Cellular

April 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-People are diagnosed with leukemia every day, but Brendan Halleran, 17, never thought it would happen to him. At first, he felt as if he had the flu, but then things started to get worse: bruises, weight loss, etc. Now, he has to have intense chemotherapy and just feels like giving up. He meets Lark, 16, in the hospital-she's there for a "last chance" bone-marrow transplant. Lark teaches Brendan how to live in spite of his diagnosis. Schwartz packs a lot of intensity into this slim novel, touching on the reality of what having cancer is like for teens, physically and emotionally.-Sherry Rampey, Independent Youth Services Library Consultant, Gaston, SC

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2011
Grades 7-10 Im sick of hearing how sorry everybody is. Being sorry doesnt help. It just weighs me down, Brendan rails at his best friend. The high-school basketball star has just had the heart-stopping diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia and grapples with fear and anger as he prepares for treatment. Friends dont know what to say. Family members hover too much and insist he will be fine, an overused word that hits Brendan with a bitter aftertaste. Schwartz captures the awkwardness and pain of those dealing with such a diagnosis, especially the patient. Only when he meets Lark, another patient in treatment, is he able to connect with his pain and, haltingly, to the beauty of life, and find hope. In this emotional entry in the Orca Soundings series, Larks sweetness and wisdom spin out on a trajectory that readers just know will not end happily for her, even though Brendan realizes she has touched his life mightily.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)