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What Members Thought
I am so blown away by this book, I don’t even know where to begin. This is the sequel to Sonneblick’s Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, which was a fabulous book in it’s own right. It picks up the story about Jeff, an eight grader, who also happens to be a cancer survivor. Though he has been a survive for more than five years, he still lives with the effects of his cancer and it’s treatment. He has a limp, he sometimes has trouble focusing and he just can’t wrap his brain around math. The story is
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This book is a sequel that picks up about 8 years after Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie concludes. Jeffrey was diagnosed with cancer when he was 4 years old, and this book starts after he has been in remission for some time and is now in 8th grade. This book introduces Tad, his best friend and fellow cancer survivor, as well as Lindsay, the new girl from CA. Steven, Jeff's older brother and the main character in the 1st book, has left for a drumming trip to Africa, which is an added difficulty f
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Sequel to Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie. Not out until February, but I have connections. :-) Picks up the story started in the first book about 5 years later. Steven is now off at college, and the story centers on Jeffrey - recovered from his cancer but still dealing with many of the after effects of chemo and radiation. I learned a lot about what happens to someone after cancer treatment.
Great story and lots of sad parts too. All of those who loved the first book will like this one just as muc ...more
Great story and lots of sad parts too. All of those who loved the first book will like this one just as muc ...more
As sequels go, this was a pretty good one. I listened to the audio on a recent trip and thought Sonnenblick did as good a job with Jeffrey's eighth grade year as he did with Steven's. This would also stand alone, even if you hadn't read Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie. Sonnenblick is a master at getting an eighth grade boy's voice pitch perfect.
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I think my biggest issue with this was that the supporting characters were super one-dimensional. And the interactions at school seemed so limited - as if the school only had 5 kids. Otherwise, though, a sweet funny good story.
Wow, quite good all the way through. Good writing, pacing, tone, etc. Makes me want to read the first book, though I understand it's about slightly different characters.
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This will scoop you up and hold your heart from the first page to the last.
Full of life, humor, and heartbreak it is a must read.
Full of life, humor, and heartbreak it is a must read.
I LOVE Jordan Sonnenblick's books. He knows young adults and writes books that they can relate to. This is one of his best!
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What's it like for a kid after cancer? Another Shakespeare connection here -- the "beau geste."
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realistic fiction/boy friendships/boy emotions/life after cancer.
I resented the publication of this book because I felt that its existence spoiled a lot of the dramatic tension in my favorite Sonnenblick book, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Whether or not Jeffrey survives cancer is a major part of the plot. The first half of this book reinforced my initial fears-- constant references to Drums hinted at a retread. However, I eventually grew attached to the characters in this book-- especially Jeffrey's best friend, Tad.
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Fabulous follow-up to Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie! I think there are some great life lessons here. I'm hoping my 12yo son will read both books. He's more excited about fantasy than he is about realistic fiction. I did get him to start Dangerous Pie last night.
BTW I listened to this on audio - and the narrator was fantastic! ...more
BTW I listened to this on audio - and the narrator was fantastic! ...more
A humorous book about kids surviving cancer? YES! The characters and situations are so authentic in this sequel to Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. I have personal experience with cancer-survivor kids and this book is an amazing tribute to them!
A powerful story about the realities of life with and after cancer treatments, good message about school testing.
Nothing to say about this except it made me cry which always makes a book 5 stars for me.
Feb 03, 2010
Elisabeth
marked it as to-read
Feb 08, 2010
Maria
marked it as to-read
