Stuck in Neutral - by Terry Trueman (Paperback)

About the Book

Shawn McDaniel is an enigma and a miracle, except no one knows it, least of all his father. In this powerful first novel, the reader learns to look beyond the obvious and finds a character whose spirit is rich beyond imagining.

Book Synopsis

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.

The paperback features an Extras section, giving readers even more insight into Shawn's life, and a Q&A with Terry Trueman.

*Booklist starred review

From the Back Cover

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.

This edition features an Extras section, giving readers even more insight into Shawn's life, and includes a Q&A with Terry Trueman, as well as a sneak peek at the sequel to Stuck in Neutral, Life Happens Next.

Review Quotes

The invention of Shawn is compelling, evoking one of our darkest fears and deepest hopes -- that a fully conscious and intelligent being may be hidden within such a broken body, as yet unable to declare his existence.The Horn BookInside Shawn's twitching, seizure-racked body is a sane, intelligent teenager with an eidetic memory. Shawn will stay with readers, not for what he does, but for what he is and has made of himself.Kirkus ReviewsReaders spend the whole book inside Shawn's head, a place that is so vivid, so unique they will be hard pressed to forget its mix of heaven and hell. Nor will they easily stop thinking about all the big issues Shawn raises -- not just about life and death, but also about the meaning of freedom, and about the responsibility that comes with love. An intense reading experience.Booklist