Review of Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings

Fourteen-year-old Natalie O'Reilly's world is turned upside down with the news that she will soon go blind. As if this weren't shocking enough, she is forced to face the fact that she must now attend a school for the blind to learn Braille and how to use a cane. As Natalie tackles the skills that will help her to survive in a sighted world, she inwardly hopes for a miracle that will save her sight. But will that miracle come, or will she need to learn to embrace her new life?

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What would you do if you were told you were going blind? In Natalie's case, she goes into complete denial, even after being enrolled in a Blind School. There she learns many lessons, other than Braille and using a cane, and makes many friends along the way. The story is a really quick, enjoyable read and I quite enjoyed it. 

Of course, there were a few things that I didn't enjoy so much, which seems to be a common peeve of readers - Cummings becomes quite extreme at times, throwing so many life lessons and perilous situations at me I felt like a moron. A lot of it is basically saying, 'Look! Blind people can go to the mall if they want to!' and other parts were just silly. Despite this, I really enjoyed Natalie's story.

Of the characters, I liked Bree a lot. Despite her attitude when we first meet her, you learn about her past later on and she tries her best to make amends. Natalie is similar, at first she shuns everything, refuses to use her cane but after falling down the stairs and knocking herself out (true) she realises that she can't be in denial forever. 
I found it a little odd that Natalie was the perfect girl-next-door farm girl, whereas the rest of the characters had some pretty serious histories but I think that was part of Cummings way of drilling life lessons into our heads...

4/5