McGovern, Cammie. Say What You Will. New York: Harper Teen, 2014.

Amy and Matthew are quite a … couple… or not. I guess it depends on which you are talking to and when. Their friendship is a precious one. Amy has Cerebral Palsy and has, until her senior year, led a fairly sheltered life. Matthew is suffering from OCD and doesn’t really even know it. After he is brutally honest in his assessment of her life, she works toward getting to know him because he appreciates that honesty. Instead of adult aides, she persuades her parents to hire high school students to help her navigate her day. She urges Matthew to apply. He does, and the relationship that develops is awkward, intriguing, and all the while very engaging.

I believe that my readers will continue to be drawn to this book. I love that both of these kids are somewhere outside of the realm of what teens define as normal and that this book illustrates so very effectively how their hopes and angst are just the same. We learn that Matthew can truly “hear” Amy, in spite of the fact that she relies on a computer to do her talking. We watch Amy push Matthew to seek treatment for his OCD and step outside of his comfort zone. We also see very clearly that they don’t always understand themselves nearly as well as they understand the other. Together, yet apart, they navigate first jobs, first dates, a disastrous prom, first semesters in college, first love and so very much more.

I wasn’t necessarily as prepared for the very much more. I didn’t anticipate the complexity of Amy’s first intimate encounter and all that it would lead to. Oddly, the characters had seemed so fully realized to me up until that point, seemed strange to me for a bit. But...I’m thinking, that my students might say, that is when they were the most genuine. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I guess this is vague, but I am always excited when a book provides talking points for me and my readers. I love getting to know them just a little bit better. And I love any book that invites my students to accept others in spite of differences. I so enjoyed, for example, the acceptance that Matthew experiences at his place of work. They accept him for who he is; mock him just a little; and stretch him too. I love the examples these character set.

McGovern tackles a tough story and does so with originality and grace. A neat, neat read!