This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present, and future. The contributing authors are awardwinners, bestsellers, and newcomers including Kody Keplinger, Kristine Wyllys, Francisco X. Stork, William Alexander, Corinne Duyvis, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Heilig, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Kayla Whaley, Keah Brown, and Fox Benwell. Each author identifies as disabled along a physical, mental, or neurodiverse axis―and their characters reflect this diversity. * A Junior Library Guild Selection* * A Kirkus Best YA Book of 2018 That Feeds Imaginations* "What makes these protagonists different proves far less relevant than the universal emotions they express." ― Publishers Weekly, starred review "The stories feature wide variety and high quality, but most importantly, none of the teens at the center of the stories are defined by their disabilities. Teens disappointed by the lack of nuanced depictions of disability in YA fiction will cheer for these compassionate, engaging, and masterfully written stories." ― Booklist, starred review "For intersectional representations of disabled kids leading complex lives―sometimes painful, sometimes funny, never sentimentally inspirational―a vital collection." ― Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Fans of every genre will find someone to root for in this collection focused on disabled heroes and heroines." ― Seventeen Magazine "There is something for everyone in this volume. VERDICT A great choice for all YA collections." ― School Library Journal "Unbroken is a much needed short story collection featuring disabled teens as heroes of their own stories. The anthology successfully subverts stereotypes and long-held literary tropes about characters with disabilities. This strong assortment of stories will attract a large teen audience and should be in collections serving young adult readers." ― VOYA Marieke Nijkamp is the #1 New York Times – bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends and Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens. She is a storyteller, dreamer, globe-trotter, and geek. She currently resides in her home country, the Netherlands. Unbroken 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens By Marieke Nijkamp, Heidi Heilig, Kody Keplinger, Kayla Whaley, Katherine Locke, William Alexander, Karuna Riazi, Francisco X. Stork, Dhonielle Clayton, Fox Benwell, Kristine Wyllys, Keah Brown, Corinne Duyvis Farrar, Straus and Giroux Copyright © 2018 Farrar, Straus and Giroux All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-374-30650-2 Contents TITLE PAGE, COPYRIGHT NOTICE, DEDICATION, THE LONG ROAD by Heidi Heilig, BRITT AND THE BIKE GOD by Kody Keplinger, THE LEAP AND THE FALL by Kayla Whaley, PER ASPERA AD ASTRA by Katherine Locke, FOUND OBJECTS by William Alexander, PLUS ONE by Karuna Riazi, THE DAY THE DRAGON CAME by Marieke Nijkamp, CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN by Francisco X. Stork, DEAR NORA JAMES, YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT LOVE by Dhonielle Clayton, A PLAY IN MANY PARTS by Fox Benwell, BALLAD OF WEARY DAUGHTERS by Kristine Wyllys, MOTHER NATURE'S YOUNGEST DAUGHTER by Keah Brown, A CURSE, A KINDNESS by Corinne Duyvis, ABOUT THE AUTHORS, COPYRIGHT, CHAPTER 1 The Long Road HEIDI HEILIG THERE IT IS — do you hear it? Hissssss, shhhhh. Hissssss, shhhhh. The desert wind. Like a serpent sliding through the stones, or my mother warning me not to speak. Shhhhh, hush, hushhhh. Say nothing. Reflexively, I press my lips together — but everyone who matters already knows my secret. I should have kept it better, but it's too late now. The road stretches before me and behind. It is littered with camel dung and pomegranate rinds, wet tea leaves and boiled stew bones. Along it, travelers come and go, west to east and east to west, following the arc of the sun. And north? If I shade my eyes, I can see the desert from whence the winds come, shifting the dunes of the Takla Makan: the Place of No Return. The haze on the horizon is sand in the air. My father says it can scour the meat from the pale bones of the dead. All travelers whisper about the wind. How, if you get too close, you'll hear it call and bid you come. I don't hear my name on the wind — only the sound of the sand. The road we travel skirts the edge of the wide wasteland. Perhaps we are at a safe enough distance. Or perhaps the voices are drowned out by the dull ringing of the tangled amulets strung around my neck. Chung, chung, hissssss. Chung, chung, shhhhh. Back in my little garden in Xi'an, I used to love the sound of chimes: bone and bamboo and little bronze bells shimmering in the breath of the breeze. A happy sound. Light as the wind. My heart used to beat to their delicate music as I moved thr