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
