There's an s on My Back: "S" Is for Scoliosis [Paperback]

Mary Mahony (Author)

Book Description

Maisey MacGuire is a fifth grader and her life is much like that of any fifth grader until the day of her scoliosis screening. "After the little talk, Ms. Bennett had each girl stand on a piece of masking tape stuck to the floor and asked each one to move into a diving position. I kept thinking to myself, "I sure hope everyone knows how to swim!" The Ms. Bennett just seemed to stare at each back, looking ever so carefully. Eventually, it was my turn. She seemed to take a lot longer with me and I was getting pretty uncomfortable being in that position so long. Finally, she told me that I could stand up."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a book that any child can enjoy, and every patient, family, and caregiver dealing with scolosis should read." --Joe O'Brien, President, National Scoliosis Foundation, 1999

"Watching Maisey confront the onset and progression of scoliosis while coming of age is a journey that evokes every emotion..." --Nan Braucher, former Principal, Roger Wellington School, 1999

About the Author

Mary Mahony is an elementary-school resource teacher and lives with her husband, Kevin, in a suburb of Boston. Mary is the mother of three grown children and enjoys revisiting some of the humorous things that have happened to her own children and weaving them into her writing. A strong advocate for children with scoliosis, There's An "S" On My Back, "S" Is For Scoliosis is about the more common idiopathic scoliosis and presents as a wonderful piece of literature with a medical plot that children with scoliosis can clearly relate to.

Product Details

• Paperback: 201 pages
• Publisher: Redding Press (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096588791X
• ISBN-13: 978-0965887915
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a New Scoliosis Kid!, August 12, 2001

By 

Charlie White (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There's an s on My Back: "S" Is for Scoliosis (Paperback)

This book will go a long way toward showing any kid faced with wearing a new scoliosis brace what it's like to have scoliosis and what to expect. Told in the first person from a fifth-grade girl's point of view, the book takes you through the entire process from diagnosis to treatment.

My daughter and I are reading this aloud to each other every night, while she wears her new brace. I can see the optimism building on her little face with each paragraph. And, it's making me feel better about the brace and the role it will have in her life for 20 hours a day for the next few years.

This is a calming and well-written book for anyone who is going through this difficult experience. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A huge help for parents and kids, December 14, 2008

By 

Scott McLaren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: There's an s on My Back: "S" Is for Scoliosis (Paperback)

My daughter was recently diagnosed with scoliosis and this book has helped her more than anything else to understand what that means. It has also been a huge comfort for her to know that so many other kids have already had to face what she is now going through. She has already read the book twice and refers to it whenever the topic of scoliosis comes up. I highly recommend this book to all parents and children facing a similar diagnosis. Five stars.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for understanding Scoliosis, November 12, 2011

By 

kkranzy - See all my reviews

This review is from: There's an s on My Back: "S" Is for Scoliosis (Paperback)

This book was given to me as I was getting my scoliosis brace when I was 11 years old. It was perfect! It explained everything to me about what scoliosis is, and why it was important for me to wear my scoliosis brace. It was because of this book that I was compliant and wore the brace the prescribed hours for two years. Due to my compliance I never had to get corrective surgery. I would recommend this to any child or parent of a child who is recently diagnosed with scoliosis.