representative book of my life?

Cover for A Boy Called Bat
October 20, 2017

Review: A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

Despite some reservations, our reviewer would recommend this contemporary novel about young Bat – and the reviewer’s ten-year-old goddaughter agrees.

Cover for Unfolding
May 5, 2017

Review: Unfolding by Jonathan Friesen

The portrayal of epilepsy in this book was frustrating and disrespectful. People with epilepsy deserve better than this.

Cover for Stoner & Spaz
April 21, 2017

Review: Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge

Stoner & Spaz is funny and often unafraid of ambivalence, and I feel similarly ambivalent: liking a lot of what I got, yet wanting more of the stuff between the lines of what Ben says and does.

Cover for Queens of Geek
March 31, 2017

Review: Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Queens of Geek is an authentic and refreshing portrayal of an autistic and anxious girl.

Cover for You’re Welcome, Universe
March 3, 2017

Review: You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

Julia is a Deaf teen girl who is creative, artistic, and passionate. And she is an authentic portrayal of deafness.

Cover for Omegaball
February 24, 2017

Review: Omegaball by Robert J. Peterson

I was intrigued by the virtual-reality premise, but this book is a veritable hotbed of misogyny and a case study in how not to write a wheelchair-using character.

Cover for Handbook for Dragon Slayers
February 17, 2017

Review: Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Princess Tilda does not demonstrate the need to “overcome” her clubfoot, that word many of us in the disability community have come to loathe. To me, Tilda represents a new kind of heroine, who is strong and doesn’t need saving, but also acknowledges and shows her vulnerability and insecurities.

Cover for What I Couldn’t Tell You
February 3, 2017

Review: What I Couldn’t Tell You by Faye Bird

All the way through the book, I felt that something was slightly off with the portrayal of Tessie’s selective mutism, but in a way that made it hard to pin down.

Cover for Wonderstruck
December 2, 2016

Review: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Wonderstruck is wonderful. It is, to date, the most creative and ambitious novel about the d/Deaf experience in America I’ve ever come across.

Cover for Our Chemical Hearts
November 18, 2016

Review: Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland

The characterization and descriptions of Grace do disabled readers a disservice in more ways than one.

Cover for Dead Girls Society
November 8, 2016

Review: Dead Girls Society by Michelle Krys

I appreciated the honesty and authenticity with which the emotional aspects of serious illness were written; the actual details of day-to-day life with cystic fibrosis, however, were a mixed bag.

Cover for Skim
November 4, 2016

Review: Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Skim does a good job of showing misguided attempts to help those with depression, and lets the reader see the absurdity for themselves.

Cover for Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling
October 21, 2016

Review: Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank

I wish this book, featuring a girl newly diagnosed with Crohn’s, had existed when I was a teenager — my recurring thought throughout was, “Oh my god, someone wrote a book for me!”

Cover for The Half-Life of Planets
October 7, 2016

Review: The Half-Life of Planets by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin

While some elements of the representation were handled decently, I ultimately wasn’t a fan.

Cover for Deenie
September 16, 2016

Review: Deenie by Judy Blume

When Deenie was first published, it may well have been a positive representation of the experience of a child with scoliosis, but it hasn’t held up well.

Cover for A Time to Dance
September 2, 2016

Review: A Time To Dance by Padma Venkatraman

Venkatraman creates a fully-formed character, and nails both the details and the emotion of having a limb amputated and adjusting to life afterwards.

Cover for Other Broken Things
August 5, 2016

Review: Other Broken Things by C. Desir

Any time I pick up a book about addiction and recovery, I do so with equal parts hope and trepidation. Despite our differences, I understood Natalie fully and completely from the get-go.

Cover for Crazy
June 3, 2016

Review: Crazy by Amy Reed

I appreciated the nuance present in both Izzy’s portrayal as an undiagnosed teen with bipolar disorder and in the reactions of those around her.

Cover for Game World
May 6, 2016

Review: Game World by Christopher John Farley

Eli is a refreshing wheelchair-using character who regularly surprises and aids the protagonist with his skill set and mind.

Cover for When We Collided
April 15, 2016

Review: When We Collided by Emery Lord

Vivi’s struggle with bipolar disorder was portrayed accurately and compassionately, and I would highly recommend the book for readers who want to understand the illness better.

Cover for Six of Crows
March 26, 2016

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows portrays disability with incredible nuance; it’s realistic, respectful, and perfectly integrated into the characters and story.

Cover for On the Edge of Gone
March 24, 2016

Review: On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis

An emotionally wrenching book, but a worthy one, and one that treats its autistic protagonist with every bit of the realism and respect that she deserves.

Cover for Otherbound
March 24, 2016

Review: Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

I highly recommend this book to readers with disabilities who enjoy fantasy, particularly amputees. It’s great to see one of our own portrayed authentically and centered as a main character in an exciting adventure.

Cover for Bitterblue
March 23, 2016

Review: Graceling and Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

This series is a fascinating look at how a writer can acknowledge the “magical cure” trope and improve on the portrayal in later books.