Owning It: Stories About Teens With Disa

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From an acclaimed anthologist, a stellar collection of stories about teens with disabilities -- and the tenacity, spirit, and humor that drive them.

Chris Crutcher takes us on a wild ride through the mind of a teen with ADD, while David Lubar's protagonist gets a sobering lesson from his friends. In Gail Giles's tale, Brad can't help barking at his classmates but finds understanding when he gives a comical (and informative) presentation to his entire school. And Robert Lipsyte introduces us to an elite task force whose number-one enemy is cancer. Whether their disabilities are physical or psychological, the subjects of these powerful short stories -- written by ten outstanding young adult authors -- meet every day with wit, intelligence, and courage.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Everything is under control as far as Brad is concerned. Is he the only one who doesn't see there's a problem? Here's to Good Friends DAVID LUBAR "Spit out that gum!" I hate it when teachers shout. What's his problem? I looked up at Mr. Forester, who was huffing down the aisle toward my desk. First period on Monday, you'd think he'd have the decency to let us ease back into the grind. School's enough of a drag without having to plunge right into quadratic equations, the Great Depression, or the use and misuse of the gerund. "Ratner, spit out that gum right now. I asked you three times. Are you deaf ?" "Me?" Mr. Forester pressed right up against my desk. "Is there another Brad Ratner in the room?" "If there is, I hope he did my homework." I heard some choked-back laughs from around the room. I glanced over at Jordie and grinned. Forester bent forward and got right in my face. "Now." I pushed my chair away from the desk and walked over to the garbage can. Patoooee. Thunk. I love the sound gum makes when you spit it into a can. I wonder if there's some kind of career where I could do that. Wouldn't that be awesome? I could see myself like one of those street musician guys with the wild hair and shaggy beard. Playing the gum can. Yeah. I could set up different cans, with different sounds. Pass the hat. Make enough money to buy more gum. Maybe get famous and be in Rolling Stone. Brad Ratner, world's best rhythm spitter. Of course, a beard might be a bad idea, with all that gum. Crap. Forester was shouting again. I headed back to my seat. Almost tripped, but I caught myself. Maybe I should tie my laces. Not cool, but definitely less trippy. Forester glared at me and shook his head. "Every day, Ratner. It's getting old." Yeah, so are you. At least he left me alone for the rest of the period. I met up with Jordie in the hall when the bell rang. "You better watch it," he said. "Forester is going to give you detention." "Nah. He can't. I've got detention deficit disorder." Damn. That was pretty funny. I let out a laugh as I realized what I'd said. "Yeah, that's it. I've got DDD. Got a note from my doctor. I even have a prescription for attituderol. They gotta treat me special. It's the law." "Dickhead." Jordie gave me a push. And then he forgot all about everything in the world except his glands because his main squeeze, Carla, was coming down the hall. Carla. Yum. She was fine. Hot. Smart. Fun. She had this body that, if she was made out of cake, you'd eat the whole thing because it would be impossible to stop after a couple bites. She reached us and gave Jordie the sort of hug that's illegal in seventeen states. Lucky man. I think they're going to be together for life. That's cool. I was happy for them. After they untangled, she looked over at me and said, "Oh. Hi, Brad." No smile. That's the thing. She was hot. But sometimes, for no reason at all, she was cold. Maybe I should call her Faucet. Wasn't there a Sarah Faucet or something like that? I could call her Shallow Faucet. But that would piss Jordie off. And I wouldn't do that to my best pal. I mean, even though we've been hanging since tenth grade, he could have dumped me when they started going out. But we still did lots of stuff together. "Brad." "Huh?" "Did you hear what Carla said?" "No. Sorry. I was thinking about something." "She said they added seats for the sold-out show. The extra tickets go on sale tomorrow night." "For Razor Heart Nine?" That was awesome. They'd just released a new CD. I could play the first part of a couple of their songs on my guitar. Jordie frowned. "What are you talking about? We saw them l Excerpted from Owning It: Stories about Teens with Disabilities All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7-10-Stories about teens with disabilities are not often a top choice for YA leisure reading. Nonetheless, when told well, they cut to the bone and open a window to empathy. This anthology by a stellar cast of YA authors introduces teens with a mix of physical and psychological problems from asthma to Tourette's syndrome. The young people's challenges are broad and diverse, and the settings range from high school to hospital environments. Robert Lipsyte's story about cancer is a creative and compassionate survival tale. Recuperating in the hospital, several boys share one commonality, the unnerving wait for their prognoses. Chris Crutcher revisits Eddie, the main character from The Sledding Hill (HarperCollins, 2005). Eddie's racing and obsessive thoughts-and nonstop talk-replicate a frustrating day in a very intelligent boy's ADD zone. David Lubar's "Here's to Good Friends" is about a teen alcoholic, the surviving drunk driver in an accident that kills two friends. Fortunately, it's a setup. Jolted to face his denial, Brad has the fantasy wake-up call of a second chance. Some stories give hope, some strive to smooth out an unfortunate twist of fate, yet too many press toward real situations that feel too simple. Overall, a useful but not outstanding collection.-Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

This collection features ten solid stories about teens with disabilities by writers including David Lubar, Chris Crutcher, and Alex Flinn. Main characters range from acrimonious wheelchair-using Olivia in Ron Koertge's "Good Hands" to morbidly obese nice-guy Gordo in "Fatboy and Skinnybones" by Rene Saldana Jr. Also addressing chronic drinking, migraines, and cancer, these stories will broaden readers' definition of disability. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.