Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

"Stuck in Neutral" is a book about a 14-year-old boy, Shawn, with Cerebral Palsy. He can't control any of his muscles. He can't speak; he can't even control his eyes! Shawn does have a gift, though; he remembers every sound he has ever heard. Even though his family and others don't know he can understand them, they still talk to him and he listens. He is also smart and can read, but he can't communicate, so no one, not even his mother, knows the real him. Shawn also has seizures, which he loves because then he can do in his mind all the things other people can do with their bodies, like run and jump. Unfortunately, his father believes Shawn is in pain during the seizures and would do anything to end
his pain. His dad is a writer who is writing a book about a man who killed his
disabled son. This gives his dad an idea about how to end Shawn's pain, as Shawn quickly realizes.

The book ends when Shawn's mother and siblings go on a trip to Spokane and leave him with his babysitter. His dad comes in and lets the sitter go home for the night. He sits with Shawn and talks to him with a pillow in his lap. When the conversation ends, Shawn has a seizure and seems happy. He says that whether
dad kills him or not, it doesn't matter because he is free.

I liked the book. It was easy to read and it was interesting to hear Shawn's story. My brother and mother read it and recommended it to me. I felt bad for Shawn because he was very smart and caring, but his family never knew. 

Submitted by Stephanie