Wildoak - Middle-Grade Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

The 2023 Schneider Family Book Awards were given out in January. The award honors an author or illustrator for "... the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences." This week I'm sharing the 2023 middle-grade award winner, Wildoak, written by C.C. Harrington.

Maggie Stephens goes to stay with her grandfather in the country. Her parents hope that some time in Wildoak Forest will improve her stuttering. While Maggie is there she finds a snow leopard cub that had been purchased as a gift and then abandoned. It is set in 1963 when a wild cat like a snow leopard could actually be purchased at Harrods in London from the exotic pet department that they called Pet Kingdom. Fortunately, that ended in 1976 with the Endangered Species Act.

Although Maggie stutters when she speaks to humans, she is able to speak quite clearly to animals. The story is about communication on many different levels. Even the forest has a voice. It is ultimately a story about compassion and understanding. This is author C.C. Harrington's debut novel. She has experience teaching students with learning differences. Perhaps that is what makes her so empathetic to people who are different. One of the most poignant quotes is, "... there's room in this beautiful, complicated world of ours for all of us. Just as we are. In fact, there is a need for it."

Middle-Grade Honor Titles included Honestly Elliott by Gillian Dunn and Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd. Honestly Elliott is a story of a boy starting middle school who struggles with ADHD while Hummingbird features a twelve-year-old girl who uses a wheelchair due to brittle bone disease.

For more stories of resilience, check out these books:

Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion written by Shannon Stocker and illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

It's My Whole Life: Charlotte Salomon: An Artist in Hiding During World War II  by Susan Wider 

Jubilee: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream written by KT Johnston and illustrated by Anabella Ortiz.

Keep up with my book reviews on more exciting stories of resilience by signing up for my newsletter. Visit the Sign Up Page on my website at www.wordtravelpress.com for details and discover free offers.