A Different Kind of Beauty by Sylvia McNicoll Date of Publication: 2003 ISBN: 1550050605 Number of Pages: 224

REQUIRED READING ABILITY:
GENRES: Realism
THEMES: Coming of Age, Family, Responsibility

SUMMARY:
Elizabeth was heart broken when she had to return her last puppy to the guide dog program. She is going to try again with a puppy named Beauty, but she is determined not to grow so attached to this puppy. As Elizabeth is learning to deal with some typical adolescent problems such as unrequited love, her pregnant sister leaves her husband and moves back into the family home.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Kyle has everything going for him – looks, grades, sports - until his diabetes causes him to go blind. Kyle won't use a cane, feels sorry for himself, and won't sign up for a leader dog because he is deathly afraid of dogs.

Kyle and Elizabeth cross paths time and time again at the park, in the mall, and at school. It is only when Elizabeth brings Beauty to the Lion's Foundation for the Blind at the same time that Kyle enrolls in the program, however, that their stories collide. Beauty is pared up with Kyle and Elizabeth has to help Kyle and Beauty learn to love, trust, and bond with each other, and finds herself learning a few lessons too…

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...

• likes to read stories and non-fiction books about dogs
• knows someone who has been involved in the Lion's Foundation for Leader Dogs
• likes to do things to help others
• likes a story with some teenage romance elements
• likes stories told from two perspectives, woven together

WHAT ELSE?
This is a sequel to the author’s first book, “Bringing Up Beauty,” which was the winner of the Silver Birch Award in1996. This book is nominated for the same award as well.

The author weaves the two storylines in alternating chapters until the worlds of the two protagonists collide. This keeps readers reading and is an interesting writing technique.

RELATED LINK:
Author's Web Site