Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal

A white teen with VACTERLs, a rare genetic condition that affects multiple bodily systems, seeks autonomy and agency in Schreiber’s affirming debut, a budding teen romance. Guarded high school junior Eleanor Ruby Haycock—who is missing a kidney and was born with vertebral anomalies, cardiac issues, and a limb difference—shields her friends from “the realities of hospital life” and fears ostracism should classmates find her mother’s online blog, where she chronicles Ellie’s health progress. Ellie wants to “pretend to be normal,” win competitions with her debate teammates, and hang out with her boyfriend. Instead, she’s back at the hospital—and is startled to find herself connecting with (and crushing on) other patients, events that challenge her efforts to compartmentalize her relationships. Though awkward phrasing occasionally mires introspective prose, Schreiber, who also has VACTERLs, employs witty banter and acerbic first-person narration to unravel complexities of disability identity as Ellie learns to self-advocate, redefines what “normal” means to her, and reckons with how chronic illness can affect relationships with others and oneself. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)

Update: The text of this review has been edited for clarity.