Publishers Weekly
04/29/2024
When Ellie Egan’s Deaf boarding school closes, it means she’ll have to move home to Cincinnati, where she’ll be forced to complete her senior year at Amber High as the only Deaf student. It starts out poorly: one of Ellie’s interpreters continually misrepresents what Ellie is saying, leading to an emotional outburst that sparks rumors that Ellie is “pretending to be deaf.” Meanwhile, Jackson Messina doesn’t understand the constant numbness in his legs or why he’s feeling so fatigued. Following a disastrous outcome at his last soccer match, he’s been avoiding his team, who are still angry. Asked to give the new student a school tour, Jackson agrees but fumbles when he realizes she’s Deaf. However, Ellie’s prickly personality intrigues Jackson, and he begins teaching himself ASL. Via Jackson and Ellie’s alternating perspectives, Sortino (Give Me a Sign) details Jackson’s health challenges and Ellie’s conflicts at home taking downward spirals, which leave the teens wondering if they’re better off alone. The pair’s sweet courtship leans into missteps and aching human moments in this empathetic romance that intricately depicts Deaf and disabled experiences. Protagonists cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kari Sutherland, KT Literary. (July)
From the Publisher
Praise for On the Bright Side
★ "A sweet, well-written romance with just a touch of drama for excitement. The book never feels preachy or lags narratively in the interest of didacticism, yet it also tells a meaningful story about ableism, audism, and self-determination....A skillfully executed, nuanced, and engaging book." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Ellie and Jackson...make for an adorable pairing who slowly get to know one another and overcome the hurdles of communication through accommodations with tenderness and humor. In a story that could have easily become didactic, Sortino instead brings depth and care to discussions around disability pride, the difficulty of a disability that is constantly in flux when others think you “look” healthy, and the desire for a cure for painful and progressive illnesses." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
“On the Bright Side is a poignant, romantic, and deeply heartfelt story of resilience in the face of life’s most challenging and unpredictable circumstances—and how love can be the thing that sees us through. You will be thinking about Ellie and Jackson long after you’ve turned the last page.”
—Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be and The Way I Am Now
"Tender, honest, and utterly human, On the Bright Side is a sparkling story that reminds us to live life on our own terms, even when it throws us a curveball." —Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay
"[Ellie and Jackson’s] sweet courtship leans into missteps and aching human moments in this empathetic romance that intricately depicts Deaf and disabled experiences." —Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2024-04-05
Two teens find each other while dealing with disability and ableism.
Ellie, an 18-year-old Deaf girl, must move back in with her family when her residential Deaf school closes. Now she faces the ableism of her public school classmates, an unprofessional and incompetent interpreter, and living with her hearing (and prejudiced) family members, who don’t understand how to respect her Deafness. Jackson is another senior at Amber High. He’s a disgraced soccer star who cost his team the state championship when he unexpectedly collapsed on the pitch. His dad has dangerously high expectations for him, both in athletics and in life, and his mom thinks everything can be cured with alternative medicine, including Jackson’s mysterious and worsening symptoms. One thing Ellie and Jackson do have is each other. This story is, most simply put, a sweet, well-written romance with just a touch of drama for excitement. The book never feels preachy or lags narratively in the interest of didacticism, yet it also tells a meaningful story about ableism, audism, and self-determination. Readers will pick it up for the plot, but some will come away validated in their own experiences of disability; some will leave with more knowledge and awareness of ableism. That said, what the characters go through avoids any whiff of exploitative “inspiration,” and the story leaves plenty of room for Sortino to explore differing experiences of disability. Ellie and Jackson read white.
A skillfully executed, nuanced, and engaging book. (language note, author’s note) (Fiction. 12-18)
