Year 10 student Paige Wilding has a clear plan for when school is over. She will move to New York with her best friend Jazz, win a scholarship to the New York Academy of Art, and hone her realistic style of painting that is precise, literal and perfect.
When Paige gets a diagnosis of Stargardt Disease, a degenerative eye condition with no cure, she decides to ‘live big, no regrets’, which includes jumping off buildings and breaking into the school pool to go skinny dipping. She is also determined to keep her condition a secret from everyone at school, except Jazz. But even Jazz is not fully aware of how hard it is becoming for Paige to navigate the world.
Despite her mum’s persistence, Paige does not want any special treatment at school, and definitely no cane, no counsellor, and no teen support group.
When it becomes impossible to make art in her usual style, heartbroken and angry, Paige decides she will no longer paint.
If she is not an artist anymore, then who is she?
Suzy Zail has beautifully rendered what life may be like for a teenager faced with a life altering diagnosis, and it is absolutely gut-wrenching at times witnessing Paige being forced to adjust to a life that is not the one she imagined.
As the novel progresses, Paige finds herself considering things she never would have before, including kind and sensitive art rival Zac who helps Paige discover a new way of being an artist.
This compelling coming-of-age novel was greatly influenced by the lived experience of many people in the low vision community who shared their insights with Suzy. The novel also includes an Afterword written by Jane Cherry, a person living with vision loss, and her acknowledgment of what it might mean for young people to see themselves in books.
Highly recommended.
Title: A New Kind of Beautiful
Author: Suzy Zail
Publisher: Walker Books, $22.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2026
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760653743
For ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult Fiction
