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Side Effects
As if it doesn't suck enough to have cancer, practically every time you pick up books or see movies where characters get sick, you know they'll be dead by the last scene. In reality, kids get all kinds of cancers, go through unspeakable torture and painful treatments, but walk away fine in the end. From the acclaimed author of The Girls and Poison Ivy , Side Effects is about the pain, fear, and unlikely comedy of 15-year-old Izzy's journey, told in her own powerful and authentic voice. It is Izzy's story--screams and all.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
March 7, 2009
The only thing keeping this from a fifth star is that by the end, everything feels rushed, like reaching 144 pages would be too much and it had to end on magical #143 and it had to end painfully, fantastically happy.
I don't begrudge the happy, I do find the rushed bit a little vexing because the rest was so good.
I don't begrudge the happy, I do find the rushed bit a little vexing because the rest was so good.
October 15, 2010
Side Effects By: Amy Goldman Koss
I recently finished reading the book Side Effects, by Amy Goldman Koss. It is an inspiring story about a teenage girl named Izzy. Izzy gets diagnosed with lymphoma. It was very surreal for her. This was her story.
What I liked most about this book was how Izzy stayed the same and didn’t let the cancer bring her down. She was a strong person. She made it seem like it was no big deal. She acted as though she was no different from anyone else in the world. She did not want to be different. She wanted to be normal.
What I didn’t like about this book was that a girl from Izzy’s school, in her grade, used Izzy’s misfortune for her own success. She acted upset and cried on a daily basis because she ‘cared’ about Izzy and was ‘truly’ ‘really’ upset about her cancer just to get attention. It made me very upset. I felt myself in Izzy’s shoes just wanting to be left alone and getting mad, but she didn’t. She just said that she was glad someone was benefitting from her cancer.
My favorite passage from the book was towards the end, about two or three pages from the back. In this area of the book, Izzy is explaining and convincing herself in her mind that her cancer is like the weeds in a garden. She sees her dad picking the weeds from their garden and asks him why he is doing it. He explains that they compete with the flowers for sunlight, water, and soil. She asked why he didn’t want the weeds there and he responded by telling her that it was his garden and he wanted flowers. At this point she thinks to herself, my cancer is my weeds; all it is doing is trying to live. I liked this passage because it is heartfelt, sad, endearing, and it makes you think. It made me feel bad for her. My heart went out to Izzy.
This book is relatively new. It was published just a few years ago, so it is pretty up to date and most teens can relate to Izzy in some parts of the story. It is a short book too. It only has 143 pages. It is really easy to read and the comprehension level is great.
Izzy is a strange girl. She likes to draw a lot though. She can express herself no matter how she feels, no matter what the situation is, through her drawings. She also has a tendency to blurt out some things without thinking a lot, or she simply does not care what she says…which I believe to be the case. Her mom is very emotional, so when they found out about the cancer, she was devastated. Her dad was a quiet type, but he was pretty deep and emotional. Her brother, now he was a character! He was loud, funny, and did not care at all what was going on with his sister and her struggle for cancer as long as he had her to mess with. I loved this book. It was amazing, and one of my favorites. I recommend it to everyone.
I recently finished reading the book Side Effects, by Amy Goldman Koss. It is an inspiring story about a teenage girl named Izzy. Izzy gets diagnosed with lymphoma. It was very surreal for her. This was her story.
What I liked most about this book was how Izzy stayed the same and didn’t let the cancer bring her down. She was a strong person. She made it seem like it was no big deal. She acted as though she was no different from anyone else in the world. She did not want to be different. She wanted to be normal.
What I didn’t like about this book was that a girl from Izzy’s school, in her grade, used Izzy’s misfortune for her own success. She acted upset and cried on a daily basis because she ‘cared’ about Izzy and was ‘truly’ ‘really’ upset about her cancer just to get attention. It made me very upset. I felt myself in Izzy’s shoes just wanting to be left alone and getting mad, but she didn’t. She just said that she was glad someone was benefitting from her cancer.
