Arlene on the Scene
Gr 3-5–A hopeful story about a girl who is determined not to allow her classmates to label her because of her disorder. Arlene, an unrelentingly spirited fourth grader, wears leg braces because of a congenital disability, CMT, a relatively unknown disease. The message is clear: physical restrictions do not define the person. Because she is only in fourth grade, Arlene asks for, and receives, special permission to run for student government, thinking that she will start as secretary and work her way up to president in the sixth grade. Although she experiences some bumps along the way, she succeeds in getting elected; however, as a write-in candidate, she becomes president rather than secretary. The lessons Arlene learns about not judging others are also clear; she has been in the habit of internally labeling her classmates: Sporty Girl, Glamour Girl, Tough Guy. She comes to realize that she is doing just what she does not want others to do. While some of the writing is didactic, the overall story is well told.–Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MDα(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.