The Amazing Edie Eckhart: Book 1

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This was an outstanding book from a new author who also lives with cerebral palsy, giving the story real insight into the experiences of a disabled tween taking those first big steps into real independence. Edie’s disability is obviously a key element of her story, but it never takes over to *become* the story. Instead, we see how Edie faces some big changes in her life, dealing with the occasional unthinking comment or obstacle as a result of her cerebral palsy but being a very average tween girl at the same time. This is very far from the kind of “inspiration porn” stories that are often shared regarding disability and is instead a story that is genuinely heartwarming and also laugh-out-loud funny, Sophie was also surprised and delighted to spot some strong, unexpected LGBTQ representation here too. The character of Edie is very inspirational because she joined a theatre club, got a lead role, and then did something as ambitious as to change the lead character’s gender. Mr. Murphy is a character that I think is good for Edie because he motivates her a lot when the performance of a Christmas Carol is nearing.

De 11-jarige Edie en haar beste vriend Oscar gaan naar de middelbare school. Maar hoe moet het nu Oscar ineens in een andere klas komt en gelijk een vriendinnetje krijgt? Ze heeft altijd genoeg gehad aan haar beste vriend Oscar, maar nu hij druk bezig is moet ze er aan geloven.... ze zal andere vrienden moeten maken. En...zal het haar lukken om tijdens haar eerste schooljaar een date te scoren?Using verse rather than prose, the book follows Stevie’s thoughts and inner monologue, not only focussing on her feelings but also on her parental relationships, anxiety, friendships, and love of reading. And it is Stevie’s love of reading, especially about sea-creatures, that leads her to research in a library. When heavily pregnant form tutor, Mrs Adler suggests Edie audition for the school play, Edie gets the lead and decides to nab herself a boyfriend by Christmas. She negotiates her way through failed dates with boys who would be better as friends, eating sausage rolls, and learning her lines. Despite her oldest friendship falling by the wayside with a huge argument, Edie makes friends with set-designer, Flora, who becomes very important to her.

I’m a little bit different. I have a disability called cerebral palsy, so I talk slowly and fall over a lot. It’s never really bothered me because I’ve never known anything else. Written in diary format with awesome illustrations by Natalie Smillie, the story follows Edie - an eleven year old girl from Bridlington, Yorkshire, as she starts secondary school. Edie has cerebral palsy, a great family, a best friend called Oscar, and a positive, sunny disposition. But while she’s plotting her reunion with Oscar, she accidentally gets cast as the lead in the school play. As Edie discovers a passion for performance, she also finds new friendships, talents, and dreams. After all, it’s easy to shine on and off the stage when you’re Amazing with a capital A. A sparky middle-grade series from TV comedian Rosie Jones. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and DORK DIARIES. Mr. Murphy motivates Edie by saying that her performance is not as good as it could be, and as an actress Edie practices until she is the best she can be. I think that it was a good idea because after that conversation Edie works extremely hard practicing her performance to prove Mr. Murphy wrong about her performance skills.

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LOVE IT! Wat mij betreft een must-have qua thematiek. En fantastisch lekker geschreven voor en vanuit kind/tiener(perspectief). I love that the book is written in diary format, it feels like you are right there experiencing it all with Edie and not just viewing her life from a distance. The story is laugh-out-loud funny, with great one-liners and comments that make you think ‘yep, because it’s TRUE’! There is just the right amount of angst and cringe, it is fully relatable to teens/pre-teens.

I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.* It’s such a happy book. Full of kindness and giggles, I am far from the target audience. I’m forty. I wasn’t reading it with or to a child. I was reading it for me. I really like Rosie Jones, and I can’t remember seeing any books with a disabled main character when I was a kid, and that would have been nice because my mother was in a wheelchair. You've probably heard this already, but just in case you haven't; Edie has cerebral palsy, just like the author of this novel, Rosie Jones. You're probably seen Rosie around if you're into any of the comedy panel shows; she's often on Dave or the BBCs, being really quite extraordinarily funny. Her humour translates beautifully into this book.

Edie was a wonderful character but I have to say that I liked her in the end more than in the beginning. There is quite a simple reason for that. In the beginning Edie was a nice girl and a great MC, but she kept using her CP to get out of things (The Card), or expected people to do everything for her because of that. While she is very much able to do things herself. When someone told her no she just would get huffy. And there were some other things that just had me shaking my head. But as the story continued I started seeing a new Edie. One I definitely liked more than the one in the beginning. I saw an Edie who discovered that she can do things. That she can be independent. That her CP doesn’t always work with things, but that there is plenty that she can do. She doesn’t need someone to bring her tights or clean her mouth if she dribbles. It was also great that there were also key characters who told her this, who talked to her. She really grows a lot in that aspect and it was just beautiful. I loved that she discovered that not only is she a great writer, but also a great actor. I loved seeing her embrace her role in the musical and see her try to get through the lines (so many of those). I loved seeing her add a little bit of her own in the character she is playing. As a massive fan of Rosie Jones, I was super excited when I saw that she had released a children's book. Even more excited when I found out that the central character of said book would have cerebral palsy. The disability that Rosie Jones lives with. I really like the character of Flora because she is not afraid of being who she is around other people. She is also not scared to stand for what she believes in. I like how she influences Edie to try new things even if it is reading a DC comic instead of a Marvel comic. I found the debate on fictional heroes funny because it would be a normal thing to do with your friends (to have silly debates over nothing).

She also is supported by Mrs. Adler. I think Mrs. Adler is a good role model for Edie because she feels that she can trust Edie enough to share things about her life which makes Edie comfortable enough to confide in Mrs. Adler at a time of need for Edie when she didn’t really have anyone to talk to. And most peeps know how I often feel about little brothers or sisters? Well, I have to say that Louie was just adorable and sweet. I loved how he was with Edie and how Edie was with him. The fact that it is created as diary entries is cool because it has a personal touch. It gives you an idea of how Edie is feeling throughout the book which is especially good at some of the more tense moments in the story. The fact that it is written from Edie’s point of view is interesting because you can read how she felt in different scenarios and you can think whether other characters like Flora or Oscar would have felt acted in a different manner. I didn’t really like Oscar throughout the book because as soon as Edie branches out and finds an interest for her that doesn’t involve him, he becomes quite unsupportive. I think this is quite mean because Edie supports Oscar with his football training and matches.Each generation has a series of children’s books that is guaranteed to spark nostalgia in the decades to come. They grew alongside the characters that they love. For my parents, it was The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. For me, it was Rainbow Magic and Goosebumps. Now, Rosie Jones is bringing this joy to another generation. As a child I found solace in books. I loved going to the local library bus and taking part in reading challenges. Fictional adventures accompanied me through the school hallways and on the playgrounds of my youth. It’s also equally as important that non disabled children have access to these types of books because it helps them learn and understand their peers better. I would recommend this book for everyone, including parents/teachers/adults of all kinds. There are excellent jokes that will make you giggle too, Clare Balding and Alan Carr both feature (lol), you’ll have to read the book to find out more! It’s the start of Year Eight and there’s a new girl in Edie’s class from America! Edie can’t wait to get to know Mia and her twin brother, Benjamin. This is Thrilling with a capital T! Especially as Mrs Adler sits Mia next to Edie in class. Mia has a hearing impairment and wears hearing aids. She seems shy and Edie knows how scary it can feel to join a new school. Maybe Edie can be the jam to Mia’s jelly? It’s time for… THE FRIEND MISSION!