Positively by Courtney Sheinmel

Source: I requested this for review after reading about it on And Another Book Read

Availability: In stores now

Reading level: 9-12 year old

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars

Positively is a story about Emmy Price, an HIV positive young girl, who is dealing with the death of her mother from AIDS.  Emmy feels like no one can truly understand how she feels having to deal with this illness every day of her life, never knowing what her future will hold for her.  To help her cope her father and step-mother send her to Camp Positive where she has the chance to meet other HIV positive girls.

I hate saying this but this book left me feeling rather indifferent.  I did not hate it and did not love it.  It was an interesting story and balanced nicely portraying Emmy living as an HIV positive young girl without making the book too depressing.  I just did not find myself drawn into the characters.  They were a little bland and I would have liked to see more self discovery at Camp Positive for Emmy.  Her turn of heart seemed sudden when she was not showing much enjoyment at camp and then it seemed like one talk is all it took to change her outlook on life.  That said it was a very interesting topic and I could not imagine what I would be like if I were in Emmy’s situation.  Her fears and frustration over things like would any boy ever want to date her or would she ever have her own kids were all very real and it is heart breaking that a 13 year old would have to think about these types of things.