The Amazing Edie Eckhart: Book 1

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The fact that Edie has made friends in the theatre club, like Tom and Poppy, is good because over time she can reach out and be known by their friends. I also really like how patient and kind he is when Edie trips over by carrying a mini first aid kit. The book is written in the format of Eddie’s (main characters) personal diary in which she talks about her CP and how it impacts her life but she also talks about the fun, hard, exciting and sometimes boring things in life just like any average teenager.

We also meet some other girls, Georgia was eventually pretty nice but dang that girl needs to understand that there are some things you shouldn’t say. Happy for Edie because she’s on to a whole new adventure, but sad for me, because I���m going to miss her. Rosie’s The Amazing Edie Eckhart series is inspired by her own experiences of navigating a school with cerebral palsy. Tally's autism means there are things that bother her even though she wishes they didn't, and it also means people misunderstand her or think she can't understand when she can. It is relatable because there are a few cerebral palsy-related occurrences that happen that I have experienced.The Amazing Edie Eckhart follows Edie, a pre-teen with cerebral palsy, as she starts senior school and discovers her love of the performing arts. I loved hearing how Edie described herself and her life and the fact that the dilemmas revolved around all the usual pre-teen stuff. For the first time in my life, I found a book that encapsulated what it was like to be young and not understand what is happening to you, or why you feel different from everyone else.

She cares very deeply for her friends and likes to make new ones - well, as an introvert I can't really empathise there, but it fits her personality beautifully. 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. What’s worse is Edie’s parents and home teacher think it’s a good thing, that she should make new friends. It’s beautiful and important to have such a lovely and loveable main character with cerebral palsy that everyone can relate to.Will she even be able to make new friends and get a boyfriend like every one else seems to be doing, or will everyone just think she’s strange and want nothing to do with her? I have no doubt that Edie will be a terrific role model and this book is another important step in normalising disability. On one occasion Edie does play this card dishonestly, an incident which this reviewer found distasteful.

However, I ended up really liking Oscar after reading the whole book because he becomes very supportive when he realises how much Edie enjoys the theatre club. I purchased this book as a gift for my friend's ten year old daughter and as a fan of Rosie's comedy couldn't resist having a sneaky read.She muses: 'when Thor was stripped of his power and banished to Earth by Odin, did he mope around and throw his hammer out of the pram? But after joining a computer and coding club at her new school, Emmy finally feels like she has found her rhythm.

Read this all in one go, I couldn't put it down (except for when I put it down for a couple of minutes in the middle to go get biscuits)! I’m a society where children’s books don’t often portray the main character - a child - with disability, nor even dare to mention anything remotely LBGTQ+ this has all the elements to give enough info but not rammed down the readers throat. 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). The story was fun, the characters interesting and the issues raised are complex enough to be realistic, but explored in a way that youngsters would enjoy and understand. She negotiates her way through failed dates with boys who would be better as friends, eating sausage rolls, and learning her lines.I think most people could identify with someone or a situation in this book; starting secondary school and those pre teen years are a huge deal for everyone. While at primary school, Oscar was always on hand with his ‘Edie First Aid Box’ to supply a plaster or spare pair of tights, the book shows how Edie is now (albeit reluctantly at first) learning not to lean on him more than she needs to. But all I could find were stories about princes chasing after princesses, and queens being saved by knights. Thankfully, since my own childhood, there has been an explosion of LGBTQ+ representation in children’s fiction.