Not If I Can Help It (Scholastic Gold)
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
From award-winning Carolyn Mackler, the story of Willa, who has been living with Sensory Processing Disorder but is thrown for a BIG loop when her dad announces he's dating Willa's best friend's mom.Willa likes certain things to be certain ways. Her socks have to be soft . . . and definitely can't have irritating tags on the inside. She loves the crunch of popcorn and nachos . . . but is grossed out by the crunch of a baby carrot. And slimy foods? Those are the worst.Willa can manage all these things -- but there are some things she can't deal with, like her father's big news. He's been keeping a big secret from her . . . that he's been dating the mom of Willa's best friend Ruby. Willa does NOT like the idea of them being together. And she does NOT like the idea of combining families. And she does NOT like the idea of her best friend becoming her sister overnight. Will she go along with all of these changes? NOT if she can help it!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mackler (The Universe Is Expanding and So Am I) delivers an up-close look at Sensory Processing Disorder through this bighearted story about a girl's tumultuous fifth-grade year. Willa Grover, who is white, is best friends with Indian American Ruby Chaudhary; they're in the same class on Manhattan's Upper West Side. They both like gummy bears and cold treats, but Ruby is easygoing while worrier Willa dislikes change. Willa doesn't want most people, even Ruby, to know that she sees an occupational therapist twice a week. Her daily life with her father, little brother, and babysitter has settled into a comfortable routine after her parents' divorce, even though she often feels "Invisible Weird" privately out of step with those around her. So when her father and Ruby's mother announce they're dating, Willa feels that her carefully constructed world is being unfairly squeezed. Willa's supportive mom and stepdad live a couple hours away, and a classmate seems determined to make Willa even more uncomfortable. Drawing from her own family's experience, Mackler creates authentic characters and honest situations, pulling readers into a warm, involving story about a girl navigating adolescence while coping with personal challenges and inevitable changes. Ages 8 12.
