AIR by Monica Roe

 

Emmie has used a wheelchair her entire life. Now she's in seventh grade and excited to test her independence. Well, she's always been independent thanks to her mother, but since her mother's death things have changed. 

Emmie's dad does the best he can, but he's busy working and taking night classes. His love of skateboards is what encouraged Emmie to try her wheelchair on the ramp he built long ago in the backyard. Now, because he is concerned about her safety, she has to sneak in time on the ramp when he isn't home. She loves the feeling of flying and doesn't mind the frequent crashes when she pushes just a bit too hard. She even started an online craft business in hopes of earning enough money to get a new wheelchair designed for extreme sports.

She's been eagerly anticipating seventh grade, but it isn't quite living up to her expectations. The new principal is constantly hovering and reminding her to keep her wheels on the ground, but wheelies are so tempting as she steers her way from class to class. An unexpected fall on an ill-constructed ramp increases his worry and earns Emmie an annoying classroom aide who follows her everywhere. Her dad didn't even try to talk them out of it, and now she's worried they might even stick her back in the resource room.

AIR by Monica Roe takes an inside look at what it is like to be a student who just wants people to ask if she needs help instead of assuming her special circumstances require their assistance. In this story about a determined, independent young girl, readers will learn that help can come in many different forms. Discussions of 504 plans, IEPs, and accessibility make this a realistic view of a student with special needs.