Finding Normal
“Balances humorous banter with teenage hijinks and heartfelt conversations to deliver a propulsive road-trip novel that showcases white-cued characters refusing to be defined by their hardships [and] forging new paths forward."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Winner of the Acheven Book Prize
There are five towns in the United States named "Normal," and seventeen-year-old Gemma Leonardo plans on visiting every one of them. That is, right after she escapes Children's Hospital in Harrisburg, where she is being treated for anorexia.
Enter Lucas Polizzi, a high school wrestler with bulimia and-more importantly to Gemma-a getaway car. Sick of being told they're sick, Gemma and Lucas team up for a themed road trip to "the Normals" on one condition: They can' t mention food, ever.
But as each passing mile puts their lives at greater risk, they soon realize that it is their growing love and friendship, not a place on a map, that will put them on the path to recovery.
Praise