The One Thing

Gr 7 Up—After losing her eyesight to meningitis, 16-year-old Maggie is angry and bewildered. A rising soccer star, she refuses to adjust to her new life, which includes Merchant's School for the Blind, where an ill-conceived prank lands her on probation. Maggie's parents seem distant, and her friends from school have forgotten about her. Then one afternoon, Maggie slips on the floor, whacking her head in the process. When she regains consciousness, standing over her is Ben, a wise-cracking 10-year-old whom she can actually see. More strangely, Maggie can only see when Ben is with her. After eliminating the possibility that she is in a coma, Maggie bonds with Ben and his family even though she is ignored by his older brother Mason, the lead singer for a local band called The Loose Cannons, who thinks she is pretending to be blind just to get near him. By the time Maggie figures out why she can see only certain people, will it be too late to avert another tragedy and put together the pieces of her broken life? The story is fast-paced, with Maggie's intermittent vision serving as an intriguing mystery. Maggie is a solid, well-developed character and shows tremendous growth in the story. The dialogue and Maggie's inner thoughts are hilarious and provide insight to the challenges anyone, especially a teen, must experience with a life-changing medical event.