The Amazing Edie Eckhart: Book 1

Product Information

ok I knoooow this is classed as a “kids book”, but I’ve never felt so represented in a book in my whole life and that’s saying something. i wish this book was around when I was 11, i feel like it would’ve made me understand myself better, and saved me many years of worry and confusion! This is a charming series and Edie is a wonderful star of the book. It’s beautiful and important to have such a lovely and loveable main character with cerebral palsy that everyone can relate to. Edie is wobbly - and life can get wobbly when you’re growing up - but that doesn’t stop her! Same-sex relationships are also explored sensitively, as is the changing relationships with old friends when you start secondary school. Great for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and this is a particularly great book for children either about to start or just started secondary school. It’s funny, and the diary format makes it extra relatable plus it’s easy to read. If readers are coming straight to this second book in the series that won’t be a problem either. I liked the messages about giving peoplea chance and getting to know them, and following your heart and not doing something just becauseit’s what everyone else seems to be doing.

The book is written in the format of Eddie’s (main characters) personal diary in which she talks about her CP and how it impacts her life but she also talks about the fun, hard, exciting and sometimes boring things in life just like any average teenager. On top of that Edie is trying to figure out where she fits in: do you have to define all friendships? And can you be a writer AND a performer, or do you have to choose between the two? Characters: Edie is positive and bold, but still has to go through struggles of school, friends, boyfriends and daily disability struggles. I really like the character of Flora because she is not afraid of being who she is around other people. She is also not scared to stand for what she believes in. I like how she influences Edie to try new things even if it is reading a DC comic instead of a Marvel comic. I found the debate on fictional heroes funny because it would be a normal thing to do with your friends (to have silly debates over nothing).Edie has Cerebral Palsy. Before I read this book, I didn’t know what Cerebral Palsy was, but I do now, and Edie tells us how she’d like people to talk to her about it. I really liked the way it was written as Edie’s diary. It’s like a friend chatting to you and you learn about her feelings. Edie is also very funny. 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.* The plot followed Edie as she starts secondary school in year 7. This proves challenging for Edie as she is joined at the hip to her best friend Oscar. But when Oscar joins the football team and gets a girlfriend, Edie is suddenly on her own. With a bit of encouragement from her form teacher, Edie auditions to write for the school play but ends up auditioning herself!!! How will this play out, good or bad?

Moving On Up is subtitled "Beat the bullies, make fearless friendships and deal with funny fails", and the publishers promise the "ultimate school survival guide for 9 to 11-year-olds". What I love is that this is a story of an 11 year old girl who does all these things, but happens to have cerebral palsy. It’s by no means central to the plot - just a part of what makes up this funny, excitable 11 year old girl. In case of emergency, at the beginning of the book, Edie only had her family and her best friend Oscar. However now Edie has multiple different people. 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! I read this with my 7 yr old daughter and we loved it. She says her favourite part is the end but then she does enjoy a good love story.If you are in Australia or New Zealand (DVD Region 4), note that almost all DVDs distributed in the UK by the BBC and 2entertain are encoded for both Region 2 and Region 4. The UK and Australasia are in the same Blu-ray region (B). I really wasn't sure how sweary, adult Rosie would translate into a middle grade book aimed at kids, but this book was fully wonderful. The story was fun, the characters interesting and the issues raised are complex enough to be realistic, but explored in a way that youngsters would enjoy and understand. Rosie's debut non-fiction book, Moving On Up: Beat The Bullies, Make Fearless Friendships And Deal With Funny Fails. The transition to secondary school can be both exciting and difficult. These books aimed at 11-13 year olds contain themes around friendships and overcoming a variety of challenges, as well as starting at a new school. When heavily pregnant form tutor, Mrs Adler suggests Edie audition for the school play, Edie gets the lead and decides to nab herself a boyfriend by Christmas. She negotiates her way through failed dates with boys who would be better as friends, eating sausage rolls, and learning her lines. Despite her oldest friendship falling by the wayside with a huge argument, Edie makes friends with set-designer, Flora, who becomes very important to her.

But then the school organises a camping trip.... complete with muddy walks and team games. It is a DISASTER. The only fun bit is sitting by the fire and telling stories. However, I ended up really liking Oscar after reading the whole book because he becomes very supportive when he realises how much Edie enjoys the theatre club. I also really like how patient and kind he is when Edie trips over by carrying a mini first aid kit. Abigail, the author and illustrator of this exceptional non-fiction book, spent most of her life not knowing she was autistic. Insightful, accessible and easy to navigate, this is an essential book for autistic andallistic(non-autistic) readers of all ages, including adults. Don’t get me wrong those types of books mentioned above are really important and absolutely have there purpose. Rosie writes this as a diary and your willing Edie on from day 1. Great humour as expected from Rosie being comedic and certainly fine for children to read in fact I’d highly recommend you do!

Keep in touch

Thankfully, since my own childhood, there has been an explosion of LGBTQ+ representation in children’s fiction. LGBTQ+ literature is being discovered, recovered and celebrated, by readers of all ages, and children can finally enjoy stories that they can recognise themselves in. 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 is my new role model, her bravery and positivity are contagious. I can’t wait to read more of her adventures from Rosie Jones. The character of Edie is very inspirational because she joined a theatre club, got a lead role, and then did something as ambitious as to change the lead character’s gender. Mr. Murphy is a character that I think is good for Edie because he motivates her a lot when the performance of a Christmas Carol is nearing. I have no doubt that Edie will be a terrific role model and this book is another important step in normalising disability.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). I think this series is going to do really well, and I'll be here to cheer Edie (and Rosie) on with every volume. Edie has Cerebral palsy, but she's used to it because she's spent her whole life being a bit wobbly. She can't wait to start secondary school with her best friend Oscar and share sausage rolls with him at breaktime. But when Oscar scuppers these plans by getting his first ever girlfriend, GROSS, Edie eventually decides to stop feeling sorry for herself and find a boyfriend, so she can prove to Oscar she's grown up too. She muses: 'when Thor was stripped of his power and banished to Earth by Odin, did he mope around and throw his hammer out of the pram? No he got on with it, bossed around Earth and found love like an absolute legend'.