Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser, Laureleaf; ISBN: 0440413141; Reprint edition November 9, 1999. Despite recent media attention, obsessive-compulsive disorder remains perplexing to those who haven't experienced the illness firsthand. In her compassionate debut novel, Terry Spencer Hesser skillfully and credibly explains exactly what OCD feels like, as well as the effects it has on surrounding friends and family. Tara Sullivan first encounters her compulsive behavior at age 11, when she hears of the sidewalk game "Step on a crack, break your mother's back." Most people have had the experience of toying with this rhyme, but for Tara, it becomes something worse: "I couldn't not think the thoughts. And I couldn't not count the cracks." age level young adult 13+
Coping With a Physically Challenged Brother or Sister(Coping Series) by Linda Lee Ratto; Rosen Publishing Group, 1992. Young people talk about how they feel as siblings of the physically handicapped. age level young adult 13+
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars; Viking Press, 1970. A teen-age girl gains new insight into herself and her family when her mentally retarded brother gets lost. age level 14 - 16, grades 9 -12
Don't Stop the Music by Robert Perske; Abingdon
Press, 1986. A journalist becomes involved with two young people having
cerebral palsy.
age level 14 - 16, grades 9 -12
Wild Horse Summer by Hope Ryden, Paul Casale (Illustrator), Clarion Books, 1997. Alison spends her thirteenth summer on a ranch in Wyoming where she learns to ride a horse and where Kelly, who is blind, helps her overcome an old fear. age level 14 - 16, grades 9 -12
Bringing Nettie Back by Nancy Hope Wilson;
Atheneum, 1992. Eleven-year-old Clara's life is enriched by her friendship
with the vibrant Nettie, whose family is so different from her own, but
then a serious brain condition threatens to change Nettie forever.
age level 10 -13, grade level 5th - 8th
Don't Call Me Marda by Sheila Kelly Welch;
Our Child Press, 1991. This is a story about Marsha and her family. When
her parents make the decision to adopt a 'developmentally delayed' daughter,
Marsha finds that her world is abruptly changed, and not for the better.
Written from Marsha's point of view, this charming story accurately reflects
the adoption process and the feelings of those involved. The book is written
for grade school children and, although I found it easy to read, it was
engaging. age level 10 -13, grade level 5th - 8th
Christopher Reeve : Actor & Activist
(Great Achievers ) by Margaret L. Finn, Margaret Sinn; Chelsea House Publishers,
1997. This is an admiring biography of filmdom's Superman, whose life was
forever changed by the riding accident that left him a quadriplegic.
age level 11 - 13, grade level 6 - 9th
After the Dancing Days by Margaret I. Rostkowski;
HarperTrophy;1988. A forbidden friendship with a badly disfigured soldier
in the aftermath of World War I forces thirteen-year-old Annie to redefine
the word "hero" and to question conventional ideas of patriotism.
age level 11 - 13, grade level 6 - 9th
Are You Alone on Purpose? by Nancy Werlin; Juniper Publishers; 1996. A good student, Alison is afraid to cause trouble because of her autistic twin brother; Harry, the school bully, cries out for attention from his withdrawn rabbi father. Alternating chapters show Alison's and Harry's separate worlds before they are brought together by an accident that leaves Harry in a wheelchair. Out of loneliness and anger, the two forge a friendship that changes both of them. age level 11 - 13, grade level 6 - 9th
Falcons Wing by Dawna Lisa Buchanan; Orchard
Books, 1992. After her mother's death, twelve-year-old Bryn tries to make
a new life when her taciturn father moves them to a rural community in
Canada to live with her elderly aunt and her cousin Winnie, a loving girl
with Down's syndrome.
age level 11 - 13, grade level 6 - 8th
Tru Confessions by Janet Tashjian; Henry
Holt & Company, 1997. Twelve-year-old Tru wants two things more than
anything else--to find a cure for her twin brother, Eddie, who is developmentally
delayed, and to create her own television show. Written in the form of
a computer diary by the sassy heroine, this refreshingly humorous novel
sensitively portrays the struggles and triumphs of living with a sibling
with special needs.
age level 11 - 14, grade level 6 - 8
Unjust Cause by Tehila Peterseil; Pitspopany
Press, 1997. David's family cannot come to terms with his learning disability.
Like thousands of other children with learning problems, David is made
to feel foolish and inadequate. Then he enrolls in a Jewish Day School
and his life is changed.
age level 11 - 14, grade level 6 - 8
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updated July 2002