Stronger at the Seams

Gr 7-10--Stocker's debut YA novel tells a moving story of strength following a freshman girl struggling with a mysterious illness. Twyla's new nausea, headaches, and moodiness begin five years after the death of her mother at the start of high school. Her doctors say it's a mild digestive issue, but their recommended treatment makes her feel worse and she believes she has to take matters into her own hands to find a diagnosis herself. As her symptoms worsen, she is also dealing with her father's struggles with her mother's death, her annoying but well-meaning brother, falling out with her closest friends, and a mean girl on her field hockey team. Readers will find Twyla's story to be a balanced read, driven by the plot of Twyla trying to figure out her illness alongside the character-based empathy they will feel for her. The writing is descriptive and lyrical in style. Any teen who has a chronic illness or disability will relate to Twyla's frustration with her peers as she struggles to simply go to school while feeling unwell and her peers gossip about boys and popularity. VERDICT This must-read book for teens with chronic illness has universal themes for all readers about the importance of self-advocacy, family, and friendship.--Taylor Skorski, School Library Journal * School Library Journal *
Overall, Stocker's young adult debut packs a hefty punch, building to a crescendo of emotions and a satisfying conclusion. * Booklist *
Shannon Stocker. Blink, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-310-16235-3 Fourteen-year-old Twyla Vogel thinks that helping her Louisville, Ky., high school's field hockey team win games should be her only concern. Instead, she's preoccupied with how sick she feels; dealing with frequent nausea and declining appetite during games, sleepovers, or school dances has taken its toll. Worse, her two best friends are spending more time together without her, a teammate seems determined to undermine her at every opportunity, and she's developed confusing feelings for her childhood friend Elliot. Following a discouraging doctor's visit during which she's diagnosed with constipation, Twyla searches for answers herself. Spurred by her recent studies in AP biology, Twyla wonders if her illness could be linked to her late mother's genetics. Twyla's accessible narration depicts her tumultuous situations: her physical struggles, her distant relationship with her father, grief over her mother's death five years earlier, her changing friendships. Based on the author's family experiences, as discussed in an endnote by Stocker (Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion), it's a compassionate interpretation of one teen's difficulties navigating health concerns and medical advocacy. Most characters cue as white. Ages 13--up. Agent: Allison Remcheck, Stimola Literary. (Oct.) * Publishers Weekly *
This must-read book for teens with chronic illness has universal themes for all readers about the importance of self-advocacy, family, and friendship. * School Library Journal *
Twyla Vogel, 14, lives by her late mother's assurance that 'everything happens for a reason.' When she starts experiencing symptoms that won't go away and the doctors' diagnoses don't make sense, she's convinced there's a reason. Things only get worse when her best friends start acting fishy outside of school, her relationship with her father devolves into fights over her health, and she has confusing feelings for a boy--all while her symptoms continue. She's plagued by nausea, convinced she must have an allergy that's wreaking havoc in her life, but the doctors won't take her concerns seriously. No matter what she does, she can't figure out why all of these things are happening, and she feels like she's broken. Twyla is at times immature in her attempts to fix the problems in her life and harsh to her younger brother, but her emotional arc feels appropriate for her age and the frightening health insecurity she faces. Overall, Stocker's young adult debut packs a hefty punch, building to a crescendo of emotions and a satisfying conclusion. -- Booklist Magazine * Booklist Magazine *