How to do Paris with One Leg
Maya is a budding influencer and plans to use her French exchange trip to Paris as a treasure trove of content for her page. However, her trip does not get off to a great start when she finds out she is paired with grumpy Levi. They have nothing in common; he doesn’t even have social media! Well, they do have one similarity. They both have a physical disability: Levi is a wheelchair user, while Maya is an amputee and wears a prosthetic leg. This book allows for two very important conversations to unfold – the issue of social media addiction and the stereotypes surrounding disability.
Maya prioritises how she is perceived on social media and the need to get content for her social media pages more than the sightseeing and friendships surrounding her – viewing life through a phone lens, rather than through her own eyes. This in turn begins to negatively impact her mental health. Maya is a recent amputee, and just wants a normal life, doing the same things her friends do, without any special treatment. Her social media pages are a place for her to pretend that everything is perfect, but this is not always the case. As the story unfolds, the reader learns of the different difficulties faced by people with disabilities. Some of these difficulties are physical, but many more stem from the assumptions people make regarding the capabilities of Maya, and Levi too.
A story of resilience, speaking up for yourself and unlikely friendships. Dove tackles the conversation of subconscious stereotyping of people with disabilities in an age-appropriate way that will resonate with all readers.
