About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is starting to navigate complex social dynamics where someone uses their vulnerability or hardship to control others. While it is set during the 1950s polio epidemic, the core of the story is about the painful realization that a person facing a terrible illness can still be manipulative or even cruel. It is a sophisticated look at empathy versus pity, and the importance of maintaining one's own boundaries. Eleven-year-old Georgie is fascinated by her new neighbor, Phyllis, a beautiful teenager confined to an iron lung. However, as Georgie and her brother are drawn into Phyllis's world, they discover a web of deception and psychological games. This is an excellent choice for mature middle-schoolers (ages 10-14) who are ready for a realistic, slightly darker look at human nature and the historical realities of disability.
