A middle schooler goes to her first con with her equally-geeked out mom, which is exciting but also stressful because she (the kiddo, not the mom) is an amputee/cancer survivor/bisexual who suffers from panic attacks. She meets and falls in love with a nonbinary teen, and all-in-all has a good time at the con.

I love how much we’re seeing more diverse representation in middle grade books, but the novels that are so laser-beam focused on it are a little exhausting. Can we maybe now skip to the era of having diverse characters in a story without constantly referencing their diversity? That feels like true progress to me. There’s a scene in this GN in which the MC is trying to have a nice swim in the hotel pool in peace, but an obnoxious adult interrupts her to say that she’s “an inspiration,” and the point of the scene is that such do-gooders aren’t doing anything good at all by pointing up a person’s difference. I feel like possibly the author could ponder their own advice here, because the story (two teens meet at a con and gently and sweetly fall in love over their shared geekiness) would have been much more successful if it were, in fact, allowed to be the main story that just happened to have LGBTQ and disabled characters in the main roles. ( )

Super cute graphic novel about a disabled girl named Masie going to her first convention! ( )

Due to childhood cancer, Maisie is a 14-year-old amputee. She dons a "THE FUTURE IS ACCESSIBLE" t-shirt to attend her first Con with her mom, who has short pink hair. Maisie is excited to meet the actress who plays Luna, one of the Midnight Girls, an above-the-knee amputee just like Maisie. Maisie and her mom navigate their day, taking advantage of designated quiet rooms and couch corners for rests, and Maisie meets Ollie, who's volunteering with their dad. Maisie and Ollie form a swift bond and share their first kiss.

Like Selah in GOOD DIFFERENT, Maisie finds an accepting atmosphere at a Con, though sadly, they have to return hundreds of miles home at the end.

Joyful, realistic disability representation.

Quotes

"Mr. Needle, he's your friend,
he wants to make you well again!
Let him do his job today,
he'll make your cancer go away!" (26)

"Won't people be annoyed at us for skipping the line?"
"Yep! That's ableism, though. Isn't it, kiddo? Accessibility is not a perk." (66)

"You two had an instant connection, and an amazing, intense day with each other. Sometimes, these things only last for that one day, and sometimes they last longer. Just remember, if it kind of fades or gets too hard from here, for either of you, it doesn't make what happened today any less special or meaningful, sweetheart." (Mom to Maisie, 204) ( )

Very sweet, and illuminating -- embraces sharing the realities of living with persistent pain (including snarkiness, including limits!) and models amazing parenting. Also a gentle and effective instruction in how not to inadvertently be a jerk to disabled people. More importantly, just a sweet romance, with some great kids at the heart of it. ( )

This is a very cute YA slice of life, kind of coming of age, kind of romance, set across a day at a science fiction fan convention. I recommend the summary blurb on the back of the book to give a much better feel for this book than I could.

For those who are science fiction fans, there are so many barely obscured references -- well worth it for this.

For those who get second hand embarrassment -- Maisie's parent is just a bit on the 'embarrassing to Maisie' side, and there are a number of somewhat uncomfortable moments as a result. ( )