Roxie in Color

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Author(s)

Diane Debrovner

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Stacy Cervenka

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

June 02, 2026

ISBN

978-1536246605

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Roxie wants to blend in at a new school, which is hard to do when your parents are blind, in this remarkable novel, typeset in a font for low-vision readers, about friendship, misperceptions, and family—plus a dog’s view of the world.

Roxie loves her parents, but other people can’t seem to see past the fact that they’re blind—and they don’t really see Roxie, either. To them, she’s just “the girl with the blind parents.” So when her family moves to a new town and Roxie starts seventh grade at a new school, she’s determined to be known for the other parts of who she is: an artist, an animal lover, and the kind of person who bakes cookies for people she cares about for no special reason. But that means keeping her parents’ blindness a secret from the kids at school and definitely not telling anyone that she might inherit the eye condition that caused her mother’s vision loss—at least until they get to know her.

For a while, Roxie is happier than she’s ever been. But when her lies and omissions lead to a visit from Child Protective Services, will Roxie find the courage to be fully honest with her friends, her parents, and herself? This heartfelt depiction of a girl establishing her own identity, with some chapters told from the perspective of her mother’s loyal guide dog, is an authentic portrayal of the joys, challenges, and everyday ordinariness of being raised by parents who have a disability.

Note: The novel is typeset in Atkinson Hyperlegible, a font developed by Braille Institute specifically for low-vision readers.

Editor review

1 review

Realistic and Touching

June 28, 2026 (Updated: July 22, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

“Roxie in Color” by Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka tells the story of a young girl named Roxie, at the start of seventh grade. While Roxie’s sole goal at her new school is to fit in, she finds herself anxious and worried much of the time that someone will discover the truth about her family—her parents are blind.

While Roxie really loves her parents, it doesn’t make acclimating to a new school and new friends easy. She worries what people will think, especially since at her old school she dealt with a lot of issues as a result of her parents’ blindness. Roxie has a lot of interests that she wants people to know her for, including her love of being an artist, her love of animals, and her desire to be a good friend to others. All of this is made harder not only because of her parents, but because she knows that one day she might inherit the condition that will cause her to go blind too.

Little by little, Roxie tells lies that aren’t meant to hurt anyone, but they catch up with her nonetheless and cause trouble in her friendships and in her relationship with her parents.

The story is told from both Roxie’s perspective as well as having some chapters told from her mother’s guide dog’s point of view. The story is realistic, touching, relevant, and poignant. It deals with the frustrations and happiness of being a young kid, as well as those of being someone with issues that seem, and may very well be, larger than one should have to deal with.

The novel is also placed in Atkinson Hyperlegible font, a font developed by the Braille Institute specifically for low-vision readers. This is a nice touch for a book about such a focused topic.

Good Points

The story is told from both Roxie’s perspective as well as having some chapters told from her mother’s guide dog’s point of view. The story is realistic, touching, relevant, and poignant. It deals with the frustrations and happiness of being a young kid, as well as those of being someone with issues that seem, and may very well be, larger than one should have to deal with.