About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is grappling with feeling different due to a physical condition or is dealing with the quiet stress of financial instability at home. Twelve-year-old Ked Eakins faces a world that feels increasingly stacked against him: he has a spinal condition called kyphosis, his mother has left, and his father is struggling with a gambling addiction. However, Ked finds his voice and his agency through the school's Maker Space, using engineering and creativity to rebuild his sense of self. This is a poignant and realistic look at resilience that avoids being overly sentimental. It speaks to middle-grade readers (ages 8 to 12) about the power of finding a community where you are valued for what you can create rather than how you look. It is a powerful choice for parents wanting to validate a child's feelings of isolation while offering a concrete path toward hope and self-reliance.
