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(2)
YA
"This is a victim impact statement." Readers immediately learn the victim is thirteen-year-old Lizzie but not the precise circumstances of her situation. What is known is that Lizzie spent the summer in the Adirondacks with Uncle Davy and her friend Matias, who has proportional dwarfism. Cliffhanging chapter endings hint there's always more to be told, as Lizzie's voice, alternating between stream-of-consciousness and emotional outbursts, invites readers to participate in structuring this powerful narrative.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2018
298 pp.
| Dial
| January, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-0-399-18621-9$16.99
(3)
4-6
While mourning the loss of her beloved dog, short-statured Julia Marks gets cast (much to her chagrin) as a Munchkin in a summer production of The Wizard of Oz. The play helps her mature and make new friends, including adult dwarf Olive. Julia's interior monologue--full of insights and frankness--is humorous, refreshing, and appropriately childlike; theater fans should also enjoy this behind-the-scenes look.
388 pp.
| Hyperion
| October, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-3500-5$16.99
(3)
YA
Jepp never felt that his size was remarkable. But then a stranger invites him to become a court dwarf for the Spanish Infanta. The posh surroundings offer only ridicule and humiliation, so Jepp escapes, soon finding an eccentric master in astronomer Tycho Brahe. The sixteenth-century European settings are richly detailed, historical figures are intriguingly represented, and Jepp is a likable and believably flawed protagonist.
393 pp.
| Dutton
| May, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-42325-6$16.99
(3)
YA
Jane, her brother, and their father move back to the Coney Island home in which her mother, who died when Jane was young, grew up. She's befriended by a group of sideshow carny teens, including "goth dwarf" Babette and handsome, mysterious, heavily tattooed Leo, both fighting against encroaching gentrification. Altebrando's wistful narrative reads like a warts-and-all love letter to Coney Island.
202 pp.
| Clarion
| February, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-547-18203-2$20.00
(2)
4-6
Tom Thumb was discovered at age four by P. T. Barnum, given a thorough makeover, and promoted far and wide. Little people had long been displayed as freaks, but Tom Thumb, with his genuine show business skills, broke the mold. Sullivan places the man in the context of his times, bringing both to life in an engaging text complemented with black-and-white photographs. Bib., ind.
Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2011
152 pp.
| Farrar
| May, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-374-33513-7$16.99
(3)
4-6
Twelve-year-old Henrietta loves being a clown like her five-foot-nine-inch mother and little-person father; she never wants to leave the circus, her extended family. Then a tragic turn of events forces her--and everyone else--to make choices. Filled with intriguing details about traveling-circus life, this is a colorful look at an unconventional family, starring the plucky and appealing Henrietta.
(2)
4-6
The novel introduces its main character by having readers touch their left ears with their right hands, something Georgie cannot do because he is a dwarf. What could have been heavy-handed becomes a way for readers to empathize with Georgie as he faces sibling rivalry and a falling-out with a friend. Graff has created a likable, realistic fourth grader.
(3)
4-6
Longtime friends Lucy and Jake have always been an unusual pair, since she is 5'10" and he is a dwarf, so Lucy knows junior high will be a challenge. Set in suburban Delaware in 1977, Lucy's lively first-person narration tells a gently meandering story (which includes the "Great Dwarfland Adventure") about how friendships and families change and adapt.
32 pp.
| Whitman
| October, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-8075-5563-0$$15.95
(4)
K-3
Photographs by
Bill Youmans.
This photo-essay about living with dwarfism is ostensibly narrated by fourteen-year-old Josh. He discusses both the trials he faces (reaching things, being too short to play basketball) and solutions found (a special pull-down clothing rack, becoming team manager). The color photos are obviously staged, but the sentiments expressed seem genuine. A note about dwarfism is included.