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Although being in a wheelchair will make the trip difficult, Darcy feels called to go with members of her church on a mission to Guatemala, where she and her sister help a deaf orphan.

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Editorial Review :

University of Ottowa, Ontario, Canada. A multidisciplinary reference work for health professionals treating those in wheelchairs orthopedics, bioengineering, occupational and physical therapy, nursing. 17 Contributors, all Canadian.

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Editorial Review :

Benjamin, sad and lonely in his wheelchair, receives help from two angels when they create the opportunity for him to fix his old friend Tony's flat bicycle tire.

Customer Review :

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Editorial Review :

This series takes a thoughtful and positive look at disabilities, encouraging children to think about ways in which disabled people overcome their problems and lead fulfilling lives. The books deal with many aspects of everyday life, such as going to school, getting around, and taking part in sports events. Each title shows well-known people with disabilities and looks forward to future developments that may affect people's lives. The books contain a comprehensive glossary, index and list of useful addresses.

Customer Review :

Nice Idea -- Still Presents Some Misconceptions

Does not totally disspell misconceptions, as advertised: At one point, a picture caption with a vintage picture of a school for crippled children [term appropriate for the vintage picture] tells that once, crippled children "had to make their own chairs," leaving a small child to assume they were perhaps either very poor or were being punished. In fact, the picture was probably showing vocational training in the area of chair caning, so that the students would leave school with a marketable job skill.

Also, the book is decidedly British, and Americans and others might want to preview this offering to determine whether or not the attitudes and information in the book are reflective of the purchaser's location.

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Editorial Review :

Twelve-year-old Sarah Bennett, a young victim of cerebral palsy, yearns to become a part of the "normal" world, and she gets her chance when she is mainstreamed into a regular school, makes a new best friend, and learns to come to terms with her special challenge.

Customer Review :

disappointing and disturbing

I bought this book for my daughter, who has CP, like the girl in the story. I was hoping that it would be a story about living with CP and becoming independent. And, while it was those things, it also had some disturbing undertones... one of her friends (also with CP) lives in an institution and his mother visits him there once or twice a week when she isn't working... reading this through the eyes of my daughter I am horrified. That particular impossibility is something that hasn't ever ocurred to her; I don't need this book to plant it in her mind. Also, "being Sarah" sounds like being a girl stuck in a family with a cruel and unthinking father, an overworked mother, and fears about being institutionalized. This does NOT get a good rating, and I'm glad I read it first -- I will NOT let my daughter read it.

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Creates great awareness about non-verbal communication

As a mother of a child who is non-verbal, I thought this was a great book. Through the main character in the book, I was given a little more insight as to what kind of thoughts might be going through my child's mind, and how he may feel not being able to communicate with words. The book created an awareness of how communicating with symbols can help a person who cannot talk. It also gives those who communicate verbally an idea of how they should interact with people who use alternative methods of communication.

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Talking about people with disabilities

I was very disappointed with the Product Description for this book. Saying that Sarah is a "victim" of cerebral palsy is not respectful, nor was the review from the School Library Journal that says that Sarah is "confined" to a wheelchair. Both ways of describing Sarah focus on the negative. That's not how I want my children to think about people with cerebral palsy. How about saying she "has cerebral palsy" and "she uses a wheelchair"? These are statements of fact, rather than a judgment. Subtle but powerful!

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