First the path is a bit steep, then one or two inconspicuous steps follow, and then it goes on as normal: what is easy for most people to master, poses great difficulties for people with walking disabilities.

In Ruth Anne Byrne's children's book "Unbraked", thirteen-year-old Nina can no longer make it to school alone because of two small steps in the alley.

After a riding accident a year and a half ago, the nerves from her lower back down are unresponsive.

But Nina is not willing to let that stop her.

Also not from the stupid jokes about her situation in the wheelchair, which her classmates Fabian and Max find so funny: "How is it actually when you only see buttocks at eye level?" Nina would like to lead the life of a completely normal teenager.

Like many young people, she has a full program, goes to basketball training and therapy.

She can count on the support of her parents.

The Sprung family moved because Nina had to switch to a barrier-free school.

And so that she can look after her daughter more, her mother has reduced her working hours.

Ruth Anne Byrne's portrayal of the parents is a bit wooden and stereotypical - the mother looks after Nina 24/7 and often appears more stern than the generous father with her worried inquiries.

Actually, the two get along well with each other.

Luckily, Nina also gets along very well with her big brother Daniel, and she quickly found a good friend in Fiona at the new school.

One day the cool pain in the ass Fabian needs Nina's help and behaves like a different person towards her.

She's starting to like the boy with the bangs up to the tip of his nose more and more.

He is an avid skater and she finds out that the sport also exists in a wheelchair version: WCMX.

Young people from all over the world film each other doing wheelchair motocross and post the videos on YouTube.

There is also a growing scene in Germany.

First hesitantly, then more and more courageously, Nina tries out ramp after ramp in the skate park.

She soon became a regular here with her turquoise wheelchair, bicycle helmet, knee and elbow pads.

Thanks to chair skating, she now sees previously insurmountable barriers in everyday life calmly: "It's a hurdle, but not an obstacle!"

Only her mother is not allowed to know anything about Nina's new pleasure.

This works fine for a while, even without special equipment, until Nina's usual wheelchair breaks in a fall.

Too dangerous?

The girl doesn't want to be banned from skating, especially not now, because the WCMX competition that Fabian told me about is coming up in a few weeks in the neighboring town.

In her distress, Nina is surprised by the ingenuity of her friends.

Ruth Anne Byrne's youthful heroine is a likeable protagonist who, despite being in a wheelchair, does not wish for special treatment.

The exciting story of "Unrestrained" avoids the moral finger as well as obvious clichés and pity traps.

Nina is a normal thirteen-year-old who enjoys a new sport, develops tender feelings for her classmate and also doesn't want to be controlled by her mother anymore.

Nina's handicap gives young readers an unfamiliar perspective on the teenager's desire for more independence and other common age-related topics such as (cyber)mobbing and jealousy.

The book describes the everyday life of children and young people in wheelchairs in a relaxed manner and does not sugarcoat anything.

Nina's story shows how radically life changes as a result of paraplegia, but also how important active support from family, friends and school is.

Last but not least, Nina's zest for life and her courage make "Unrestrained" a charming read.

Ruth Anne Byrne: "Unbridled"

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Novel.

Tulipan Verlag, Munich 2022. 184 p., hardcover, €15.

From 11 years