Dessert First

July 15, 2016
Everything in Kat's life is horrible, but it is about to get so very much worse.Kat's 12-year-old brother, "Beep," is dying of not one but two forms of leukemia, the second one induced by the chemotherapy that's failed to cure him. Even a bone marrow donation from Kat fails--and she, unfortunately, believes she's responsible. She's fighting bitterly with her older sister, Rachel. Spending so much time at the hospital, Kat has given up homework, so she's failing sophomore year. The boy she loved, Evan, dumped her for popular girl Tracie, but now he's trying to restart their battered relationship. She communicates frequently online with another cancer sibling, "Drowningirl," who's so depressed that Kat always replies with the suicide hotline number. She's the online pal of a high school senior who's also dying--but loves her. Tracie and her cruel followers at school (the "Tracies") brutally try to bully her into submission. (Most of the book's characters appear to be white.) Kat is wise, dependable, and loving, a beautifully realized character, but this tale is so deeply infused with a surfeit of desperate pain that it is agonizing to read. One scene, where Rachel and Kat take turns smelling Beep's ball cap just to recall his sweet scent, is overwhelming. Some books require Kleenex at the end. This deeply moving tragedy vastly outpaces typical tissue use. (Fiction. 11-18)

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August 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-A sweet, sorrowful, and simply divine debut novel that teens will be sinking their teeth into. It is set in the bustling East Bay, which is only a few miles and a BART train ride away from San Francisco. Kat Monroe is a 16-year-old girl whose 12-year-old brother Beep is dying from leukemia. Kat tries to stay positive with humor and angst, but there are times when she just can't take the awful hand that her family has been dealt. Kat and her sister Rachel don't get along at all, but they have one common goal: keep their brother happy while he is still alive. Kat's parents try their best to put on a brave face through all of the difficult treatments that Beep has to endure, including a bone marrow donation from Kat. The teen attempts to stay strong by writing on her cancer blog and updating the Facebook page she made to keep family and friends posted on Beep's progress. Through all of the sadness and pain, Kat has one good friend, Evan, whom she keeps pushing away because she knows he wants to be more than just friends. To cope with her ups and downs, she reaches out to a young man on one of the cancer blogs, Hunter, who is also sick with leukemia. Through deep loss and pain, Kat finally comes to a point of clarity and joy in this wonderful story, which will be a hit with fans of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and Jesse Andrews's Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. VERDICT Purchase where realistic fiction titles are flying off the shelves.-Kimberli Buckley, Concord Public Library, CA

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