This was a new kind of story for me. Name a type of teenage issue and I’ve probably read about it. But I can honestly say, I’ve never read a book where one of the characters has Leprosy, or Hansen’s Disease as it’s referred to in the story.

Abby is your typical mean girl. She’s a beautiful cheerleader who runs with only the popular kids and is obsessed with looks. Anything less than perfection gets a sneer and a condescending remark from Abby and her band of BFFs. Her life is pretty much perfect, so when she develops a small rash she’s not overly concerned. Even when it starts to spread and other symptoms pop up, she never imagines it could be anything major.

And then she finally receives her diagnosis…Hansen’s Disease/aka Leprosy. All of a sudden her whole world is turned upside down. And she’s no longer one of the pretty people. Shipped off to a special facility for treatment, she starts to see that maybe looks aren’t everything.

I didn’t like Abby for much of this story. I thought she was a self-centered, mean little snot. But that’s okay. Because you don’t have to love a character. The point is that the author makes you feel SOMETHING about them.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Confessions of a Teenage Leper