When choosing this week’s novel, I went ahead and did some research on adolescent literature that shines a light on childhood cancer. It is something that I am very active with and it has played a huge part in my life. I came across this novel; it was brand new to the curriculum lab and the short description seemed incredibly intriguing.
I do not want to give away too much of the novel. It is about a teenage boy that gets diagnosed with bone cancer and his entire world is turned upside down. From the sports he is involved with, his younger sister, girlfriend, and best friend. One day he is an ordinary kid and the next day his entire world is turned upside down.
The book shows various sides to cancer. It brings into perspective the actual treatment for patients, what friends and family have to go through and most of all, how emotionally detrimental it is for the patient.
The book is intended for upper high school students. I say this, because it deals with euthanasia. The boy gets to a point where he just does not want to go on and end up living on life support with a feeding tube. There are certainly some touchy issues that a mature student would have to think through in a very understanding, positive light.
Overall, great novel. I would read it again any day. Definitely a tearjerker, but overall, an amazing book on childhood cancer.
A really interesting post...I wonder if this book would qualify as "controversial" for some teachers? You mentioned that it deals with death, and that it is probably for high schoolers. I would suggest that many of my sixth graders used to read books dealing with similar topics.
ReplyDeleteI have this question in my head (though I don't know the answer) when is it too early to discuss life topics (like death) with kids?