Elsie the Outsider

The one thing ten-year-old Elsie wants more than anything is a friend who will accept her for who she is. But friends are tough to find when you are the only blind kid in your school. Elsie often wonders, "Do kids do not want to be my friend because I'm blind, or is there another reason?" When Amy and Krista, the most popular girls in class, ask Elsie to sit with them at lunch, she wonders: am I finally going to fit in? Elsie's hopes are crushed when she realizes that Amy and Krista's reasons for asking her to sit with them are not what she hoped. It seems like no one at school will ever look past her disability... but things change when she meets Tanner and Shaylyn. Tanner shows Elsie that just maybe, a devoted friend will look past her blindness and see her as a person. And when Elsie finds herself in danger, Shaylyn proves that real friends are there when you need them the most. Has Elsie found a way to belong? Or will she always feel like an outsider? 'Elsie the Outsider' is the debut novel of author Breck Campbell, based on the author's own experience living with blindness and struggling to make friends. This middle-grade novel explores themes of friendship, belonging, and bullying, all while navigating the tumultuous life changes of adolescence. 'Elsie the Outsider' takes a deep, authentic look at the challenges of life with a disability, and the struggle to fit in with your peers. It inspires young readers to look past the surface of people and see who they truly are.