Blindsided - Hardcover

Cummings, Priscilla

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525421610 ISBN 13: 9780525421610

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

In many ways, Natalie O'Reilly is a typical fourteen year- old girl. But a routine visit to the eye doctor produces devastating news: Natalie will lose her sight within a few short months.

Suddenly her world is turned upside down. Natalie is sent to a school for the blind to learn skills such as Braille and how to use a cane. Outwardly, she does as she's told; inwardly, she hopes for a miracle that will free her from a dreaded life of blindness. But the miracle does not come, and Natalie ultimately must confront every blind person's dilemma. Will she go home to live scared? Or will she embrace the skills she needs to make it in a world without sight?

About this title

About the Author

Priscilla Cummings lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10 Natalie, 14, knows that her future is becoming dimmer as the loss of her eyesight is a nightmare she can't avoid. Her vision has been diminishing from a congenital disease since she was eight, but now the prognosis is not if, but when. As she states, You can't prepare for going blind. Part of going from denial to acceptance is attending a boarding school for the blind. Hostile, angry, and uncooperative at first, she slowly begins to concentrate on learning Braille, using her cane, taking self-defense classes, and making new friends. This story probes the overlooked gifts of physical normalcy and brings awareness to the tremendous barriers the blind face visible and otherwise. Natalie is a credible character and her fear is palpable and painful. From boarding-school life where she and her roommate are attacked by drunks, to back at her family's farm where all goes wrong, readers follow her emotional and physical struggle. First there's the compromised birth of a goat, and Natalie must reach into the birth canal to save the baby. As she notes Even eyesight wouldn't help her now. Meanwhile, a rabid bear is beating down the barn door. This all-at-once action is a bit over-the-top, but it showcases Natalie's emergence from despair and her capabilities. Readers will enjoy the high drama and heroics. Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
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About this edition

• Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0525421610
• ISBN 13: 9780525421610
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240