Dancing in the Storm, Amie Darnell Specht
Dancing in the Storm, Amie Darnell Specht
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.50

Dancing in the Storm

Author: Amie Darnell Specht, Shannon Hitchcock

Narrator: Cassandra Morris

Unabridged: 3 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/06/2024


Synopsis

In the tradition of Out of My Mind and Rules, and inspired by the co-author’s own life, this is a heartfelt, candid, and illuminating story of a girl learning to live fully with a rare genetic disorder.

Kate’s life in Baton Rouge, full of friends and family, gymnastics and Girl Scouts, is just plain great. But then, at the age of twelve, she suddenly develops a mysterious shoulder pain that won’t go away . . . and that will change her life forever. It turns out that Kate has one of the rarest genetic disorders in the world, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. FOP causes bone to form in places in the body where it shouldn’t, and there’s no cure yet. Kate will need to learn how to live with this difficult new reality, helped by those close to her and by a new pen pal named Amie, who has been living with FOP for years.

Drawing upon much of Amie Specht’s own experiences with FOP, she and esteemed novelist Shannon Hitchcock have created a poignant, eye-opening, and uplifting story of finding courage and joy in the face of adversity.

About The Author

Amie Darnell Specht works in tech support for a large computer company. She and her husband live in North Carolina with their many pets. She has Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), one of the rarest genetic disorders in the world, and this, her first novel, is heavily influenced by her own story.Shannon Hitchcock was born and still lives in North Carolina and grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of four previous middle-grade novels, and her acclaimed books have been featured on many state award lists.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bookishrealm on April 10, 2024

For the past few years, I've tried to increase the amount of books that I read that include disability representation. Dancing in the Storm caught my attention due to it's focus on gymnastics and the main characters experience with FOP (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva) which is a rare musculos......more

Goodreads review by Julia✨Book Reviews by Jules✨ on March 29, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. As someone who lives with multiple disabilities and health conditions, this book was amazing for me to read. When I was a young child growing up in the 2000s, there w......more

Goodreads review by Steph on April 18, 2024

Such an important and fun MG Novel. Characters-10 I loved the characters in this book. Kate was an amazing MC, and I loved her personality. I loved the supporting characters in this book, like Kate's friend Mindy, because she was there for Kate. The people in this book went through some challenges, a......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on February 07, 2024

A reallly great look at being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder - Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) at a young age and having your whole life get turned upside down. This #ownvoices middle grade novel has fantastic disability rep and explores so many relatable aspects of coming to ter......more

Goodreads review by Meg on July 06, 2024

I really enjoyed the rep in this one and the message behind the book. It may seem like a story centers on such a specific disability experience but, like all good stories, it speaks to the human experience at large, and in this case, principles in the reality of being disabled and how to cope. I lov......more


Quotes

"Kate’s fear, loss, and anger are vividlyportrayed, and others’ awkward or ableist reactions ring painfully true." —Kirkus Review

"In this empathetic novel of loss, resilience, and joy, Shannon Hitchcock and Amie Darnell Specht deftly balance Kate’s diagnosis with middle school drama, creating a deeply relatable telling in which community support and anopenness to change lead to Kate’s hopeful visions of a brighter future."
Publishers Weekly