Hi All! It is once again that time of the month when we visit books selected based on astrological signs. This time we are looking at books for those born between June 21 and June 22 which would make them a Cancer. Normally, we pick books based on the distinct traits of that sign however this time I have decided to share with you a list of must read cancer kid books…because I can.
The Brilliant Light of An Amber Sunrise
By Matthew Crow
Francis Wooten is getting ready to start his last year of school when he is diagnosed with leukemia. Francis enters a treatment center where he meets Amber a fellow patient who he first befriends before beginning a romance. The two have very different outlooks on life and their personalities mess together to form the perfect yin/yang relationship. Can the two survive their treatments and get well enough to have a future? This book is at times both inspiring and heartbreaking and a must read.
Maybe One Day
By Melissa Kantor
Zoe and Olivia have always been best friends. They have planned their future together. Then Olivia gets sick and all Zoe can do is believe that her best friend will get better. She doesn’t lose hope when Olivia begins treatment, or when Olivia misses weeks of school, or when Zoe develops feelings for Olivia’s crush. As Zoe helps Olivia through her illness she discovers her true self. This is a great book about finding out who you are when your world is turned upside down. Zoe’s journey of self discovery parallels that Olivia’s journey through cancer as both learn the importance of living.
Deadline
By Chris Crutcher
Ben Wolf has his senior year planned. He is going to be the star of his high school’s track team, get into a good college, and maybe ask out his crush. Then right before school starts Ben is diagnoses cancer. Ben knows he has to change his life. Without telling his parents or his twin brother he decides to live out all of his dreams including joining the football team and falling in love. Chris Crutcher is a YA legend for a reason. His books feel so true and his character so real that when the story ends you find yourself drawn into the word he has crafted. “Deadline” will make you laugh as you cry and will leave you wanting more.
The F-It List
by Julie Halpern
Alex hasn’t spoken to her best friend Becca since Becca betrayed her. When Alex decides to forgive Becca she learns that her once best friend has been diagnosed with cancer. Alex wants to support her friend and is with Becca when she shaves her head, encourages Becca to try to fall in love, and begins checking off the tasks on Becca’s bucket list. Halpern mixes humor with realistic moments of despair to create a story about learning to forgive and finding a way to truly live.
The Fault in Our Stars
By John Green
I know, I know…this book is an obvious choice but as a full blown Nerdfighter I can not make a cancer kid booklist and not include the story of Hazel and Gus. So for those of you who don’t know. This book is about two teens who meet in a cancer support group and fall in love. They learn to really live and not just to be alive. Oh, and if you haven’t read it before get ready to use a whole box of tissue starting about 2/3 of the way through the book because there will be tears…many, many tears.
