Description
Meet Harrison and Anna.
One is a fifteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious — and that happens a lot. The meaning of "appropriate behaviour" mystifies him: he doesn't understand most people and they certainly don't understand him.
The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with Aspergers/autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added bonus.
Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways.
Each one-to-one novel tells the story of a different pair of teens participating in the Best Buddies program at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. Follow the lives of this group of friends who come together with different expectations and problems, seeing the world from their own unique perspectives and facing it head on together.
Author Bio
Lorna Schultz Nicholson is the author of many novels for children and teens, including Red Maple—nominated Fragile Bones: Harrison and Anna, Born With: Erika and Gianni, and Bent Not Broken: Madeline and Justin. A former radio host and health and lifestyle reporter, she is now a full—time author and presenter.
Review text
"Author Lorna Schultz Nicholson's representation of Harrison's voice and self-awareness is admirable. His slightly formal, flat-footed prose perfectly suits his cautious, tenuous grip on his own feelings and behaviour. Sometimes funny, always earnest and careful, his brave efforts to move forward are persuasive and endearing."
— Quill & Quire
"Captivating. . . I really enjoyed this piece of realistic fiction. It's a quick read with a happy ending yet a lot of depth. I will certainly be recommending it to my fellow high school librarians."
— Teachers' Resource Network
"Nicholson creates two convincing characters with a multi-dimensional story, making what could have been a potentially didactic novel a very enjoyable read. . . What makes this book so good is that both Harrison and Anna must step outside their external and self-imposed limitations demonstration that, if given the chance, people can — and do — experience great things."
— Canadian Children's Book News
