Belonging

by Deborah Kent

Overview

Meg enters high school, where she is the only blind student. She must deal with the discomfort of teachers and classmates, as well as her own longing to fit in.

When 15-year-old Meg Hollis insists on entering her local high school, her parents are skeptical. Because Meg is blind, they worry that she will not be able to keep up with her class work or find her way through the halls. They tell her she can try it for a semester; if it doesn't work out, she can go to the Institute for the Blind.

Meg finds herself under pressure to succeed academically, to show her parents that she can handle regular school. But the hardest part for her is the social scene. Meg longs to be part of the "in crowd," and works hard not to appear different from her peers. A group of unconventional friends and a memorable teacher help Meg discover who she really is. During a tumultuous few months Meg learns that it is not her blindness, but her sense of herself that makes her unique.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780595193950
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/01/2000
Series:	People with Disabilities Press
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.04(w) x 7.96(h) x 0.54(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

Editorial Reviews

“What comes as a constant surprise is the author’s ability to speak about blindness without sentiment or self-pity. Rarely in a children’s book has a physically handicap been so factually dealt with. There are incidents in Belonging that are very painful, such as the high school principal’s asking Meg to make a display of her Braille equipment for Parent-Teacher Night. But such scenes will only strengthen the story’s appeal for youngsters. Being different is the bete noire of adolescence, and Doborah Kent’s novel handles the subject with skill.”
—Belonging, 12/30/1899