ALA Notable Book
ALSC Notable Book
Barnes and Noble Children’s Book Award Finalist
TIME Best Book of the Year
NYPL Best Book for Kids
NPR’s Book Concierge Pick
Evanston Public Library Great Books for Kids
A Texas Lone Star Reading List Selection
2021 ALSC Notable Children’s Books List
“Harrell’s genius is making all of it feel authentic for a seventh grader, a teenager who, like countless others, just wants to be normal . . . Bodies change, people change, life continues. It’s a lesson a lot of us have been learning, and relearning, in recent days.” —New York Times Book Review
★ ”Filled with the same sardonic humor and celebration of atypical friendships as his Life of Zarf series, Harrell draws from personal experience to track the wild emotional roller coaster a seventh-grader rides after being diagnosed with a rare tear duct cancer.” —Booklist, starred review
★ “This page-turner is not to be missed.” —School Library Connection, starred review
★ “Amusing black-and-white comics trace his unsavory experiences, capture the ironies of his predicament, and underline his creativity and sense of humor . . . This lively novel showcases the author’s understanding of middle school angst amid the protagonist’s experience with a serious illness.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The author balances this anger element well against the typical middle-grade tropes . . . While some of these elements will feel familiar, the novel’s emotional climax remains effectively earned . . . Not your typical kid-with-cancer book.” —Kirkus
“The story’s beauty lies in how Ross’s life unfolds and opens . . . This title is delightfully good and different. Highly recommended.” —School Library Journal
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