30. Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
ISBN: 0060285192
HarperCollins Children’s Books, New York, 2000
114 pages

Teaser: Shawn is a brilliant 14 year old who remembers anything he hears. He loves life and has a vivid imagination. The only thing is, Shawn has Cerebral Palsy and can’t move, speak or communicate with the outside world.

Summary: During his birth, Shawn suffered a ruptured vessel in his brain that left him with Cerebral Palsy. CP is a condition that cripples his body and ability to speak or react to his world out loud. In Addition, Shawn has seizures that cross circuit anything positive that he is feeling or dreaming about and puts him into a darkness that he doesn’t know if he will come back from. Like when the dog died, he just simply stopped being and vanished. Shawn’s mother is loving and attentive to Shawn, but his father cannot handle the fear of the unknown and life that Shawn is living and leaves when he is three years old. If only he could put his thoughts and dreams down in writing, everyone around Shawn could understand that he is content and even happy with his life and absorbing all that he hears and sees on television and through conversations no one knows he hears.

Evaluation: I like this book. It places strength and happiness in Shawn, who cannot express it for himself. It also gives hope and confidence in the parents who must deal with the struggles of not knowing from hour to hour if Shawn will be with them, or lost to the next seizure. I think it shows a parent’s unwavering love and devotion to a child and the little things that they do to make children content and thrive in a terrible situation. I would read other works from this author.

Challenge issues and age recommendation: In the story, the father considered killing Shawn because he thought Shawn was suffering and would want to be freed from his problems. Despite this, the overall tone of the story is not terribly morbid or sad. Believing in the ability of the less fortunate and to still try to enrich their lives and promote good feelings was a key to the love shown to Shawn. I would recommend this book and would explore other books written by this author. I would recommend this book for readers 12 and up. May be too simplistic for high school students and was a short, easy read.