Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrable: Entertainment, Adventure, and Diversity!

Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrable

FROM THE JACKETFLAP: 

"Twelve-year-old Caleb is shorter, frailer, and more protected than most kids his age. That's because he has cystic fibrosis, a diagnosis meaning lungs that fill with mucus and a shortened lifespan. Caleb tries not to let his disorder define him, but it can be hard with an overprotective mom and a perfect big brother.
Then Caleb meets Kit--a vibrant, independent, and free girl--and his world changes instantly. Kit reads Caleb's palm and tells him they are destined to become friends. She calls birds down from the sky and turns every day into an adventure. Her magic is contagious, making Caleb question the rules and order in his life. But being Kit's friend means embracing deception and danger, and soon Caleb will have to decide if his friendship with Kit is really what's best for him--or her."

If Caleb and Kit were a recipe, the instructions would say: mix up a heaping bowl of heart, humor, and adventure, plus add a dash of Because of Winn Dixie and Bridge to Terabithia. This book is a must read not only for the entertainment value, but also for the diversity of introducing a character with cystic fibrosis without reducing the protagonist to being defined by his disease. Author Beth Vrable delivers a cast of interesting and complicated characters and readers will most definitely want to follow Caleb and Kit page after page.

Comparable titles include The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin and Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Don't take my word for it. Look at these fantastic reviews:

"A realistic story with strong, recognizable characters that doesn't reduce cystic fibrosis to a tragedy."
—-Kirkus Reviews

"Filled with smart, witty, and magical writing, Kit and Caleb, and those around them, come to vibrant life in this heartbreaking story about the ties that bring people together, and the difficulties of facing the truth."

—-Booklist

"A compelling story of two struggling kids making their own safe haven."
—- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

💙💙💙👦 from Caleb:

“I wanted to be like Kit, to see stories everywhere. I wanted to make up a new world, one where I wasn’t sick and she was magic. I wanted that more than anything.”

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (September 12, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076246223X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762462230

Suggestions on places where you can buy a copy:

Amazon

Tattered Cover

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Second Star to the Right