A Shot at Normal

By Marisa Reichardt

Marisa Reichardt's A Shot at Normal is a powerful and timely novel about justice, agency, family, and taking your shot, even when it seems impossible.

Dr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn't serious. But I am. I'm going to sue my parents.

Juniper Jade's parents think cell phones cause cancer and vaccines contain carcinogens, and will counter every doctor who tries to prove them otherwise. Her parents might seem delusional, but Juniper knows that this is the status quo: to be in this family, you've got to stick to the rules. That is, until the unthinkable happens.

Juniper unknowingly contracts the measles and passes the disease to a local infant who dies from the illness. Juniper is shell-shocked. She knows she is responsible and feels simultaneously helpless and furious at her parents, and herself.

Now, with the help of Nico, the boy Juniper can't help but lovingly describe as an awkward Timothee Chalamet, Juniper comes to a decision: she insists on being vaccinated. Her parents refuse so Juniper arms herself with a lawyer and prepares for battle. But is waging war for her autonomy worth losing her family? And what will happen if Juniper actually wins?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374380953
• ISBN13: 9780374380953
• Release Date: February 2021
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary