Where You See Yourself

Starred review from March 6, 2023
A teen with cerebral palsy combats ableist school administrators while searching for the perfect college in Forrest’s refreshing and empowering debut. Because of her high school’s poor accessibility compliance, wheelchair user and senior Effie Galanos is used to her mother stepping in to campaign for proper accommodations. Effie’s mom, knowing she won’t be there to help her daughter at college, compiles a list of wheelchair-friendly universities, but Effie dreams of studying multimedia at Prospect University in New York, “one of the least accessible cities in America.” Encouraged by Wilder, her crush and fellow Prospect applicant, Effie determines to prove to herself and to others that she can advocate for her own accommodations by speaking up against school administrators for the right to participate in senior off-campus lunch. But after discovering seemingly insurmountable accessibility barriers on Prospect’s campus, Effie and her family must reevaluate how to move forward. Via upbeat and honest prose that eschews didacticism and heavy-handed messaging, Forrest expertly communicates one wheelchair user’s challenges of navigating an ableist world. Pitch-perfect rom-com moments bursting with dry humor balance mature reflections on relationships, personal agency, and disability advocacy. Main characters cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary.

April 15, 2023
Grades 10-12 This coming-of-age story for teens who have to grit their teeth as they pursue their dreams follows Effie, a determined protagonist who must decide which college is right for her. As Effie makes her way through her senior year of high school, she tests the waters of new romance, fights with friends, and deals with an apathetic school administration. Amidst all these changes, Effie must ask herself what she wants. Forrest's debut is a mirror for teens with disabilities, highlighting the joys and struggles of everyday life: Effie, who uses a wheelchair, has to adjust to new adaptive tech, vocalize IEP requirements, and just deal with disappointments that nondisabled student do not have, like a lack of accessibility at a dream school. Readers with disabilities will empathetically recall similar experiences and cheer Effie along on her journey. With its themes of friendship, identity, and community, this is an ideal novel for readers who are readying for college and for whatever comes next in life.

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Starred review from August 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-High school senior Effie wishes the college application process could be as easy for her as it is for her friends and classmates without visible disabilities. Greek American Effie is cued white, has cerebral palsy, and is the only person at her school who uses a wheelchair. When apathetic school administrators create an arbitrary policy that keeps her from being physically able to join her friends for off-campus lunch, Effie realizes she must start advocating for herself if she's going to be ready for college in the fall. Effie and her friends stage a sit-in to protest the policy, which solidifies Effie's goals of pursuing journalism and advocacy. College applications loom, and while Effie's friends get to make life decisions based on academics, location, and feel, Effie and her mom have crafted a detailed spreadsheet of variables based on the accessibility of each school (or in many cases, lack thereof). A family visit to Effie's dream school in New York City provides some glaring examples of the challenges that await Effie once she leaves home: elevator outages in subway stations, a gravel path that runs through the heart of campus, and the school's lack of disability representation among the student body. Effie's dry humor, determination, and strong sense of self drive the plot forward. VERDICT A refreshing upstander story that buoys realistic disability advocacy with humor, grit, and a witty protagonist worth rooting for.-Allison Staley

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2023
A college-bound teen with cerebral palsy learns to advocate for herself. Even though her friends are buzzing about senior year and their college plans, Greek American Euphemia Galanos can't muster the same enthusiasm. For Effie, an aspiring journalist, choosing a college is fraught with additional variables: Are the dorms wheelchair accessible? How easily can she navigate campus? Such concerns threaten to derail her dream of attending New York's prestigious Prospect University, home to an excellent journalism program...and the choice of her crush, Wilder. As if Effie doesn't have enough on her plate, she faces discrimination from Mill City High's administration--and this time, her mother insists she manage things herself. But Effie isn't used to speaking up, and her efforts go awry. How can she show her mom she can handle moving from Minnesota to New York if she can't be assertive? And will she ever get the chance to tell Wilder how she feels? Forrest, also a wheelchair user with CP, explores the role of media representation in developing self-confidence and refreshingly highlights the importance of disabled peers. Readers will appreciate Effie's conflicted, insightful introspection and appraisals of her options; those who struggle to speak up will empathize as she finds her voice. Supportive friends and family and a sweet romance add warmth. Wilder reads White; there's some racial diversity among the supporting cast members. Affirming, uplifting, and thoughtful. (Fiction. 13-18)

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