Debut author Kati Gardner details the heartbreak and triumphs of two teens battling cancer and its aftermath in this contemporary slice-of-life novel.
When high school student and aspiring ballerina Cason Martin's left leg fails her in a crucial audition, her dreams collapse. Cason has aggressive bone cancer, and her visions of moving to New York City to dance disintegrate right along with her femur. Her mother, Natalie, director of the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory, refuses to accept that Cason will not "be back at the barre by Christmas," but Cason knows survival may cost her not only her dreams, but her leg. Cason finds emotional support in Davis, a schoolmate completing court-ordered community service in her oncology ward. A former cancer patient himself, Davis struggles with addiction to prescription painkillers, and his former dealer harasses him at every turn. The couple's budding romance bows under the weight of Cason's treatment and Davis's efforts to remain sober, but a support system of peers and medical staff may help them find the strength to survive.
A childhood cancer survivor and amputee, Gardner writes with authority about the emotional challenges of living with a dangerous and debilitating disease. Cason's fears and Davis's consuming desire for a fix ring true, and Gardner shows the process of cancer treatment from diagnosis through recovery, with every emotional stage along the way. Taking a less romantic look at illness than The Fault in Our Stars, this quick read offers 8th to 12th graders plenty of drama and hope. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services division manager at Main Branch, Dayton Metro Library