Blind Guide to Stinkville

I bought this book for my 9 year old daughter, and she loved it so much she insisted that I read it too. We were initially drawn to this book because the main character, Alice, has albinism, just like my daughter. My daughter really enjoyed having a character that she could relate to, and felt that the descriptions about albinism and how Alice sees are very accurate. Reading the book myself, it gave me a glimpse into my daughter’s world. Though Alice has albinism, it isn’t the main theme of the story, showing readers that someone with albinism is just like other people. It’s refreshing to find a story that features a character with albinism in a positive light. The story touches on many themes, including moving to a new town, learning independence, making new friends, depression, and understanding that everyone has their own challenges that they must overcome. It truly is a heartwarming story with a possitive message and a cast of interesting characters. Thought the book is written for middle grade readers, I found it to be very enjoyable to read as an adult as well. We’ve already purchased the next book in the series, A Blind Guide to Normal, and I look forward to reading it next!

I chose this book for the book club that I run at the school because I loved it so much. I read this book with my daughter, and was pulled in by the characters, the pace of the story (it was a page turner!) and the quality of the story. The location of the story, a paper mill town called Sinkville, is beautifully painted by Beth Vrabel's words through the characters and their stories. At the heart of the story is Alice, a lovely, honest and very strong character with a caring heart, going through some tremendous change. This story will pull you in and make you feel as if you are a resident of Sinkville, through your tour guide, Alice. And even though Alice has albinism, this is hardly at the core of the story - it doesn't define her, it's just something she happens to live with. I cannot recommend this book enough, particularly for parents. It's great story to read out loud to your kids, and even more fun to discuss!

A Blind Guide to Stinkville arrived at my door late in the afternoon. I offered it to my 10-year old daughter who was just about to start her reading for school, but she was too deep into another novel to start something new. As a lover of middle grade fiction I thought I'd read a few chapters...7 hours later I was in bed unable to put the book down. The rational adult side of my brain was saying, "Go to sleep! It's 11:15, and you have an early day tomorrow." But the other side of my brain said, "Are you kidding? Only 50 pages left!" I was routing for Alice and worried about Tooter. I had been laughing and crying with all of the amazing characters Beth Vrabel created in Stinkville for 199 pages, and I wasn't about to put the book down for a little extra sleep. Sure, I was a little groggy when my alarm went off this morning, but it was so worth it. I highly recommend this charming and heartwarming story about fitting in and finding your own strength to middle graders and any adult who loves middle grade fiction.

With just reading the first page of A Blind Guide to Stinkville, I knew this was going to be a perfect, age-appropriate book for my eleven year old boy. With a dog named Tooter, adequately named for wiping his butt all over the floor and constantly farting, it couldn’t be any funnier to a silly little boy. The book captures the attention of both child and adult for very different reasons. The child is enthralled by the jokes and funny events such as the dog peeing on a bratty girl, while the adult is concerned over more serious issues such as a depressed Mother who has seemed to give up on life and her family. The content is perfect for middle-school kids learning about serious issues such as the civil rights movements in the South, visual impairments, albinism, law suits, and dyslexia. All of these issues were beautifully woven into an adorable story about a girl named Alice attempting to fit into a new town.

Alice and her family have moved to Sinkville, South Carolina from Seattle, Washington the summer that she was twelve years old. In her old town, everyone knew her and she was able to get along well even though she was legally blind due to her albinism. Now, in a new town she has to learn to get along without her friends helping her and even without her mother's help because her mother is suffering from depression. Alice's older brother, James, will at least take her to the library before he disappears for the day. Despite her family problems, Alice manages to make friends in town as she takes her old dog, Tooter with her everywhere she goes. She even manages to convince one of the librarians that Tooter is a seeing eye dog. The story is well written with humor and pathos and I think middle grade kids will enjoy it.

I was born with albinism and don't remember ever reading about a character with my issues. Most movies and books get it wrong or mock it. This book got it right. The whole being blind but able to see, nystagmus, and having people be awkward around you: all things I know well. One thing I had to deal with that Alice didn't was being made fun of for being me. Think Judy Blume's Blubber. I wish I'd had this book when I was her age. The story was great too. I love how it revealed her strengths to her as well as to the reader. When your normal is different you can feel weak and unself-confident. I hope Alice has many more adventures.

Loved the story, the characters, and the real life issues facing visually impaired students in school.

This is a great book! I bought this book for my 10 year old daughter and I thought I'd pick it up and read just a bit to see how it was. I couldn't put it down. It is a great book for all ages. It's a book about making new friends, depression, being different and how to embrace those differences.