Fight + Flight

Avery Hart lives for the thrill and speed of her dirt bike and the pounding thump of her drum kit. But after she’s diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disease that affects her joints, Avery splits her time between endless physical therapy and worrying that her fun and independence are over for good. Sarah Bell is familiar with worry, too. For months, she’s been having intense panic attacks. No matter how much she pours her anxiety into making art, she can’t seem to get a grip on it, and she’s starting to wonder if she’ll be this way forever.

Just as both girls are reaching peak fear about what their futures hold, their present takes a terrifying turn when their school is seemingly attacked by gunmen. Though they later learn it was an active shooter drill, the traumatic experience bonds the girls together in a friendship that will change the way they view their perceived weaknesses—and help them find strength, and more, in each other.

Jules Machias, author of Indie Next List Pick Both Can Be True, delivers another inspiring story about how an unexpected friendship transforms the lives of two middle-schoolers.

Jules Machias is an author/illustrator of books for kids. They’ve worked for veterinarians, construction companies, a car parts warehouse, a middle school for kids with disabilities, and several global marketing firms. They now own and operate an editing business for clients in publishing and advertising. Jules lives in Cincinnati with their family, a herd of sassy rescue dogs, and a heinously messy garage full of dirt bikes and art supplies.