My favorite passage from the book was towards the end, about two or three pages from the back. In this area of the book, Izzy is explaining and convincing herself in her mind that her cancer is like the weeds in a garden. She sees her dad picking the weeds from their garden and asks him why he is doing it. He explains that they compete with the flowers for sunlight, water, and soil. She asked why he didn’t want the weeds there and he responded by telling her that it was his garden and he wanted flowers. At this point she thinks to herself, my cancer is my weeds; all it is doing is trying to live. I liked this passage because it is heartfelt, sad, endearing, and it makes you think. It made me feel bad for her. My heart went out to Izzy.
This book is relatively new. It was published just a few years ago, so it is pretty up to date and most teens can relate to Izzy in some parts of the story. It is a short book too. It only has 143 pages. It is really easy to read and the comprehension level is great.
Izzy is a strange girl. She likes to draw a lot though. She can express herself no matter how she feels, no matter what the situation is, through her drawings. She also has a tendency to blurt out some things without thinking a lot, or she simply does not care what she says…which I believe to be the case. Her mom is very emotional, so when they found out about the cancer, she was devastated. Her dad was a quiet type, but he was pretty deep and emotional. Her brother, now he was a character! He was loud, funny, and did not care at all what was going on with his sister and her struggle for cancer as long as he had her to mess with. I loved this book. It was amazing, and one of my favorites. I recommend it to everyone.
March 29, 2011
How can the horrific journey of cancer be uplifting and downright funny?
I don't know the scientific formula, but Amy Goldman Koss has done it.
This was a short read and I honestly couldn't put it down. It's amazing to me that a book pretty much solely about one girl's experience with CANCER could be a page-turner, but there it is!
It was as character-driven as a circumstance-plotted book could be. Izzy was sooo much fun to be around; satirical, sarcastic, funny, realistic, artistic. I felt--physically--everything she was going through and it was a real eye-opener.
I've heard a lot about how authors should try to establish characters in a paragraph or less. Well, I'd never seen it properly done till reading "Side Effects."
Check out a couple sentences from the book about Izzy's mom;
...Mom asked the usual: "How was school?"
"Fabulous."
She perked up. "Really?"
"It sucked, Mom. It always sucks."
"Please don't use that word."
"Which word?"
Mom sighed. ...[She] looked at me, then looked closer.
"I wish you'd worn a nicer shirt," she said. She reached over to scrape some breakfast off my sleeve. If I'd let her, she would've scrubbed it with her spit....
Mom was chatting up the nursing mother. Why she always has to do that, I do NOT know. Mom was telling her something insanely boring about my infancy, or my brother's, and I practically wished I was back in school--but not quite.
The 'sentimental' moments are subtle and understated, and therefore much more beautiful, such as in Gary D. Schmidt's "The Wednesday Wars."
My only complaint about this book is the language (and I'm not talking about stuff like 'sucked' :D). It was way over the top for me, especially since it started on the second page and kept truckin'. The language brought it down from 5 stars to 4 for me.
Other than that... great and highly recommended. =)
I don't know the scientific formula, but Amy Goldman Koss has done it.
This was a short read and I honestly couldn't put it down. It's amazing to me that a book pretty much solely about one girl's experience with CANCER could be a page-turner, but there it is!
It was as character-driven as a circumstance-plotted book could be. Izzy was sooo much fun to be around; satirical, sarcastic, funny, realistic, artistic. I felt--physically--everything she was going through and it was a real eye-opener.
I've heard a lot about how authors should try to establish characters in a paragraph or less. Well, I'd never seen it properly done till reading "Side Effects."
Check out a couple sentences from the book about Izzy's mom;
...Mom asked the usual: "How was school?"
"Fabulous."
She perked up. "Really?"
"It sucked, Mom. It always sucks."
"Please don't use that word."
"Which word?"
Mom sighed. ...[She] looked at me, then looked closer.
"I wish you'd worn a nicer shirt," she said. She reached over to scrape some breakfast off my sleeve. If I'd let her, she would've scrubbed it with her spit....
Mom was chatting up the nursing mother. Why she always has to do that, I do NOT know. Mom was telling her something insanely boring about my infancy, or my brother's, and I practically wished I was back in school--but not quite.
The 'sentimental' moments are subtle and understated, and therefore much more beautiful, such as in Gary D. Schmidt's "The Wednesday Wars."
