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Chronically Dolores

Maya Van Wagenen

$22.99

Paperback

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English
Dutton Books for Young Readers
17 June 2025
Maya Van Wagenen, bestselling author of Popular, tells Dolores's story with humor, heartache, and an occasional bit of telenovela flair. Now in paperback!

Maya Van Wagenen, bestselling author of Popular, tells Dolores's story with humor, heartache, and an occasional bit of telenovela flair. Now in paperback!

Dolores Mendoza is not thriving. She was recently diagnosed with a chronic bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. The painful disease isn't life threatening, but it is threatening to ruin her life.

Just when things seem hopeless, Dolores meets someone poised to change her fate. Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones is glamorous, autistic, and homeschooled against her will by her overprotective mother. After a rocky start, the girls form a tentative partnership. Beautiful, talented Terpsichore will help Dolores win back her ex-best friend, Shae. And Dolores will convince Terpsichore's mom that her daughter has the social skills to survive public school. It seems like a foolproof plan, but Dolores isn't always a reliable narrator, and her choices may put her in danger of committing an unforgivable betrayal.
By:  
Imprint:   Dutton Books for Young Readers
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 210mm,  Width: 140mm,  Spine: 17mm
Weight:   247g
ISBN:   9780147512550
ISBN 10:   0147512557
Pages:   320
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 12 years
Audience:   Young adult ,  Preschool (0-5)
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Maya Van Wagenen lives in Georgia with her partner and their many pets. Winner of The Schneider Family Book Award for Best Artistic Expression of the Disability Experience, Maya′s second book and first novel, Chronically Dolores, is inspired by her experiences as a teenager with an incurable bladder condition. She is passionate about bringing visibility to youth with chronic illness and validating the questions, fears, and absurdities that accompany a lifelong diagnosis in childhood.

Reviews for Chronically Dolores

Praise for Chronically Dolores A NYPL Best Book of the Year “Van Wagenen’s fiction debut is a standout with both wide appeal and important, specific representation bolstered by the author’s own life.” —Booklist, starred review   “Compassionate prose conveys the protagonists’ experiences with care and thoughtful, complex characterizations approachably highlight life’s ambiguity.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review   “An insightful, funny, and realistic coming-of-age story.” —Kirkus Praise for Maya Van Wagenen's Popular YALSA Award Winner for Excellence in Nonfiction New York Times Bestseller “I was inspired by her journey.... Maybe if I had read Popular when I was [Van Wagenen's] age, it could have saved me from a world of hurt, or at least put that world in perspective.” —Maude Apatow for the New York Times Book Review “Everyone’s happiness project looks different, and I was utterly charmed by Maya Van Wagenen’s honest, funny, and thought-provoking account of her efforts to become ‘popular.’” —Gretchen Rubin, #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project


  • Winner of Schneider Family Book Award (Young Adult) 2025

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