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A review by katiemayveil
Real by Carol Cujec, Peyton Goddard
5.0
Charity is 13 years old, she likes pizza, strawberry shakes, music, swimming, and puzzles. She is highly intelligent and has an almost perfect memory, but no one knows that because she has never spoken.
Her mom picks out her outfits, which are usually an all pink mess that Charity despises. She goes to a 'school' for mentally handicapped children where abuse happens, she gets shut in the 'time-out' closet at least once a week for hours at a time. All of that changes one day when Charity's mom stops by the school unannounced and see's all the ridiculous things happening there. She is then on a quest to have Charity attend an actual school that will support her learning.
Charity is accepted into a regular middle school, where she has a wonderful aide that helps her with motor skills, meditation to help her control her body, and she finds friends who don't care that she can't talk. She slowly finds her place in school and with her peers and thoroughly enjoys learning. When she is finally given the means to communicate for herself, she is beyond happy, but still unfulfilled. She realizes that she needs to be the voice for others like her who can't express themselves verbally.
Real by Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard was a tear-jerker. I loved that the viewpoint of the story is Charity's and that we can hear her 'voice'. It made me wonder how many times I may have treated someone in Charity's shoes differently. This would be a phenomenal book for a discussion group, a classroom, or for a parent and children. It starts a conversation that should be happening regularly, but most likely isn't.
Her mom picks out her outfits, which are usually an all pink mess that Charity despises. She goes to a 'school' for mentally handicapped children where abuse happens, she gets shut in the 'time-out' closet at least once a week for hours at a time. All of that changes one day when Charity's mom stops by the school unannounced and see's all the ridiculous things happening there. She is then on a quest to have Charity attend an actual school that will support her learning.
Charity is accepted into a regular middle school, where she has a wonderful aide that helps her with motor skills, meditation to help her control her body, and she finds friends who don't care that she can't talk. She slowly finds her place in school and with her peers and thoroughly enjoys learning. When she is finally given the means to communicate for herself, she is beyond happy, but still unfulfilled. She realizes that she needs to be the voice for others like her who can't express themselves verbally.
Real by Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard was a tear-jerker. I loved that the viewpoint of the story is Charity's and that we can hear her 'voice'. It made me wonder how many times I may have treated someone in Charity's shoes differently. This would be a phenomenal book for a discussion group, a classroom, or for a parent and children. It starts a conversation that should be happening regularly, but most likely isn't.