Jean Little is recognized throughout Canada and the United States for her candid and unsentimental portrayals of adolescent life. A teacher of handicapped children, Little herself has only limited vision, and she uses much of her real-life experience as the basis for her books. Her characters often deal with physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy or blindness, or confront psychological difficulties involving fear or grief. However, none of her characters find magical cures for their problems. Instead they learn to cope with and survive the challenges they face, and thus they are led to greater self-understanding. "Ultimately," explained Meguido Zola in a profile of Jean Little for Language Arts, "that is the real thrust of Jean Little's novels--recognizing and mastering the enemy within rather than tilting at the one without." For her writings, Little has won numerous awards, including a Canadian Children's Book Award, a Governor General's Literary Award...