My only complaint about this book is the language (and I'm not talking about stuff like 'sucked' :D). It was way over the top for me, especially since it started on the second page and kept truckin'. The language brought it down from 5 stars to 4 for me.
Other than that... great and highly recommended. =)
November 15, 2012
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Izzy wakes up one morning concerned because her glands are still swollen from a recent sickness--and she soon discovers that she has cancer. She's placed into a children's hospital where people come talk to her until she no longer hears what they're talking about. All she can do is concentrate on drawing.
Her mother is a basket case and Izzy is in shock.
Now her life has drastically changed. People who were her friends no longer talk to her and people she's never talked to are fake around her. She doesn't quite know how to react, but it's not with the anger her best friend feels.
Izzy goes though treatments: the pain, the puking, and the needles, but still never loses her sense of humor.
SIDE EFFECTS takes a deep look into the medical and emotional roller-coaster of cancer patients. With Izzy, you hear the knowledge first-hand, which makes you both laugh and cry.
Izzy wakes up one morning concerned because her glands are still swollen from a recent sickness--and she soon discovers that she has cancer. She's placed into a children's hospital where people come talk to her until she no longer hears what they're talking about. All she can do is concentrate on drawing.
Her mother is a basket case and Izzy is in shock.
Now her life has drastically changed. People who were her friends no longer talk to her and people she's never talked to are fake around her. She doesn't quite know how to react, but it's not with the anger her best friend feels.
Izzy goes though treatments: the pain, the puking, and the needles, but still never loses her sense of humor.
SIDE EFFECTS takes a deep look into the medical and emotional roller-coaster of cancer patients. With Izzy, you hear the knowledge first-hand, which makes you both laugh and cry.
June 21, 2010
In the dedication at the front of the book the author writes "And as if it doesn't suck enough to have cancer, practically every time you pick up a book of see movies where characters get sick you know they'll be dead by the last scene. In reality, kids get all kinds of cancers, go through unspeakable torture and painful treatments, but walk away fine in the the end. The book is about that descent into hell, with a safe return. I dedicate it to everyone who has been there and back."
It manages to ring true - to be funny without being flippant, to be heart wrenching (at times) without being melodramatic. This book delivers what it promises through the dedication...with far more heart and realism than I ever expected.
It manages to ring true - to be funny without being flippant, to be heart wrenching (at times) without being melodramatic. This book delivers what it promises through the dedication...with far more heart and realism than I ever expected.
July 31, 2012
Side effects by Amy Goldman Koss is about a girl named Isabelle who is diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. This book is almost like Isabelle's diary because it tells you how she is handling things, how she's feeling, and how her family is doing. Isabelle hides her fear by being disrespectful to the nurses, doctors, and her family. Isabelle makes a friend with the girl in the bed next to her. Her name is Carrie. Carrie was diagnosed with blood cancer. Carrie helped Isabelle go through her treatments and gave her tours of the hospital. I liked this book because I didn't want to put it down. I also liked it because it told you what happens when you have cancer. I recommend this book to all readers!
May 5, 2015
Izzy wakes up in the morning one day ready to go to school and crush on the boy of her dreams Jared when while she is combing her hair,she notices swollen glands in her neck.Izzy tells her mom and her mother said she will take her to the doctor at lunch time at school.But once they get to the doctor they do some scans and the doctor who was scanning her was no longer smiling as he usually did so they get sent to another doctor then something that wasn't ever expected came and hit Izzy's reality right in the face it smacked her so hard she cant move anymore so tired she cant even walk.
Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss is a book about determination,friendship and most importantly hope.
Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss is a book about determination,friendship and most importantly hope.
November 13, 2023
3.5 stars.
Enjoyable. And a little tearjerking. 👀
The main character is 14 or 15, and she found out she has Hodgkin's lymphoma. And so begins her journey through chemotherapy, middle school, and not losing hertwisted sense of humor.
My main takeaway from this book is how all people react differently to their loved one who has cancer. And what someone with cancer would [probably] want people around them to react.
It is about the side effects , afterall.
Although, I think one would appreciate this more if the reader is in either one of the two groups above.
---
"The Moon Child is supposed to be all brave and sweet and angelic. That's how she is in the movies."
