Vrabel - A Blind Guide to Stinkville

Praise for Beth Vrabel and Pack of Dorks:

Debut author Vrabel takes three knotty, seemingly disparate problemsbullying, the plight of wolves and coping with disabilityand with tact and grace knits them into an engrossing whole of despair and redemption.... Useful tips for dealing with bullying are neatly incorporated into the tale but with a refreshing lack of didacticism. Lucys perfectly feisty narration, emotionally resonant situations and the importance of the topic all elevate this effort well above the pack.

Kirkus Reviews , starred review

Lucys growth and smart, funny observations entertain and empower in Vrabels debut, a story about the benefits of embracing ones true self and treating others with respect.

Publishers Weekly

Vrabel displays a canny understanding of middle-school vulnerability.

Booklist

Lucys confident first-person narration keeps pages turning as she transitions from totally popular to complete dorkdom in the space of one quick kiss.... Humorous and honest.

VOYA

This book doesnt soft-peddle the strange cruelty that kids inflict on one another, nor does it underestimate the impact. At the same time, it does not wallow unnecessarily.... The challenging subject matter is handled in a gentle, age-appropriate way with humor and genuine affection.

School Library Journal

Pack of Dorks nails the pitfalls of popularity and celebrates the quirks in all of us! An empowering tale of true friendships, family ties, and social challenges, you wont want to stop reading about Lucy and her pack... a heartwarming story to which everyone can relate.

Elizabeth Atkinson, author of I, Emma Freke

A book about all kinds of differences, with all kinds of heart.

Kristen Chandler, author of Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me and Girls Dont Fly

Beth Vrabels humorous debut, Pack of Dorks , takes a fresh look at what it means to embrace what makes you and the ones you love different.... The novel is a must read for anyone trying to survive fourth grade or anyone who remembers what it was like. Pack of Dorks is the pack I want to join.

Amanda Flower, author of Agatha Award nominee Andi Unexpected

Beth Vrabels stellar writing captivates readers from the start as she weaves a powerful story of friendship and hardship. Vrabels debut novel speaks to those struggling for acceptance and inspires them to look within themselves for the strength and courage to battle real-life issues.

Buffy Andrews, author of The Lion Awakens and Freaky Frank

Beth Vrabel weaves an authentic, emotional journey that makes her a standout among debut authors.

Kerry OMalley Cerra, author of Just a Drop of Water

Also by Beth Vrabel

Pack of Dorks

Copyright 2015 by Beth Vrabel

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Sky Pony Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously.

Sky Pony is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.skyponypress.com.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Vrabel, Beth.

A blind guide to Stinkville / Beth Vrabel.

pages cm

Summary: Leaving her best friend and the familiarity of Seattle for the paper mill town of Stinkville, South Carolina, twelve-year-old Alice, who lives with albinism and blindness, takes on the additional challenge of entering the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest.

ISBN 978-1-63450-157-6 (hardback)

[1. Albinos and albinism--Fiction. 2. Blind--Fiction. 3. People with disabilities--Fiction. 4. Self-reliance--Fiction. 5. Moving, Household--Fiction. 6. City and town life--South Carolina--Fiction. 7. South Carolina--Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.V9838Bl 2015

[Fic]--dc23

2015011256

Cover design by Laura Klynstra

Cover image credit Shutterstock

Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-157-6

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-917-6

Printed in the United States of America

To my family. And Chuck.

Chapter One

E ven I could see that Tooter was no Seeing Eye dog.

The ancient Shih Tzu was about the size of a loaf of bread. His bottom teeth poked out of his mouth all the time. His eyes were once brown but now they were sort of gray. Tooters favorite thing in the world to do was to rub his butt against the ground. Or the table. Or someones leg. And to fart. And thats the story behind the name Tooter.

After Mom finally agreed that my brother, James, could walk me to the library instead of making me spend another summer day alone at home (I mean, I guess, technically, its home, even though it doesnt feel like it yet), he grabbed Tooters leash from a hook by the door.

Come on, Alice. Might as well take care of two needy pains-in-the-butt, he muttered.

We moved to Sinkville, South Carolina, about three months ago. Sinkville is the official name, but everyone calls it Stink ville.

Home, I mean real home, is Seattle, Washington. We lived there, right along the shore, all twelve years of my life. There was always a wonderful blanket of soft gray in the sky, so I only had to put on sunscreen once in the morning and my milk-white skin stayed perfectly pale. The air smelled salty and like rain. Mom would walk me to school during the school year, and Id spend the summer hanging out with my best friend, Eliza, who lived a block from us. Her mom let her walk over to our house by herself in the morning, but of course it was impossible for me to head out on my own. So wed always hang out at my home. Mom would bake us cookies and tell us stories about her life B.A. (before Alice), when she was a travel writer. She made every day feel like an adventure. Sometimes when Dad came home from work, hed say, Whered ya go today, Alice? And Id say anything from Argentina to Zaire, wherever Mom had talked about that day.

Here in Stinkville, life is pretty much the opposite of before. We live in a little house in the middle of the woods. Even with all the trees, the sky is blazing blue. I have to put on sunscreen every other hour. For real. And the air in Stinkville? It smells like rotting eggs. Thats because the whole town is centered on M. H. Bartel Paper Mill, where almost everyone (including the new plant manager, a.k.a. my dad) in town works.

Do you know how paper is made? I dont either. But I do know it involves purposefully rotting wood. Rotting wood emits incredibly horrible smells. The scariest part: no one in town even smells it anymore. For real. So if we live in Stinkville long enough well get used to the stink and we wont even know how horrible it is to new people!

And if that wasnt stinktastic enough, Mom doesnt walk me to school or anywhere for that matter. Mostly thats because we moved in the summer, so there is no school. But also because the longer we live here, the less Mom does anything Momish. She took me to the library the first week we were here but has been too tired, feeling a little overwhelmed, or grrrmmlll (the approximate sound she makes when I nudge her awake), since. She doesnt even tell me to brush my teeth anymore, let alone explain what happened when she went diamond mining in Tanzania years ago.