One in a million

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One in a million

Title:

One in a million

Author:

Lordon, Claire, author, artist.

Candlewick Press, publisher.

Summary:

"Something is wrong with Claire, but she doesn't know what. Nobody does, not even her doctors. All she wants is to return to her happy and athletic teenage self. But her accumulating symptoms--chronic fatigue, pounding headaches, weight gain--hint that there's something not right inside Claire's body. Claire's high school experience becomes filled with MRIs, visits to the Mayo Clinic, and multiple surgeries to remove a brain tumor. But even in her most difficult moments battling chronic illness, Claire manages to find solace in her family, her closest friends, and her art. A deeply personal and visually arresting memoir that draws on the author's high school diaries and drawings, One in a Million is also a sophisticated portrayal of pain, depression, and fear that any teen or adult can relate to. With a sensitive preface and an author's note connecting past to present, this true story of resilience strikes a moving balance between raw honesty in the face of medical and mental trauma and the everyday musings of a teenager."-- Provided by publisher.

Audience:

14 years and up.

Grades 9-12.

General Note:

"A graphic memoir" -- Cover.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

257 pages : chiefly illustrations ; 22 cm

Genre:

Autobiographical comics.

Comics (Graphic works)

Nonfiction comics.

Personal Subject:

Lordon, Claire-Comic books, strips, etc.

Subject Term:

Teenagers -- Comic books, strips, etc.

High schools -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Brain -- Tumors -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Added Corporate Author:

Candlewick Press,

Publisher:

Candlewick Press,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781536213676

Publication Information:

Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2023.

Call Number:

YA LORDON

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003611764	New Young Adult Graphic Novels	LORDON	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Debut graphic novelist Claire Lordon's medical misfortunes may be one in a million in this relatable memoir, but so is her determination, grit, and passion to beat the odds and reclaim her life.

Something is wrong with Claire, but she doesn't know what. Nobody does, not even her doctors. All she wants is to return to her happy and athletic teenage self. But her accumulating symptoms--chronic fatigue, pounding headaches, weight gain--hint that there's something not right inside Claire's body. Claire's high school experience becomes filled with MRIs, visits to the Mayo Clinic, and multiple surgeries to remove a brain tumor. But even in her most difficult moments battling chronic illness, Claire manages to find solace in her family, her closest friends, and her art. A deeply personal and visually arresting memoir that draws on the author's high school diaries and drawings, One in a Million is also a sophisticated portrayal of pain, depression, and fear that any teen or adult can relate to. With a sensitive preface and an author's note connecting past to present, this true story of resilience strikes a moving balance between raw honesty in the face of medical and mental trauma and the everyday musings of a teenager.

Author Notes

Claire Lordon is an author, illustrator, and designer who creates children's books, comics, murals, maps, and greeting cards. She is the author-illustrator of Lorenzo, the Pizza-Loving Lobster , the Taking a Walk series, and other picture books. One in a Million is her first graphic novel. Claire Lordon lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

This affecting graphic memoir by Lordon (Lorenzo, the Pizza-Loving Lobster), pulled from her adolescent diary entries, organically conveys the impact of a mysterious chronic illness on her life as a white teen living in Utah. As an athletic student in good academic standing, Lordon experiences sudden weight gain, loss of energy, and painful headaches. She is soon diagnosed with Cushing's disease, a disorder in which her body produces too much cortisol, and learns that it's likely being caused by a tumor on her pituitary gland, which is treatable with surgery. But the disease--and the feelings of isolation it causes--negatively impacts her mental health. The purple-gray hues of the overarching narrative are punctuated by metaphorical b&w portrayals of her symptoms: depression is shown as a giant weight that plunges her down a dark hole, while insomnia is visualized as cogs springing loose and bursting out of her brain. Though Lordon's health concerns aren't resolved as easily as she initially hoped, depictions of her experience managing her illness are filled with mirth and positivity as she finds solace in her art and friendships, making this a resonant story of resilience. Ages 14--up. (Oct.)