Title: Peeling the Onion
Author: Wendy Orr
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Anna Duncan is on her way to becoming a national karate champion when the car she is in is struck by a reckless driver. With a broken spine, shattered thumb, mangled foot, and cognitive difficulties, Anna reluctantly starts to come to the realization that she may never achieve her dreams of a black belt and a career in physical education. Stripped of her athleticism-a defining personality characteristic- Anna must learn who she is, of what she is now capable, and what she wants to do with this new life.
Who will like this?: Anyone who likes tearjerker novels featuring a strong main character facing devastatingly difficult life changes.
If you like this, try this: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher; Izzy, Willy-Nillyby Cynthia Voigt
Recommended by: Jennifer, Branch Teen Librarian