CCBC-Recommended Book Search - Cooperative Children's Book Center

Stitches

Travis is a kid who has been teased since he was in first grade. First, it was words like "girlie." As he grew older, it was "Sissy. Crybaby. Fruitfly. Fagface." As he enters junior high school, his interests in sewing, puppetry and theater are encouraged, first by an English and then a home economics teacher, but these same interests are part of what mark him in the eyes of some students as a target for their continued bullying. Travis is sustained by: his best friend, Chantelle, who helps him navigate the treacheries of school. Like Travis, Chantelle stands out as different. Most people don't see beyond her disfigured body, crippled since birth. But Chantelle is bright and lively: a kindred spirit to Travis. Travis also is supported at home. His mother is on the road a lot, so it his aunt Kitaleen and her children who fill his life with love on a daily basis. Overweight Kitaleen is married to a bully herself and has to sustain her own share of verbal abuse. But her ability to embrace those around her and fill their lives with sustenance abounds, and her dignity is undeniable. Glen Huser's extraordinary book about a boy who is targeted from early childhood on because he doesn't fit the stereotype of what a "boy" should be is an unprecedented work. As Travis moves through junior high school, what began as mostly verbal bullying leads to acts of severe humiliation, and, eventually, brutality. This thought-provoking, important novel that features one great character after another never overtly addresses Travis's sexuality, because Travis himself is barely beginning consider that aspect of his identity. Instead, it focuses on the many facets of Travis's personality that make him the individual he is in a book that doesn't shy away from the harsh reality of bullying and violence, but nonetheless remains an uplifting story full of warmth, humor, and hope. ©2003 Cooperative Children's Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Bullying and Teasing Economic Hardship and Poverty Friendship Homophobia Sewing and Quilting Violence
Diversity subject: Gender Nonconformity Physical Disability/Condition

Publisher: Groundwood
Publish Year: 2003
Pages: 198
ISBN: 9780888995539

CCBC Location: Fiction, Huser

Stitches