EDDIE'S BLUE-WINGED DRAGON

by C.S. Adler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 1988

A mainstreamed sixth-grader with cerebral palsy tries to gain acceptance in school. Is he being helped--or harmed--by a dragon statuette found in a junk store? Eddie's been attending regular school for three years; but though he badly wants to be a regular kid, he still feels an outsider and is an easy mark for the attacks of tough Darrin and his gang. After Eddie buys the dragon--ostensibly as a birthday present for his little sister--he notices bad things happening to people who have been cruel to him. The ""magic"" escalates until Eddie believes he has caused a fire to burn down the woods where Darrin has his hide-out. When Darrin admits that he was careless with fire, Eddie is relieved of his sense of responsibility; and when he wins an essay contest by popular acclaim, having dared to read his essay before the entire school, Eddie learns that he has been more accepted than he knew. Though a bit sappy, and populated in the main by two-dimensional characters, this provides occasional powerful insights. The scene in which Eddie reads his essay is believable and moving, and it would be hard not to root for him in his struggle to transcend his disability.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1988

ISBN: 0595329470

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1988

Categories: CHILDREN'S