Reaching for Sun

Written by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

A girl with cerebral palsy finds unexpected friendship with a new neighbor.

3.9 Goodreads · 831 ratings

144 pages· 10,431 words· Est. 1.5 hour read· ~900L

$15.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

Josie Wyatt's world is a shrinking farmhouse overshadowed by mansions and a life marked by cerebral palsy. Her mother's obsession with her condition leaves Josie yearning for normalcy. When Jordan, a mysterious boy, moves in nearby, he sees beyond her differences. As their friendship blossoms, Josie discovers new possibilities and challenges. Can she embrace this change and find her place in a world that often feels too big? Experience a year of growth and transformation through Josie's eyes in this poignant tale of friendship and self-discovery.

From the publisher

Josie Wyatt knows what it means to be different. Her family’s small farmhouse seems to shrink each time another mansion grows up behind it. She lives with her career-obsessed mom and opinionated Gran, but has never known her father. Then there’s her cerebral palsy: even if Josie wants to forget that she was born with a disability, her mom can’t seem to let it go. Yet when a strange new boy–Jordan–moves into one of the houses nearby, he seems oblivious to all the things that make Josie different. Before long, Josie finds herself reaching out for something she’s never really known: a friend… and possibly more. Interlinked free verse poems tell the beautiful, heartfelt story of a girl, a family farm reduced to a garden, and a year of unforgettable growth.