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A Story About Cancer With a Happy Ending
By (author)
India Desjardins
Illustrated by
Marianne Ferrer
Genres:
Romance & relationships stories (Children's/YA), Comic strip fiction / graphic novels (Children's/YA), Personal & social issues: body & health (Children's/YA)
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Synopsis
When visiting a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, a few years ago, bestselling author India Desjardins met a 10-year-old girl with leukemia. The girl told her she that she was fed up. All the stories about children like her who had cancer had sad endings, so she didn't want to read them. She asked India to write a story about cancer with a happy ending instead, one with laughter and romance. India did, and the story became this book.
I think about everything I'll miss if they tell me I'm going to die... my mum, my dad, my sister, cookies, TV shows I'll never get to see the end of, walking outside when it's really nice, the smell of autumn, the starry sky on a full moon, my grandparents, my grandpa's lasagna, kissing Victor, Victor's eyes, Victor's voice, Victor's smell, Victor's hands...Victor.
A teenage girl heads towards the hospital waiting room where the doctors are going to tell her how much time she's got to live. As she walks, she thinks about her journey up to this point... the terrible decor in the hospital, wearing a headscarf, the horrible treatments, but also being with her friends, family, and her new boyfriend Victor.
While this story has a happy ending, the girl offers an honest account of what it feels like to be a teenager with cancer. Like how she just wants everyone to treat her like a normal person and stop telling her how strong she is - especially her mum. And how, even though everyone is telling her to stay positive, she sometimes loses hope and even wants to die to make the pain go away. Dreamlike illustrations elegantly convey the emotional complexities.
Like the girl in this story, the girl that India met at the hospital is now cured. She also fell in love during her illness. Today, around eight out of ten children who are diagnosed with cancer are cured. This story was written to give any child who has cancer hope. New & Used
| Seller | Information | Condition | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | - | New | £9.11 + FREE UK P & P |
What Reviewers Are Saying
"Visually dreamlike, textually grounded..." -Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews * "The first-person narration lends an introspective sense of calm to the dark circumstances, and the sensitivity with which Desjardins imagines the girl's emotions and familial relationships makes the journey personal." -Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly * BOOK OF THE WEEK 'This is beautiful. Beautifully written, beautifully translated and really beautifully illustrated... It's ridiculously early to call Book of the Year 2019 but this really should be in that list. It's that good.' * ReaditDaddy * "...captures the experience of childhood cancer with quiet, empathetic prose...will inspire hope through its raw and honest vulnerability." -Foreword Reviews * Foreword Reviews * 'the illustrations are amazing...a superb book for people of all ages to share and learn from.' * JUNO magazine * "...a low-key but effective take on a deadly disease." -Booklist * Booklist * 'realistic and moving [it] sensitively explores a young person's feelings... It is a perfect book for building empathy and understanding and provides an invaluable resource for children affected by cancer, enabling difficult conversations about fears and hopes and the wider impact of the illness within the family.' * Just Imagine * 'This no-holds-barred story is a real emotional roller coaster but the first person telling serves to bring a sense of calm to the whole sequence of events, be they dark or bright. Ferrer's almost dreamlike, at times, surreal visuals, highlight the intensity of feeling' * Red Reading Hub * 'affecting and striking... It's honest, raw and emotional, but also hopeful too' * BookTrust * 'The author was asked to write a cancer story with a happy ending instead of the usual sad ones. She has certainly achieved this as it is brimming with hope and love. Although I knew the ending the tension was palpable and beautifully written.' * Carousel magazine * 'Beautifully presented, beautifully illustrated to the extent it is almost a graphic novel, this is a book to recommend to KS3 and older.' * YLG News *