BOOKS

Middle school is an overwhelming time for anyone. From growing into a teenager and trying to figure out who you are, it can be a lot of pressure. Now, just imagine doing all of that while trying to hide your back brace from the whole school.

The what author Rachel Hruza tackles in Dear Isaac Newton, You’re Ruining My Life. The book (out March 20) is about seventh grader Truth Trendon who has just discovered that her scoliosis has advanced and that she has to wear a back brace. Rachel writes a compelling middle-school tale that captures the realities of living with scoliosis while maintaining the realistic drama of everyday life.

Besides keeping her diagnosis underwraps, Truth also has to deal with the usual mean girl drama, keeping her friendship with Megan and wondering if anything will ever come out of her year-long crush on Brendan. To add more drama to the mix, the school sets up Truth with Oliver, a classmate with muscular dystrophy. An unexpected friendship blossoms between the two as Oliver helps Truth Truth's keep things in perspective when faced with having to be "different" from the rest of the student body.

During the course of the story, "Before Brace" Truth transforms into "During Brace" Truth, the girl who isn't afraid to stand up for herself. But, ultimately, she must decide if she's strong enough to risk revealing her secret to the rest of her school.

Do you have a secret you keep close to your chest? How do you deal? Leave your answer in the comment section below.

by Andrea Ruano | 2/22/2018