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The Scooter Twins

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Melanie and Melvin may be twins, but they couldn't be more different.

Melanie is LOUD and Melvin is quiet. Melvin likes frogs and Melanie loves MOTORCYCLES! When the twins learn that they will get their very own mobility scooters, Melanie is excited to race to school, but Melvin is worried he'll fall — and that people will stare. And there's a problem: Grandma can't afford the scooters without selling one of Mom's treasured paintings, one of the only things the twins have left to remember their parents.

In the process of getting their scooters, Melanie and Melvin have to navigate challenges that people with disabilities face on a daily basis: rudeness from a store clerk and products that aren't made with kids in mind. But in the end, Melanie and Melvin choose scooters that are just right for them and make moving through their neighborhood a new adventure.

Written by disability advocate and mobility scooter user Dorothy Ellen Palmer, and illustrated by Maria Sweeney, The Scooter Twins is an #ownvoices story that shares the joys and challenges of disabled childhood, and offers many kids who get new wheels the opportunity to find themselves in the pages of a book.

 

Key Text Features

illustrations

 

Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3

Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3

Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

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  • Reviews

    • School Library Journal

      June 21, 2024

      K-Gr 3-Twins Melanie and Melvin are turning eight and a trip to the doctor isn't exactly their ideal way to spend their birthday. Their doctor recommends that due to the lengthy walk to school, the children would benefit from mobility scooters. The reason behind this need is never identified in the text, but when challenged about their abilities at the scooter store, Melanie is able to advocate for their needs. Melanie refers to being disabled; Melvin states he cannot walk far without falling. Educators may have to fill in some of the gaps. Child-friendly and appealing scooters are found. Paying for the scooters is another challenge; the children live with their grandmother and only by selling one of their late mother's paintings will they have enough money. By the conclusion, the two children have the scooters they want that match their personalities. Written by an accessibility advocate, this story could be used to engage children in discussions surrounding mobility issues. The illustrations depict a fairly recent era; people wear face masks. In the end, these are normal children who happen to need scooters, and the path to that is bumpy but achievable. VERDICT An important topic for sharing at story hours.-John Scott

      Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      March 1, 2024
      Twins feel mixed emotions when their doctor recommends mobility scooters. On Melanie and Melvin's eighth birthday, Dr. Singh gives the siblings an "unexpected present": She tells them that they should use mobility scooters for their long walk to school. Motorcycle-loving Melanie can't wait to "zoom like the wind"; she's "tired of being left behind." Reading about curb cuts, which make sidewalks more accessible, lessens Melvin's fears of falling, but he worries people will stare. And Grandma says scooters are expensive. They'll have to sell one of Mom's paintings--losing another link to their deceased parents. Palmer, a scooter user herself, sympathetically highlights how these devices are seldom marketed with kids in mind: The clerk at the Accessibility Store initially assumes that Grandma is the customer, and some scooter models provoke the twins to protest they're "eight, not eighty" and "disabled, not dying." Though both find their ideal scooters, the delivery is bittersweet; Melanie's scooter is slower than she imagined despite its wolf-shaped handlebars, and Melvin refuses to move, even though his is "little-green-frog perfect." But recalling their parents' wise words bolsters their confidence. Mitigating the somewhat stilted dialogue, Sweeney's warm-hued illustrations convey the twins' emotions, and despite its "ancient" furniture, Grandma's small apartment is cluttered with comfortingly cozy details. Melvin, Melanie, and Grandma have light brown skin, while Dr. Singh is cued South Asian. An educational, reassuring take on disability and loss. (Picture book. 6-8)

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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