How to Disappear Completely
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- 5,99 €
Publisher Description
"When Emma discovers the first spot, 'like a tiny bright moon' on her left foot, she's at the funeral of her grandmother, who had been her best friend as well. The diagnosis is vitiligo, a skin condition triggered by stress. Creating a large multigenerational cast, Standish knits an absorbing story of loss, identity, and human connections. A rewarding, realistic novel, illuminated by magical elements." —Booklist (starred review)
Wonder meets Some Kind of Happiness in this powerful tween novel from Ali Standish, author of the Carnegie Medal nominee The Ethan I Was Before and August Isle.
While her grandmother was alive, Emma’s world was filled with enchantment. But now Gram is gone, and suddenly strange spots are appearing on Emma’s skin. Soon, she’s diagnosed with vitiligo—a condition that makes patches of her skin lose their color—and the magic in her world is suddenly replaced with school bullies and doctor appointments.
But when Emma writes one last story in the journal she shared with Gram, something strange happens. Someone writes back to her, just like Gram used to. Who’s writing to Emma? And just what is her story going to be, now that everything is so different?
Award-winning author Ali Standish explores the ways life transforms us, and how we learn to let go of what we must while still holding fast to who we are.
"Seamlessly blending childhood wonder with the slow lessons of maturity, this tale succeeds in celebrating curiosity, thoughtfulness, and collaboration, centering on relatable characters who welcome readers into their world." —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Seamlessly blending childhood wonder with the slow lessons of maturity, Standish (August Isle) sketches a detailed portrait of 12-year-old Emma Talbot, a girl encountering loss. A voracious reader with a boundless imagination, Emma spent every weekend with her creative Gram in the fairytale-esque town of Lanternwood until the beginning of the summer, when Gram admitted that she had terminal cancer and the Talbots moved in to help. Now living in Gram's cottage with her parents and older sister, Emma is starting seventh grade at the local school, where she knows no one, despite her time spent in town. On top of dealing with Gram's death and a strained familial relationship, Emma, whose skin resembles her mother's (it's "much darker" than her father's "buttercream" complexion), notices white spots on her skin spots that multiply and get bigger by the day. What follows is a season of growth as Emma learns to navigate the complexities of her newly diagnosed vitiligo while puzzling through a few mysteries left by Gram. Though the ending feels a bit too neat, this tale succeeds in celebrating curiosity, thoughtfulness, and collaboration, centering on relatable characters who welcome readers into their world. Ages 8 12.
