Joan Esherick 
Physical Challenges 

There are many kinds of physical challenges. Some of these are the result of an injury, while other challenges are caused by a condition with which the person was born. Many of these conditions will last forever, and some will get worse as the individual gets older. When fourteen-year-old Samantha discovers that her new neighbor, Jenny, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, Samantha’s not sure what to expect. Through her growing friendship with Jenny, though, Samantha meets other kids with physical challenges. Each of these new friends has a different physical condition and faces different difficultiesand each one teaches Samantha a new lesson about how to look at others.