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A hilarious and heartwrenching story about surviving middle school - and an unthinkable diagnosis - while embracing life's weirdness.

Ross Maloy just wants to be a normal seventh grader. He doesn't want to lose his hair, or wear a weird hat, or deal with the disappearing friends who don't know what to say to "the cancer kid." But with his recent diagnosis of a rare eye cancer, blending in is off the table.

Based on Rob Harrell's real life experience, and packed with comic panels and spot art, this incredibly personal and poignant novel is an unforgettable, heartbreaking, hilarious, and uplifting story of survival and finding the music, magic, and laughter in life's bizarre journeys.

Rob Harrell

GMD	BOOK
Language	English
Classification	F HAR
Publisher	Penguin, 2020-03-31
Subject	Juvenile Fiction / Health & Daily Living / Diseases, Illnesses & InjuriesJuvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Adolescence & Coming of AgeJuvenile Fiction / Humorous StoriesComing of AgeFiction / Coming of AgeTeenagersJuvenile Fiction / Social Themes / GeneralJuvenile Fiction / Social Themes / FriendshipJuvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Emotions & FeelingsAdolescenceJuvenile Fiction / Social Issues / Adolescence
ISBN	9781984815156
Additional ISBN	1984815156 / 9781984815163
URL

Notes

Review
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
★ "This page-turner is not to be missed." -School Library Connection
★ "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
★ "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