The Moth Girl

A beautiful and evocative story about how one young girl’s journey with a chronic illness diagnosis pushes her to choose who she wants to be—in a life she never planned for.

“Quiet but powerful.”—Booklist

“Perfectly encapsulates the kaleidoscope of emotions that come with a chronic illness diagnosis.”—Karol Ruth Silverstein, author of the Schneider Family Book Award winner Cursed

Anna is happily average. She runs track with her best friend, gets good grades, and sometimes drinks beer at parties.

Then one day at track practice, Anna faints, but instead of falling down, she falls up, defying gravity in the disturbing first symptom of a rare, mysterious disease.

She is diagnosed with lepidopsy, which causes symptoms reminiscent of moths: floating, attraction to light, a craving for sugar, and for an unlucky few, more dangerous physical manifestations.

As Anna learns to cope with her illness, she finds herself drifting further and further away from her former life. Her friends don’t seem to understand, running track is out of the question, and the other kids at the support group she attends once a week are a cruel reminder that things will never be the same …