Positively

September 7, 2009
After her mother dies of AIDS, 13-year-old Emmy is left to grapple with the virus her mother unknowingly passed on to her through pregnancy. When Emmy acts out, her father and his second wife, who are expecting their first child, send her to sleepaway “Camp Positive,” for HIV-positive girls. Despite her reluctance, Emmy begins to find solace with girls who face similar obstacles, but a friend leaving camp because of declining health, sparks stark realizations: “You couldn't ever get away from AIDS, ever. You couldn't ever change anything.” Emmy's most transformative moment—a conversation with a camp counselor who tells her, “I'm not saying this disease is easy. It's not easy at all. And I can't explain everything that happened, except to say that life is weird”—leads to a convincing baby step toward Emmy finding peace. Sheinmel (My So-Called Family
), who reviews for PW
, occasionally crosses into political territory, but Emmy's plainspoken narration and reflections on the loss of her mother and her illness (“People had to be nice to me because I was the one with the saddest life”) are wrenchingly authentic and quietly powerful. Ages 9–14.

January 1, 2010
Gr 6-8-Emmy is infected with the HIV virus, and her mother, infected before she married Emmy's father, dies of AIDS at the beginning of the book. Angry and alone, the 13-year-old moves in with her semi-estranged father and newly pregnant stepmother. At a loss for how to help Emmy recover from her grief and alienation, they send her to a summer camp for girls with HIV and AIDS. There she realizes that she is not alone, not the only person to take handfuls of pills on a daily basis, not the only girl who worries about the complications of dating with the virus. She returns home with a new perspective, welcoming her half sister into her life and admitting her newfound desire for a happier, more "positive" existence. Emmy refers to her condition alternately as being HIV positive and infected with AIDS, which may confuse readers grappling to understand the difference. What does come through is her very real anger and her fear about her future. Some readers may find the plot development slow, but Emmy's situation is compelling and underrepresented in YA fiction."Nora G. Murphy, Los Angeles Academy Middle School"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Grades 6-10 Grief-strickenafter her mother dies of AIDS, Emmy, 13, must also cope with the reality that she herself is infected with the HIV virus, which was passed on to her during Moms pregnancy or while breastfeeding. She is furious that she has to move in with her dad and stepmom; resiststaking her huge pills three times a day; lashes out at her best friend; and hates it that everyone at school knows about her illness. Thereality ofliving with HIV and AIDS is the drama here, and many readers will be held as much by the factsof the disease as by Emmys story. Of course, there is no easy resolution. Afterher father forces Emmy to attend a summer camp for HIV-positive girls, though, she does find connections with others like her, who do not know if they will grow up, get married, and have kids. Emmys livelyfirst-person narrative tells a gripping contemporary story of confusion, sorrow, anger, and hope that willprompt group discussions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)