Parents' Guide to

My Thirteenth Winter

By Pam Gelman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Honest story of life with learning disability.

My Thirteenth Winter Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 18+

my thirth winter summary

i think its realy boring

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
age 12+

Great read for anyone who has a learning disability, teaches children or knows someone with a learning disability.

Loved it! Very inspirational and heartbreaking at the same time.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (7 ):

This is a great resource of information and support for kids having experiences similar to Samantha's and ideal for readers who like books about teens overcoming challenges. Most kids take the simple things they do during the day for granted, like giving a cashier the right amount of money to buy lunch, knowing you can chat for five minutes before the next class, or opening a locker easily. These are things that terrified Samantha Abeel. It's hard enough just wanting to fit in, but add to that a profound learning disability and any kid would want to be invisible.

MY THIRTEENTH WINTER gives a detailed account of Samantha's experiences during the school years, leading up to her diagnosis through college. Life is an intense struggle for Samantha, as she honestly describes. The book ends on a realistically optimistic note regarding her future and happiness.

Book Details

  • Author: Samantha Abeel
  • Genre: Autobiography
  • Book type: Non-Fiction
  • Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
  • Publication date: January 1, 2005
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 14
  • Number of pages: 203
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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