The Courage to Compete: Living with Cerebral Palsy and Following My Dreams

This book is by Abbey Curran. She tells about her life and her experiences with pageants. Abbey was born with cerebral palsy. When I first read that phrase, I asked my mommy, “What is cerebral palsy?” So we did some research and I learned about Abbey’s cerebral palsy. This book teaches readers that even if someone is different, they can still achieve their dreams. I was surprised to find out that Abbey won the title of Miss Iowa 2008. She even was able to compete in the Miss USA pageant! It is inspiring to read about how Abbey created her own program called the Miss You Can Do It pageant. This program is for girls and young women who have special needs. My favorite part was reading about a party with Disney characters like Beauty, Cinderella, and Princess Anna. I would like to go to a party like that! Abbey writes, “One of the things I believe in is what I call the Circle of Dreams, which is the way one dream can lead to another.” Readers who choose this book will feel happy.