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A Blind Guide to Stinkville

By Beth Vrabel
Published by Sky Pony
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

Before Stinkville, Alice didn’t think albinism—or the blindness that goes with it—was a big deal. Sure, she uses a magnifier to read books. And a cane keeps her from bruising her hips on tables. Putting on sunscreen and always wearing a hat are just part of life. But life has always been like this for Alice. Until Stinkville.

For the first time in her life, Alice feels different—like she’s at a disadvantage. Back in her old neighborhood in Seattle, everyone knew Alice, and Alice knew her way around. In Stinkville, Alice finds herself floundering—she can’t even get to the library on her own. But when her parents start looking into schools for the blind, Alice takes a stand. She’s going to show them—and herself—that blindness is just a part of who she is, not all that she can be. To prove it, Alice enters the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest. No one, not even her new friend Kerica, believes she can scout out her new town’s stories and write the essay by herself. The funny thing is, as Alice confronts her own blindness, everyone else seems to see her for the first time.

This is a stirring small-town story that explores many different issues—albinism, blindness, depression, dyslexia, growing old, and more—with a light touch and lots of heart. Beth Vrabel’s characters are complicated and messy, but they come together in a story about the strength of community and friendship.

Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Photograph by 179 Pictures
Beth Vrabel

Beth Vrabel is the author of many acclaimed books for young readers, such as To Tell You the Truth, Caleb and Kit, the Pack of Dorks series, and The Newspaper Club series. She lives in New England with her family and dreams of someday running a coastal Maine bed-and-breakfast (ignoring the fact that she cannot cook and isn’t a great hostess). Other lies Beth tells herself include that she can clap to a beat, can resist eating an entire jar of Nutella, and is not obsessed with her backyard chickens. But Ruth Bader Chicksburg knows better. Visit her at BethVrabel.com.

"A Blind Guide to Stinkville is a delightfully unexpected story with humor and heart. Vrabel tackles some tough issues, including albinism, depression, and loneliness, with a compassionate perspective and a charming voice." —Amanda Flower, author of the Agatha Award-nominated Andi Boggs Series

“Brimming with wit and heart, A Blind Guide to Stinkville examines the myriad ways we define difference between ourselves and others and asks us to reexamine how we see belonging.” —Tara Sullivan, award-winning author of Golden Boy

"Most commendable is Vrabel's focus on compromise and culture shock. Disorientation encompasses not only place and attitude, but also the rarely explored ambivalence of being disabled on a spectrum. Alice's insistence that she's 'not that blind' rings true with both stubbornness and confusion as she avails herself of some tools while not needing others, in contrast to typically unambiguous portrayals. Readers who worry about fitting in—wherever that may be—will relate to Alice's journey toward compromise and independence." —Kirkus Reviews

"A Blind Guide to Stinkville is a delightfully unexpected story with humor and heart. Vrabel tackles some tough issues, including albinism, depression, and loneliness, with a compassionate perspective and a charming voice." —Amanda Flower, author of the Agatha Award-nominated Andi Boggs Series

“Brimming with wit and heart, A Blind Guide to Stinkville examines the myriad ways we define difference between ourselves and others and asks us to reexamine how we see belonging.” —Tara Sullivan, award-winning author of Golden Boy

"Most commendable is Vrabel's focus on compromise and culture shock. Disorientation encompasses not only place and attitude, but also the rarely explored ambivalence of being disabled on a spectrum. Alice's insistence that she's 'not that blind' rings true with both stubbornness and confusion as she avails herself of some tools while not needing others, in contrast to typically unambiguous portrayals. Readers who worry about fitting in—wherever that may be—will relate to Alice's journey toward compromise and independence." —Kirkus Reviews

A Blind Guide to Stinkville

By Beth Vrabel
Published by Sky Pony
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

More books from this author: Beth Vrabel