Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

I've seen this book being talked about on Twitter, and even looked at it at Chapters one night.  But last week when I saw one of the girls at school reading it, and when I asked her how she was liking it, she raved about the book.  I asked her if I could borrow it when she was done (thanks Olivia!) and she gave it to me last week.  I'm so glad she did! 

Five Feet Apart, which has just been made into a movie is the story of teenagers living with Cystic Fibrosis - a fatal genetic disease that attacks the lungs and digestive system.  The main characters in this story are Stella, a young girl who is determined to follow all the rules and is convinced that that will let her beat the odds at surviving CF.  Poe, her best friend in the hospital who also tries following all the rules, but also wants to experience life.  Then there is Will- he has recently been diagnosed with B. cepacia a complication of CF that has no cure and is certain to end his life sooner than later.  Will is determined to live his last few years of life, really live. 

Stella and Will meet and they must stay five feet apart in order to protect each other from spreading their disease and making things worse for each other.  Of course when two people with very different views of how to live a life come together, sparks are going to fly. 

This is a great story, not only in informing readers about CF, but also about how important it is to live your life to the fullest, no matter how long you have left.  I really enjoyed all the characters in this story, everyone could see themselves in one of these characters.  I can see why the girls are loving this book, I know it is one I will put on my book shelf as well. 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I realized last week that I haven't been reading many YA books, so I took a quick trip to Chapters and stocked up on all the books I've been reading about and wanting to read. So, be prepared for some new posts here. The Fault in Our Stars has been getting a lot of buzz, even Oprah put it on her 'best books' list. I have mixed feelings about John Green, I didn't like Abundance of Katherines (didn't even finish it, which is really saying something), but enjoyed Will Grayson, Will Grayson So, when I heard about John Green's newest book, I was a bit skeptical, I wasn't prepared to like it to be honest. Well, there is nothing better than having yourself proven wrong, because I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! I was hooked right from the start. The main character in this story is Hazel, a 17 year old girl living with terminal cancer. Hazel has known forever that she is going to die, she has made herself accept this and wants nothing more than to spend time with her parents and reading books. Her mother forces her to go to a Cancer Kids support group which Hazel finds incredibly depressing. But she goes because she knows her parents want her to be a normal, happy teenager, which is a pretty tall order when she is living with cancer. One day at the support group, Hazel meets a new boy named Augustus Waters and suddenly her life changes. She finds a small group of friends, and starts to have a bit of a social life. What Hazel discovers through her friendship with Augustus is friendship, love, courage and strength. Hazel and Augustus are teenagers I would love to hang around with. They are witty, smart and incredibly loyal. I loved reading their story. There are books that you read that stick with you for a long time, this is definitely one of them. I have been telling everyone that they have to read this book. It is a bit hard recommending this book because it is about childhood cancer and teenagers. However, I wouldn't hesitate to have this in my grade 7 classroom. I would direct kids to it for sure. There is one scene in the book that deals with mature content, but it was handled in a way that I believe Intermediate students could handle without any issues.

But, I would suggest teachers or adults read it first to make their own decision on that.

side effects by Amy Goldman Koss

I have always liked how Goldman Koss tackles tough issues in her books and this one is no exception- it is small but mighty!

Izzy is a typical 8th grade girl. She is not impressed with her parents and school, she is boy crazy and loyal to her friends. When she mentions to her mom one morning that her glands are swollen, she is suddenly swept into a situation that she has no control over. Chemo, radiation, feeling terrible and losing her hair are just the beginning of her problems. What drives her most crazy is how everyone starts treating her differently. This story shows the horrors that some children are faced with and how there isn't always a sad ending when you hear the word cancer.