May 1, 2012
Grades 3-6 This is the stylized but true story of Emily Eaton, a Canadian schoolgirl who has cerebral palsy. After being told that she would need to move to a special school for disabled children after first grade, Emily's parents began a three-year crusade to ensure that she would be included in a regular educational setting. The episodes in which Emily delivers a speech via tape recorder to her classmates or revels in the simple joy of making music with a percussion instrument are the basis of the argument in favor of her inclusion. Books about the philosophy and methodology behind educational inclusion are not rare, but they are usually meant for professional collections. This book offers a unique poignancy, captured in photos and an epilogue written by Emily herself, that comes from its real-life implications and that other resources on the topic often lack. It presents issues of equality, access, and parity in a narrative style that is easily accessible to any child who may be experiencing their own uncertainty with inclusion situations at school.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)