The Amazing Edie Eckhart: Book 1

Product Information

But as I grew, the more I began to question myself. I didn’t understand why my friends thought boys were cool, or why the adults around me said I’d marry a man one day. Confused and frustrated, I turned to books for answers. But all I could find were stories about princes chasing after princesses, and queens being saved by knights. As each World Book Day passed, I never felt quite content with my costumes. Because for that one day, I wanted to dress as a character who was like me. Note: This book will be illustrated. My copy didn't have illustrations included, so I can't comment on them fully, but I've seen sneak peeks that look great. This is the first book I have read where an entire family is shown to be accepting of LGBTQ+ people from the beginning of the story. A lot of books centre around self-discovery and coming out, but this story explores family and community relationships. Bea’s older sister is especially unhappy with the move, so in the hope of cheering her up, Bea desires to bring Pride to their new home. Without a support network, life can be extremely isolating, especially in a remote community. As a child of the countryside, I welcomed the exploration of LGBTQ+ identities outside of an urban setting. Vrolijke nieuwe (autobiografisch te noemen) reeks door komiek Rosie Jones over een meisje met een handicap: Edie heeft hersenverlamming (net als Rosie, als je haar nog niet kent, google haar dan. Ze heeft geniale optredens en ze is echt een genot om te zien op de Britse panel shows). Door haar handicap spreekt Edie trager en valt ze veel over haar eigen voeten. Ze is heerlijk positief en leert in dit boek wat meer op zichzelf te vertrouwen. Het is de start van een zelfontdekking. Bijvoorbeeld dat ze veel dingen zelf kan, dat ze acteren leuk vindt en dat ze misschien wel helemaal geen vriendje wil (want vlinders in je buik krijg je niet alleen van jongens, dat kan ook van meisjes). Day one changes high school. Oscar is not in her tutor groups. Their timetables are different, and they can only be together during breaks. What’s worse is Edie’s parents and home teacher think it’s a good thing, that she should make new friends. Edie’s distressed. Nobody knows her like Oscar. Who will help her when she falls because of her cerebral palsy?

The Amazing Edie Eckhart, Book 1 by Rosie Jones - Booktopia The Amazing Edie Eckhart, Book 1 by Rosie Jones - Booktopia

This summer I attended my first ever London Pride. I got to experience the uncontrollable joy and complex sadness of this truly sublime experience. I felt seen and heard, like there was a metaphysical place I belonged to.But there was one day I looked forward to all year: World Book Day. World Book Day meant costumes and games and reading. It meant talking, all day, about my favourite thing: books. For a day, my classmates and I became witches, wizards, kings, and queens. We could become someone else. Loved it! Read it in two sittings! Displays real pre teen life and just happening to have a disability. Does not focus on the disability and at the same time, the disability affects her everyday life. Loved her energy and attitude. Hope to see more from Edie in the future! De 11-jarige Edie en haar beste vriend Oscar gaan naar de middelbare school. Maar hoe moet het nu Oscar ineens in een andere klas komt en gelijk een vriendinnetje krijgt? Ze heeft altijd genoeg gehad aan haar beste vriend Oscar, maar nu hij druk bezig is moet ze er aan geloven.... ze zal andere vrienden moeten maken. En...zal het haar lukken om tijdens haar eerste schooljaar een date te scoren?

The Amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones, Natalie Smillie The Amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones, Natalie Smillie

I love that the book is written in diary format, it feels like you are right there experiencing it all with Edie and not just viewing her life from a distance. The story is laugh-out-loud funny, with great one-liners and comments that make you think ‘yep, because it’s TRUE’! There is just the right amount of angst and cringe, it is fully relatable to teens/pre-teens. The Secret Sunshine Project follows a young girl called Bea. When Bea attended London Pride with her family , she had one of the best days ever. But after her father dies, Bea and her family move to the countryside to live with her Gran.I love that the main character in the story has cerebral palsy, as there is definitely not enough representation of disability in fiction, but more importantly, her CP is part of who she is but not what the story focuses on. The heart of the book is Edie’s struggle to uncover who she wants to be, how she wants to relate to other people, and to understand and balance her conflicting feelings – relatable to anyone, of any age.

The Amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones | Goodreads

LOVE IT! Wat mij betreft een must-have qua thematiek. En fantastisch lekker geschreven voor en vanuit kind/tiener(perspectief). Edie is an average eleven-year-old girl; she has a loving family and a best friend named Oscar who shares her love of sausage rolls and Marvel films. She also has cerebral palsy which makes her a little wobbly, more likely to fall over, and a little slower at talking. Edie has always relied on Oscar to help her out – he even carries a special box around with him that includes plasters and spare tights – but at their new school they are put into separate classes and Edie realizes she won’t always be able to rely on him anymore. The book contains excellent disability, LGBTQ, young carer, and sausage roll/pizza/Maccy D’s representation throughout. Jokes aside, so many positive elements feature casually and as the norm (as in life, and as it should be). This is exactly the kind of writing we need for children today, funny, bold, inclusive. Edie was a wonderful character but I have to say that I liked her in the end more than in the beginning. There is quite a simple reason for that. In the beginning Edie was a nice girl and a great MC, but she kept using her CP to get out of things (The Card), or expected people to do everything for her because of that. While she is very much able to do things herself. When someone told her no she just would get huffy. And there were some other things that just had me shaking my head. But as the story continued I started seeing a new Edie. One I definitely liked more than the one in the beginning. I saw an Edie who discovered that she can do things. That she can be independent. That her CP doesn’t always work with things, but that there is plenty that she can do. She doesn’t need someone to bring her tights or clean her mouth if she dribbles. It was also great that there were also key characters who told her this, who talked to her. She really grows a lot in that aspect and it was just beautiful. I loved that she discovered that not only is she a great writer, but also a great actor. I loved seeing her embrace her role in the musical and see her try to get through the lines (so many of those). I loved seeing her add a little bit of her own in the character she is playing.Oscar makes new friends playing football, and Olivia wins a place in the school musical. Boyfriends and girlfriends complicate school. How do they sort out their friendship, and do they make new friends? I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.* You've probably heard this already, but just in case you haven't; Edie has cerebral palsy, just like the author of this novel, Rosie Jones. You're probably seen Rosie around if you're into any of the comedy panel shows; she's often on Dave or the BBCs, being really quite extraordinarily funny. Her humour translates beautifully into this book.