Seeking YA fiction about special-needs student

May 7, 2010 5:09 AM

Seeking YA book - Main character is special-needs student enrolled in BOCES...

The book, for young-adult readers, came out in the late 70s or early 80s. If I recall, the cover shows an apprehensive-looking girl with a shoulder bag, kind of looking over her shoulder. The story takes place (and is authored by a teacher) in NY state, and the main character is a special-needs student enrolled in a BOCES program, who attends the same school with her sister who is not special-needs. She embarrassed her sister by singing aloud in the hallway one day. I think at one point, after a bad day, she takes a bus or train back to her old school and gets lost.

posted by SillyShepherd to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

I've never seen this book but your question reminded me that my kids, sometime back in the 80s in upstate NY, started using a derogatory term for other kids, they called them bow (as in tie a bow)sses. When I finally asked them what that meant they said it was like kids who went to BOCES. A long discussion ensued and they stopped, at least in my presence, using it.

I'll see if I can find the book.
posted by mareli at 7:25 AM on May 7, 2010

Is it this one? Or maybe this one? Or?
posted by mareli at 7:46 AM on May 7, 2010

Response by poster: It's quite possible that it could be the second book you cited. I'll look on LibraryThing or Goodreads for reviews later, since Amazon doesn't have any. This might have been the author's first novel. It definitely wasn't a compilation of stories, like your third citation. I recall it being written in the vernacular of the late 70s/early 80s, so I'm thinking it's not your first citation.
posted by SillyShepherd at 10:08 AM on May 7, 2010

I used the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database, it's an awesome tool. Some public libraries subscribe to it, as do some academic libraries. You might be able to sign up for a free trial membership, I did a few years ago as an individual and then convinced the library to subscribe.
posted by mareli at 11:56 AM on May 7, 2010

That sounds so familiar. Was the protagonist named Wilmadene, called "Deenie" for short?

If I recall correctly, she was in "special" classes because of her back brace--which was all traumatic and stuff because of the two sisters she was the Talented and Pretty One.

In your book did the protagonist accidentally start a trend by angrily chopping off her hair?
posted by Neofelis at 1:41 PM on May 7, 2010

Response by poster: Definitely not Deenie, by Judy Blume, which I also enjoyed. Still not turning up much information on book number two. I may try out the CLCD this weekend.
posted by SillyShepherd at 7:36 PM on May 7, 2010

Response by poster: I did check the CLCD, but that turned out to be inconclusive. I think the book probably has been out of print for so long that it's dropped out of radars and databases.
posted by SillyShepherd at 6:44 PM on January 17, 2011

Response by poster: Coming back to say I found it, elsewhere. I would have never figured it out!
posted by SillyShepherd at 4:45 AM on April 15, 2011