author
Champion of misfits, underdogs & that odd kid who always sat alone in the school cafeteria.
(Spoiler Alert: I qualify as all of the above.)
CURSED
CURSED is the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award winner!
An #ownvoices YA debut.
14 year old Erica "Ricky" Bloom, is newly diagnosed with a painful chronic illness and pretty pissed off about it. Her body hurts constantly, her family’s a mess and the boy she’s crushing on seems completely clueless. The best coping mechanisms she can come up with are cursing and cutting school. But when her truancy is discovered she must struggle to catch up in school to avoid a far worse horror: repeating ninth grade.
Charlesbridge Teen, June 25, 2019
Check out the official CURSED trailer!
The CURSED book drive 2021
The Cursed book drive was a SMASHING success!
Thanks SO much to all who participated, especially my partners, Children's Book World and CoachArt.
Getting the word out about the book drive took a lot of time - but was a lot of fun, too!
Check out the images and videos from the social media campaign below.
Intro to the Book Drive
about the BOOK DRIVE:
How it worked:
Participants purchased copies of the Cursed paperback online via Children's Book World. Donated books were distributed via CoachArt, a local organization that works with teens with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
The book drive ran throughout July 2021.
One random book drive participant won a copy of Cursed (choice of hardback or paperback) and a selection of Cursed swag, including a limited edition Cursed mug!
Why do a Book Drive?
Great question! I was diagnosed with arthritis at 13 and didn't meet another young person with arthritis until I was 21. I didn't know of any books featuring kids like me, and I often felt devastatingly alone. Having access to a book like Cursed back then likely would have made a huge difference for me. Helping kids feel less alone and more heard is a big part of why I wrote this book! Celebrating the release of the paperback by getting free copies to kids who might really benefit from seeing themselves reflected in the pages of a book felt like a great way to wrap up my incredible journey with Cursed.
CoachArt sounds kinda cool!
They totally are!
Their mission is to create a transformative arts and athletics community for families impacted by childhood chronic illness. They offer free art and athletic lessons to chronically ill kids and their siblings, ages of 5-18. Click HERE to find out more about their programs.
Got more questions? Feel free to reach out to me via my contact page!
Karol poses with the Book Drive "spoils" - 80 donated books!
Signing, signing, signing!
BOOK DRIVE GRAPHIC “I was fifteen, soon to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and terrified. I was seeing double, had numb hands and couldn't walk a straight line. If I had read a book like Cursed back then, I would have felt less afraid and alone and more like I belonged to a cool club of smart, funny people like Ricky and Oliver.” -Alison Dale, writer
BOOK DRIVE GRAPHIC “Reading Cursed, I was stunned to discover how much pain and misery my little sister had gone through when she, like Ricky, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. I was a kid too, only a year and a half older, but I just thought she was being her bratty self. Talk about clueless! This book is powerful and funny-and will help others truly understand what living with chronic pain is like. -Deb Silverstein, big sis extraordinaire
BOOK DRIVE GRAPHIC "My 30-year-old father was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1950, so I grew up witnessing his pain and limitations. But it was Cursed that truly brought home to me how difficult and heroic his daily struggles had been. I learned so much from Ricky, even 60 years after the fact. Cursed is a gift to readers of all ages." -Cathy Ritchie, librarian
BOOK DRIVE GRAPHIC “I was fifteen, soon to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and terrified. I was seeing double, had numb hands and couldn't walk a straight line. If I had read a book like Cursed back then, I would have felt less afraid and alone and more like I belonged to a cool club of smart, funny people like Ricky and Oliver.” -Alison Dale, writer