Stuck In Neutral - Softcover

Trueman, Terry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0340817453 ISBN 13: 9780340817452

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books, 2002

Synopsis

Shawn has cerebral palsy: highly intelligent, he has no control whatsoever over his body or its functions. His eyes wander or settle without control. His mouth, tongue, swallowing muscles all have a life of their own. No act of will by Shawn can affect anything he does or anything that happens to him. Yet Shawn's mental life is full of dreams and hopes and love and appreciation of all that is around him - music he happens to hear, things and people that happen to cross his line of vision.

Then Shawn begins to fear that his father - from despair at Shawn's condition and believing that Shawn has no life, and never can have, is no more than a vegetable, and never will be - is planning the unthinkable - to put him out of his misery - to kill him . . .

About this title

Review:

Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel loves the taste of smoked oysters and his mother's gentle hugs. Unfortunately, it's impossible for Shawn to feed himself or to hug his mom back. Shawn has severe cerebral palsy, a condition he has had since birth that has robbed him of all muscle control. He can't walk, talk, or even focus his eyes on his own. But despite all these handicaps, despite the frustration of not being able to communicate, Shawn is still happy to be alive: "Somehow all the things I think about and remember turn to joy... favourite movies... pinecones... chocolate pudding... the scent of Comet in a stainless steel sink.... Life can be great, even for me. Even for me." That is why he panics when he begins to suspect that his father is thinking of killing him. Shawn knows that his father is trying to be kind; he imagines that his son's life is an endless torment. His dad has no idea of the rich life that Shawn lives inside his head. And Shawn, helpless and mute, has no way of telling him.

Stuck in Neutral is a unique journey into the mind of a truly unique character. Shawn McDaniel, who is literally trapped in his own body, will serve as a powerful metaphor for teens who feel cornered by circumstances or their own physical shortcomings. Terry Trueman's first-person portrayal of Shawn is made all the more poignant by the fact that Trueman's own son, Henry, also suffers from cerebral palsy. This is an original and moving debut. (Ages 11 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert

Review:

An extraordinary journey into the landscape of someone else's mind ... a seriously good book that cuts to the heart of issues concerning the disability ... a real page-turner. (Lyn Gardner, Book of the Month in The Guardian)

a moving, thought-provoking novel, whose subject matter lingers in the mind. (Anne Marley, Principal Librarian, Children's and S)

An intensely moving autobiography of adolescent angst and supreme loneliness. It's an impressive book, harrowing to read, and very difficult to forget. (Marilyn Brocklehurst, Norfolk Children's Book Cent)

Extraordinary, prize-winning novel ... a page-turning thriller as well as a celebratory book about simple pleasures. (The Sunday Times, July 2001)

Readers spend the whole book inside a place . . . so vivid, so unique, they will be hard pressed to forget its mix of heaven and hell . . . An intense reading experience. (Booklist Starred Review)

. . . a fascinatingly horrifying premise. Is there anything more scary to us than being trapped inside a broken body that doesn't work . . . ? (The Enterprise)

Stuck in Neutral is a marvellous book full of hope and humour and one I would actively encourage 12+ readers to pick up. (Samantha Eels Taylor, BfK July 2001)

. . . a truly unique journey into the mind of a truly unique character . . . an original and moving debut. (Amazon.com)

... this book will not easily be forgotten ... one which has much meaning and deserves to be read by many. (Kids Out)

'Because it lends itself to the unknown and tells us things we normally would never even think about and because the narrator's down-to-earth, open-hearted candour is so persuasive ... Stuck In Neutral is a page-turner of a novel- exciting, approachable, inclusive.' (Carousel Issue 19)

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0340817453
• ISBN 13: 9780340817452
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128