Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel describes himself as a secret genius--secret because nobody knows about the rich intellectual life he leads inside his head. He remembers everything he’s ever heard or seen. In a first-person narrative, he gives readers a witty running commentary on the state of the world in general and the state of his life in particular. On the outside, Shawn’s body won’t obey the smallest command, due to cerebral palsy. He’s never been able to communicate with anyone and has been diagnosed as having the mental capacity of a four-month old. When Shawn realizes his father is plotting to kill him as an act of mercy, he struggles to tell his dad that he’s not in pain and enjoys life. Trueman’s captivating first novel is hard to put down and has a delicious open ending. It will likely inspire lively discussion among teen readers of ethical issues such as euthanasia and quality of life. A note at the end of the book explains that the author is the father of a son like Shawn, and that the character he has invented is based on what he imagines might be going on inside the boy’s head. (Ages 13-16)

This "intense reading experience"* is a Printz Honor Book.

Shawn McDaniel's life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle—he can't even move his eyes. For all Shawn's father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release. And as long as he is unable to communicate his true feelings to his father, Shawn's life is in danger.

To the world, Shawn's senses seem dead. Within these pages, however, we meet a side of him that no one else has seen—a spirit that is rich beyond imagining, breathing life.

*Booklist starred review