"Well, you're not auditioning for the role," Aunt Lucy said. "It's just about getting through it - however you can."
"Well, I hate it! I hate everything about it. Everything!"
"Of course you do!" Aunt Lucy said. "It's entirely hateful. And you're entitled to throw as big a tantrum as you like, as often as you like." She swallowed the last of her tea and handed me her cup. It had a pink rosebud pattern.
"Would you like to throw this, Izzy?" she asked. "Feel free, it comes with the price of tea. Perhaps through the window? That might be satisfying."
I put the cup down on the table. "I'd still have cancer, though," I said.
"True enough," she said. "But less and less with each session of chemotherapy. Just push through all this and you can come out the other side and start your life all over."
"But everyone is so incredibly irritating," I said.
"Well, cancer or not, that'll never change," Aunt Lucy laughed. "But for that, there's always chocolate!" She held up one of the tiny chocolate tea biscuits and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes closed in ecstasy. Then she said, "Thank goodness!"
A lot of things will always be easier said than done.
Enjoyable. And a little tearjerking. 👀
The main character is 14 or 15, and she found out she has Hodgkin's lymphoma. And so begins her journey through chemotherapy, middle school, and not losing her
My main takeaway from this book is how all people react differently to their loved one who has cancer. And what someone with cancer would [probably] want people around them to react.
It is about the side effects , afterall.
Although, I think one would appreciate this more if the reader is in either one of the two groups above.
---
"The Moon Child is supposed to be all brave and sweet and angelic. That's how she is in the movies."
"Well, you're not auditioning for the role," Aunt Lucy said. "It's just about getting through it - however you can."
"Well, I hate it! I hate everything about it. Everything!"
"Of course you do!" Aunt Lucy said. "It's entirely hateful. And you're entitled to throw as big a tantrum as you like, as often as you like." She swallowed the last of her tea and handed me her cup. It had a pink rosebud pattern.
"Would you like to throw this, Izzy?" she asked. "Feel free, it comes with the price of tea. Perhaps through the window? That might be satisfying."
I put the cup down on the table. "I'd still have cancer, though," I said.
"True enough," she said. "But less and less with each session of chemotherapy. Just push through all this and you can come out the other side and start your life all over."
"But everyone is so incredibly irritating," I said.
"Well, cancer or not, that'll never change," Aunt Lucy laughed. "But for that, there's always chocolate!" She held up one of the tiny chocolate tea biscuits and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes closed in ecstasy. Then she said, "Thank goodness!"
A lot of things will always be easier said than done.
October 16, 2012
The book Side Effects written by Amy Goldman, teaches us how to deal with problems that occur in out lives. She shares with the readers the life of a teen and what problem occurs in her life. The author then explains to us ways to overcome the problem in your life.
In Side Effects Isabella is diagnosed with cancer, she is a teenage girl in middle school and had just found out she has cancer, what a shock! The author first tells readers she and her family deal with the news, her mother handling it the worst is devastate. Izzy is afraid at first with mixed emotions, her mother and aunt are with her in the hospital her mother sobbing in tears and her aunt tries to hold it together for the four of them.
Izzy learns to overcome her fear by finding strength inside of herself for both her and her mother. She finds ways to overcome this by the help of others, she becomes friends with a girl who is also in the hospital that helps her deal with her treatments. Izzy also has a small romance with a boy who helps her make up can catch up with school after missing so much work,
This is a very inspirational book and could come as a big help to people who have problems in their lives. The author writes to teach reader how to deal with a curve ball that s thrown at you. I recommend this book for people who have problems in their life and need help getting over and dealing with them.
In Side Effects Isabella is diagnosed with cancer, she is a teenage girl in middle school and had just found out she has cancer, what a shock! The author first tells readers she and her family deal with the news, her mother handling it the worst is devastate. Izzy is afraid at first with mixed emotions, her mother and aunt are with her in the hospital her mother sobbing in tears and her aunt tries to hold it together for the four of them.
