Saturday, August 4, 2018

PETEY by Ben Mikaelsen

Petey
Oh my! How did I miss this brave and wonderful book? It was in my classroom, but I never picked it up, and judging by the sign out card, very few of my students ever took notice of it either. Well, take my advice and get your hands on a copy today! And be sure to share it with a friend.

Petey was born in 1922 in Bozeman, Montana. He was born with cerebral palsy, although the condition was not recognized at the time. After several years of his parents trying to care for him and his siblings, they relented to institutionalizing little Petey. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed as an "idiot" and sent to live in an insane asylum.

No one recognized that nothing was wrong with Petey's mind until he had been at the institution for years. One of the workers final noticed that Petey smiled and reacted to the world around him. Bit by bit with the help of a few of the caregivers and another patient named Calvin, Petey began to communicate on a very basic level.

In his seventies, Petey was finally moved to a local nursing home. A new boy in town came to his rescue one winter day and an unusual friendship began. Despite his physical challenges, Petey remained optimistic and inspired his young friend Trevor to view the world from a new perspective.

Author Ben Mikaelsen's beautifully crafted novel describes a man whose life should have been filled with sadness and despair, but Petey's outlook on life is just the opposite. Touching and inspiring, PETEY is sure to be a classic.

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