Roxie in Color

Debut authors Cervenka and Debrovner craft an empathetic tale that follows artistic Roxie Glass as she navigates new school nerves after experiencing bullying about her parents’ blindness. Upon starting seventh grade at Greenview Middle School, Roxie resolves to keep her peers from finding out about her parents’ vision impairment, a scheme that includes preventing her parents from meeting her teachers at an upcoming Open School Night. Simultaneously, she avoids lingering on the idea that she may one day develop the same genetic disorder that led to her mother’s blindness. Roxie soon finds a place to belong in the school’s art club, but the more she branches out, the more worried she becomes about keeping her secret. As her anxiety mounts, sensitive third-person prose explores how perceptions surrounding her family’s disabilities further complicate Roxie’s social dynamics and sense of self. Frequent chapters narrated by Nash, the Glasses’ guide dog, add perspective while deepening readers’ understanding of the white-cued family’s daily life and challenges. Thoughtfully designed, the book is typeset in Atkinson Hyperlegible, a font developed to support low-vision readers, reinforcing the novel’s themes of accessibility and inclusion. Concluding authors’ notes provide contextualizing information. Ages 9–12. Agent: Kristin van Ogtrop, InkWell Management. (June)