Skin

Skin by Donna Jo Napoli, 341 pages

The first day of Sep’s junior year of high school she wakes up with lips.  Panicked, she and her mother call the doctor, who can’t see her for a few days but reassures them that she isn’t dying.  Sep covers them with lipstick and eventually finds out that she has vitiligo, which causes pigment to leave the skin, usually in spots or splotches.  There’s no telling how much of her skin will be affected or if it will be permanent.  There is no cure and the treatment options that are effective have pretty bad side effects.  Sep is devastated, especially since the boy she likes, Joshua, has started paying attention to her.  This is a story about a girl who is trying to find herself in the midst of a difficult situation.  Teens, especially girls, who like realistic stories will probably enjoy this book.