Normal: One Kid's Extraordinary Journey
By Joly Herman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Inspiring, graphic story of boy with facial differences.
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What's the Story?
In NORMAL: ONE KID'S EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY, authors Magdalena and Nathaniel Newman recount the challenges that Nathaniel experiences, having been born with Treacher Collins syndrome. These challenges, told from both his mother's and his point of view, are described with brutal honesty. Magda recalls thinking, "This is the worst day of my life," when she saw Nathaniel for the first time. Her truthfulness serves as a baseline as she and her family endure nearly 70 surgeries to help Nathaniel do basic things like breathe, eat, and hear. Nathaniel is pretty immune to the looks and comments that people make when they see him for the first time. He lets it all roll off his back, knowing what real challenges -- and real friends -- look like. When the book Wonder comes out and then is made into a film, he's asked to play a special role in making the movie realistic. His family continues to advocate for people who are different, making the world a little more "normal" for every unique person.
Is It Any Good?
This is a fascinating and graphic memoir of a family's struggle to live with a child's severe craniofacial impairments. Normal: One Kid's Extraordinary Journey is really two stories -- Nathaniel's almost impish account of his life to date, and a survival story told by his mother, Magda. There are flashbacks to her childhood in Poland and also her struggle with cancer. These sidelines are interesting, but they aren't always relevant to Nathaniel's story or his personal experience.
One of the things that makes Nathaniel's story incredible is his ability to accept his situation for what it is. He speaks about not knowing anything other than life as he's lived it. His mother's narrative serves to show how much labor has gone into raising a child with severe challenges. Her point of view is graphically detailed. She's brutally honest with herself and challenges those who don't show compassion. Whether her side of the story is really compelling to kids is questionable. But as real-life superheroes go, Nathaniel has definitely earned his status.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Parents can talk about the role that kid -- and adult -- bullies play in Normal: One Kid's Extraordinary Journey. How does Nathaniel cope with people's reactions to his facial differences?
Nathaniel loves playing video games when he is in the hospital. When is screen time helpful? When is it too much?
Nathaniel and his family notice a big change in peoples' reaction to his facial differences after the movie Wonder comes out. How do movies have the ability to change opinions and behaviors?
Book Details
- Authors: Magdalena Newman , Nathaniel Newman
- Genre: Autobiography
- Topics: Activism , Brothers and Sisters , Great Boy Role Models
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: January 14, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: January 26, 2020
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