I picked this up on a whim while strolling in the library the other day. I was looking through the "new" YA books and this caught my eye. I had no idea what the title was about because other than a few non-descriptive blurbs (which I hardly ever take at face value anyway) there was nothing to tell me anything about the story. But I took it out anyway. I guess I liked the cover.
I ended up being surprised by the book. It's a very fast read. Very fast. Like, a one sitting type deal.
The main topic is breast cancer and how a new neighbor, Johanna, comes in and changes the lives of the main character, Finn, his friend Matthew, as well as numerous others. Johanna has breast cancer and is undergoing chemo during the story. On the surface this wouldn't sound like something the average young person would want to read right? Well, I'm almost positive that most of the young people who start to read this will finish it. They'll get pulled in.
Gary Paulsen has a very talented voice and it speaks to you. I think this may be geared towards boys maybe in the 12-16 age range but I wouldn't limit it. I'm a 32 year old female and I loved it. Reluctant readers may just find a love of reading through this story.
I'd recommend immediately to any teacher, librarian, parent of a pre-teen, etc. along with people like myself who just love a good story. I'm definitely going to check out more by the author.
I ended up being surprised by the book. It's a very fast read. Very fast. Like, a one sitting type deal.
The main topic is breast cancer and how a new neighbor, Johanna, comes in and changes the lives of the main character, Finn, his friend Matthew, as well as numerous others. Johanna has breast cancer and is undergoing chemo during the story. On the surface this wouldn't sound like something the average young person would want to read right? Well, I'm almost positive that most of the young people who start to read this will finish it. They'll get pulled in.
Gary Paulsen has a very talented voice and it speaks to you. I think this may be geared towards boys maybe in the 12-16 age range but I wouldn't limit it. I'm a 32 year old female and I loved it. Reluctant readers may just find a love of reading through this story.
I'd recommend immediately to any teacher, librarian, parent of a pre-teen, etc. along with people like myself who just love a good story. I'm definitely going to check out more by the author.
