Authentic and Uplifting, Forget Me Not an Enjoyable, Empathy-Inducing Read

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

It's hard enough trying to fit in when you're constantly the new girl, but when you have Tourette Syndrome (TS) to boot, it's pretty much impossible.  Calliope "Calli" Snow knows this only too well.  After her mother's latest breakup, the two of them land in St. George, Utah.  Even though she knows she shouldn't, Calli dares to hope this move might be different.  Maybe this time they'll stay in one place for longer than a month, maybe this time she'll be able to make a friend, maybe pigs will suddenly sprout wings and take to the air ...

When a strange girl dressed in weird clothes with golden hair streaming down her back moves into his apartment building, Jinsong P'eng finds himself very intrigued.  The more he gets to know Calli, the more he likes her.  But being friends with someone like her—someone who dresses funny and acts like a freak—is social suicide for a popular guy like Jin.  Can he really afford to take that risk?  This isn't the baseball field; it's real life.  Will he stick his neck out for the vulnerable new girl?

Like Wonder before it, Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry tells the story of a child who longs to be accepted in spite of the things that make them different.  Told in alternating verse and prose, the novel shares Calli's tale from two perspectives—that of an insider (Calli) and that of an outsider (Jin).  Although Forget Me Not is lighthearted overall, the fears and insecurities of both narrators come across loud and clear.  Because Ellie Terry has TS, Calli's perspective rings especially true.  Without feeling heavy-handed, Forget Me Not illustrates the importance of acceptance, the power of empathy, and the joy that can be found in even the most likely of friendships.  Authentic and uplifting, this quick, enjoyable read will resonate with anyone who's ever felt out of place.  And, really, isn't that all of us?

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin)

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To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find