To Stand On My Own

To Stand On My Own
Book no.	27
Series	Dear Canada
Author	Barbara Haworth-Attard
Publisher	Scholastic
Published	October 1, 2010
Pages	192
ISBN	9781443100175
Setting	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Timeline	June – November 1937
Preceded by
Chronology	Not a Nickel to Spare
Publication	Exiles from the War
Followed by
Chronology	Exiles from the War
Publication	Hoping for Home

To Stand On My Own: The Polio Epidemic Diary of Noreen Robertson is a fictional diary written by Barbara Haworth-Attard. It is the twenty-seventh book in Scholastic Canada's Dear Canada . It is also Haworth-Attard's second book for the series. The book was released in October 2010 and was followed by the short story collection Hoping for Home.

Dedication

"For Margie Eaton, my sister-in-law, who has stood with me for thirty-seven years"

Book description

"Friday, July 30, 1937
In the hospital
It has been a long time since I wrote in here. I am in the isolation ward. It's to keep our germs from spreading around.
Saturday, July 31, 1937
All the nurses and doctors wear masks so only their eyes show. I thought they were ghosts and screamed because I thought I was dead.
Sunday, August 1, 1937
I have polio.
I'm really scared. Mother and Aunt Ella have a school friend who had polio and she is crippled and has to lie in bed all day because she can't walk. Others who've had it have to use crutches. People can die from polio!
Maybe if I say the word polio enough times, it won't be so scary."

Characters

Main article: List of To Stand On My Own characters

• Noreen Robertson

Author

Main article: Barbara Haworth-Attard

Editions

To Stand On My Own
Dear Canada eBook
B078H9P95H
(December 2015)

Awards

• Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre (2011) - commended
• IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities (2011) - commended
• IODE Canada Violet Downey Recommended List (2011) - commended
• Red Cedar Award, BC Young Readers' Choice (2012) - short-listed

Acknowledgements

"The publisher wishes to thank Dr. Stuart Houston, M.D., professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan, and author of Steps on the Road to Medicare and (with Dr. Bill Waiser) Tommy's Team: The People Behind the Douglas Years, for his detailed vetting of the text and his memories of the polio years in Saskaetchewan. Also our thanks to Barbara Hehner for her careful checking of the factual details."

"Many thanks go out to a lot of people who helped with the creation of this book: To Dr. Lou Horlick, Dr. Stuart Houston and Dr. Bryan Young for their medical direction; Blenda Ramsay for sharing her polio journey with me; Saskatoon and Regina reference librarians; City of Saskatoon Archivist Jeff O'Brien; Sandy Bogart Johnston for her wonderful editing; Scott Treimel, my agent, for always looking out for me; and last but not least, love to my husband, Joe."

Notes

• The portrait on the cover is a photograph by George Marks labelled Teenage girl (14-15) posing, close-up, portrait. The background is a photograph from the Glenbow Museum Archives labelled Red Cross Children's Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta.

External links

• To Stand On My Own at Scholastic Canada
• To Stand On My Own Discussion Guide at Scholastic Canada
• To Stand On My Own at Teaching Books