Normal
£13.99
8 in stock
Have you ever had a big problem? These kids have big problems. Sam’s mom was just diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Sam feels helpless and overwhelmed. Oliver’s grandmother died two months ago. She was his best friend and the only person who understood his anxiety. Margaret is a dancer with an eating disorder. Her dad left when she was a baby—it still hurts. Joel sees strange things he can’t explain. Some people think he has a mental illness but he’s not convinced. Sam, Oliver, Margaret, and Joel just want to feel loved and accepted. They just want to feel Normal. But the more time passes, the more their problems are ruining their lives. Will they always feel this lonely and confused?
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Pages: 264 pages
Publishing Date: April 2023
Dimensions: 13.5 x 21 cm
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-111111-11-1
Category: Young Adult
£13.99
8 in stock
Have you ever had a big problem? These kids have big problems. Sam’s mom was just diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Sam feels helpless and overwhelmed. Oliver’s grandmother died two months ago. She was his best friend and the only person who understood his anxiety. Margaret is a dancer with an eating disorder. Her dad left when she was a baby—it still hurts. Joel sees strange things he can’t explain. Some people think he has a mental illness but he’s not convinced. Sam, Oliver, Margaret, and Joel just want to feel loved and accepted. They just want to feel Normal. But the more time passes, the more their problems are ruining their lives. Will they always feel this lonely and confused?
Read More
Pages: 264 pages
Publishing Date: January 2022
Dimensions: 13.5 x 21 cm
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-913680-63-3
Category: Young Adult
Author:
Connect with the Author:
Visit her at charisejewell.com
About the Author:
A voracious reader and aspiring writer since childhood, Charise Jewell was born in South Africa and immigrated to Canada when she was seven years old. She holds an Honours B.Eng. in mechanical engineering from McGill University, and worked as a robotics engineer for fifteen years before becoming a writer. Charise is the author of Crazy, Memoir of a Mom Gone Mad. She proudly lives with bipolar disorder and educates for the fair and dignified treatment of the mentally ill.
Praise for Crazy, Memoir of a Mom Gone Mad
“Charise Jewell is a brilliant writer who takes the reader behind her eyes to see and feel the terror—and the beauty—of living with mental illness. It does what the best memoirs do: comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. A true must-read!”
// Shannon Moroney, Bestselling Author of Through the Glass, Out of the Shadows, and Heal for Real
“A vivid and deeply intimate account of her experience with bipolar disorder. While Jewell’s memoir confirmed my beliefs on systemic injustices experienced by those seeking treatment for mental illness, it also educated me on the beauty of family and resilience of humanity.”
// Joy Norstrom, Author of Out of Play and Flying the Nest
“Should be required reading for doctors, nurses, counsellors, and educators. Beautifully crafted, Crazy is a spectacular read. With all the highs and lows of a great novel, it is fast-moving and spiced with humour and pathos. It is ultimately a very hopeful and reassuring book.”
// Moyra Irving, Author of Amelie Trott and the Earth Watchers
“Charise Jewell is a beautiful storyteller. Her memoir, Crazy, flows like a compelling novel. She has delivered an insightful gift for family and friends of those living with bipolar. This is a must-read for people touched by this condition and for anyone who aspires to better understand.”
// Jacqueline Aubin
Moyra Irving, Author –
NORMAL, by Charise Jewell (published by DixiBooks)
This is one of the finest YA novels I’ve read since ‘The Swallows’ Flight’ by Hilary McKay.
‘Normal’ gives an intimate, up close view of a group of young friends and their families, each one with a special quirk, if I may call it that.
Conditions such as anxiety, bipolar, eating disorders, and grief are explored – and even ‘superpowers’ in the case of a character called Joel. Just marvellous!
How I wish this beautiful novel had been available when I was young. It might well have saved me years of loneliness and confusion. (I literally shed tears for Oliver in the Maths test, remembering how daunting those things were myself.)
With utmost compassion, Charise Jewell exposes and celebrates many fascinating human diversities that somehow make us all ‘Normal.’
She also models positive responses, notably empathy, through her characters, and always without reverting to preaching.
I love how the author has incorporated a few excellent practical exercises into the narrative in a completely natural way. Things like breath control and writing down our thoughts to gain understanding and clarity.
There are some charming historical details included along the way (the life of mathematician Ada Lovelace and her father Lord Byron, even with a little nod to the poet’s sexual orientation).
The language has an authentic MG/Young Adult feel but it’s great to see more sophisticated vocabulary included at times too (euphemism comes to mind).
I won’t disclose too much about the plot or spoil the ending, apart from to say it ends perfectly with the words ‘I’m good.’
What better way to bring this delightful novel to a close?