A great book for adolescents who need to wear a brace.

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Product Description

If I did end up with a brace, how would I ever have any more amazing assists? Who would get Becca the ball and how would the team win without their captain?

For basketball superstar Anna Beth, life as a seventh grader is just as cool as she thought it would be. She’s finally in junior high and the excitement of sports, school dances, and friends consumes her every thought.

But when Anna Beth is diagnosed with scoliosis and made to wear a back brace, her life quickly becomes much more complicated. With her plastic shell, dances are awkward, sports are hard to play, and good friends are difficult to find.

Though the brace forces her to change some aspects of her life, she soon realizes that certain things—her family’s love for her and the friendship of true friends—will never change. Plastic Back shares the story of Anna Beth’s struggle to survive junior high and discover a full life despite her new plastic “accessory”.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #616949 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 94 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780595385430
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Anna Rakes earned a BA in history and a MT in elementary education from the University of Virginia. Plastic Back, her first novel, is based on Anna’s experience with scoliosis. Anna grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and currently resides and teaches in San Marcos, Texas.

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Customer Reviews

Great book
Received book to all the way to New Zealand in under a week so great delivery!
Book was great! As a girl who's got scoliosis, it captured the scoli-essence well and was written very goodly:)

Been there...
I read this book very recently, and absolutely loved it! :) I wore a Milwaukee brace 23/7 from 4th grade through 7th grade, and now I have a Providence bending brace. Even though I never wore (yet) a Boston Brace, I could totally relate to this book! She wrote this book with such accuracy that only a true scoli kid could write with, and this book is so great for us (meaning scoli kids) to have our friends read. I'm extremely appreciative to finally have a book about scoliosis that isn't just informative, and actually comes from a former brace wearer! Thanks for writing it... and to those who haven't read it- you should!

Plastic Back
Middle school is a time for awkward interactions, first crushes, fashion disasters, and most importantly; it is a time to discover who you really are. In this new coming of age story, Anna Beth is challenged with something much bigger than first kisses and gym class uniforms when she discovers that she has severe scoliosis. Everything she had planned with winning the basketball tournament and experiencing the perfect school dance all changes with her S-shaped spinal curve. Anna Beth is fearful that her new plastic back brace, the painful remedy to straighten her back, will prevent her determination to just be normal. Instead, it is her "plastic back" that helps her gain the strength to overcome peer pressure, discover a passion for music, and realize who the real Anna Beth is. This realistic fiction novel, inspired by the author's personal battle with scoliosis, is a motivating story of strife, struggle and triumph. The importance of family and true friendship is a consistent theme throughout the story demonstrated through Anna Beth's relationships with her mother, brother and best friend Kristen. Written in first person, this story uses powerful language and imagery intertwined with humorous dialogue. Young teens will easily relate to the awkward episodes of first dances, accidents in gym class, and the feeling of being different. This book is suggested for ages 12 and above and although this story revolves around female centered issues, boys too will enjoy the rich dialogue and humorous social interactions throughout the book.