Where You See Yourself

A teen with cerebral palsy combats ableist school administrators while searching for the perfect college in Forrest’s refreshing and empowering debut. Because of her high school’s poor accessibility compliance, wheelchair user and senior Effie Galanos is used to her mother's stepping in to campaign for proper accommodations. Effie’s mom, knowing she won’t be there to help her daughter at college, compiles a list of wheelchair-friendly universities, but Effie dreams of studying multimedia at Prospect University in New York, “one of the least accessible cities in America.” Encouraged by Wilder, her crush and fellow Prospect applicant, Effie determines to prove to herself and to others that she can advocate for her own accommodations by speaking up against school administrators for the right to participate in senior off-campus lunch. But after discovering seemingly insurmountable accessibility barriers on Prospect’s campus, Effie and her family must reevaluate how to move forward. Via upbeat and honest prose that eschews didacticism and heavy-handed messaging, Forrest expertly communicates one wheelchair user’s challenges of navigating an ableist world. Pitch-perfect rom-com moments bursting with dry humor balance mature reflections on relationships, personal agency, and disability advocacy. Main characters cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (May)