Today’s post is a review of the book, Compass Points the Way, by Alexis Kline. I received an advanced copy of the book in order to provide a review.
Summary
Compass Points the Way is the heartwarming story of Allie, a 12-year old star soccer player who faints while playing her favorite sport. As Allie’s health challenges continue, she is forced to take a step back from soccer while she pursues answers to the sudden onset of symptoms. Eventually diagnosed with POTS, Allie tries to navigate her new life with health struggles to find her direction.
While out with her family one day, Allie meets a handsome pup, Compass, who is up for adoption. After Compass joins Allie’s family, it quickly becomes clear that Compass has a special gift that might be just what Allie needs. With the help of family and friends, and with Compass pointing the way, Allie discovers how to chart a new path when POTS sets her off course. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so you’ll have to read the book to find out how Compass helps change Allie’s life.
About the Author:
Alexis Kline was diagnosed with an unidentified form of Dysautonomia when she was 12-years-old. Sometime after losing her active lifestyle and ability to play sports, she rediscovered her passion for writing. Now 27, she lives in Arkansas with her husband and hopes to use her writing to bring hope and inspiration to others. You can find her on social media at:
Review:
If you know anything about me, you know I love dogs. Anything with dogs in it, whether it’s a movie, book, or your next birthday party (no pressure), if it has dogs, I’m in. But in this book, the dog is just the bonus.
Here’s what I love about this book: it doesn’t shy away from the difficult emotions that come with chronic illness. Chronic illness can be lonely. It’s messy. It’s an endless string of variable stages of grief, played out in a chaotic fashion. We witness Allie living through those emotions, without suggestion that there’s a right or wrong way to feel.
At 178 pages, Compass Points the Way is intended for young adults; however, I believe it would be suitable for most ages, and would be especially helpful for children diagnosed with a chronic illness, especially POTS, and friends, siblings, and classmates of young POTS patients. Even as an adult, this book was a wonderful reminder for me that being diagnosed with a chronic illness doesn’t mean we have to give up on your dreams. We may have to course-correct or adjust our sails, but there are still so many adventures out there, just waiting for that first step. There is life after POTS, and I think that’s the lesson we all need to relearn from time to time. And if we’re really lucky, like Allie, we have a good friend by our side to help show us the way.
Compass Points the Way is available for purchase on Amazon and would make a great gift this holiday season. You can find it
here.
Smell ya later.
– Linds
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