Izzy learns to overcome her fear by finding strength inside of herself for both her and her mother. She finds ways to overcome this by the help of others, she becomes friends with a girl who is also in the hospital that helps her deal with her treatments. Izzy also has a small romance with a boy who helps her make up can catch up with school after missing so much work,
This is a very inspirational book and could come as a big help to people who have problems in their lives. The author writes to teach reader how to deal with a curve ball that s thrown at you. I recommend this book for people who have problems in their life and need help getting over and dealing with them.
July 6, 2010
As a middle schooler, I was semi-obsessed with Lurlene McDaniel and her cancer characters. The triumphs when the patients made it, the tragedy when they didn't - I sucked it all up. This novel has a slightly different feel - a little more irreverent, maybe. The main character, Izzy, has a little more sass to her. I would have liked to know more about Izzy before she was diagnosed with lymphoma, just to know where she fit in at school, since a good part of the story focuses on the reactions of her classmates. The book was 143 pages, but it seemed almost too short, like the story was skimming along instead of giving a lot of depth.
This would be a great book to hand someone who doesn't know what to say to a cancer patient. Izzy's best friend, Kay, has a hard time dealing with how some classmates are acting, and Izzy has difficulty with her tragedy stricken mother. This book definitely reassures that there is no real "right" thing to say. I think this would appeal particularly to upper middle school kids, probably mostly girls.
Some swearing.
This would be a great book to hand someone who doesn't know what to say to a cancer patient. Izzy's best friend, Kay, has a hard time dealing with how some classmates are acting, and Izzy has difficulty with her tragedy stricken mother. This book definitely reassures that there is no real "right" thing to say. I think this would appeal particularly to upper middle school kids, probably mostly girls.
Some swearing.
November 10, 2009
I've read quite a few "kid with cancer" books, so I wasn't expecting much, but this was different. I've never liked any protagonist in this genre of novel as much as I like Isabelle Miller. She's got this whimsically sarcastic spark about her that really makes her human and easy to relate to. She doesnt contemplate life and death or "what happens if..." she just goes about life as usual, plus the puking and lack of hair.She is not much worried about her own fate but rather works to make sure all the people she loves are ok with her cancer, and preferably not stressing it. She doesnt have revalations or change, she just moves on and gets more involved in her art and her unchanging views. The combination of her and her aunt lucys "apple doesnt fall far from the blood line tree" sense of humor allows a reader to experience the cancer process through an entirely new, and far less morose (but not unrealistic) point of view.
February 2, 2013
I read Side Effects for a school project, and I loved it. Side Affects is about a fifteen-year-old girl, Izzy, who finds out she has cancer. Lymphoma, to be exact. She's rushed to the Children's hospital, where she starts taking medicine for the cancer, and has to get blood drawn, which, unfortuanly, the nurses always have a hard time finding. They suggest a PICC line, which would help, but Izzy said no, and her parents decided to side with her. The book basically takes the reader through the cancer treatments, in Izzy's point of view. The whole book has great overall detail throughout the whole book. I would recommend it to girls, mostly, between the ages of 12-16. Some parts are a bit more sad than others, but it's a good book, that I really enjoyed reading.
November 3, 2009
Very sweet and affirming book about a teen girl suffering from lymphoma; no details are spared as she undergoes chemotherapy and has to deal with all of the crazy and horrible side effects of treatment and just being a person with cancer, period. She's got a wonderful sarcastic sense of humor, which helps her cope, plus drawing skills that keep her from going crazy. Great portraits of her parents and younger brother, and a good best friend who's there for her. A realistic look at surviving childhood cancer.
September 20, 2009
Side Effects takes you through the journey of Isabelle discovering she has cancer and then through her treatment. There is definite emotion, but it is not as overwhelming as it could have been. This is written well for middle school and high school kids. It deals less with the medical side and more with the real life concerns of kids that age such as whether her crush knows about her lymphoma, having to go to school and do homework, and dealing with people's stares. At some points it feels a little rushed, but it is good at others. Reading and Writing Festival 09-10.
April 9, 2010
Very cute. Especially for a cancer book! Oh, you guys. You know I like my disease books. It was really refreshing to read one that still had all the gruesome medical stuff you could dream of (if you're into that) and yet no angels or inspirational crap.
(You probably guessed that a page into the book I was checking my glands. But they're fine.)
(read: 44)
(You probably guessed that a page into the book I was checking my glands. But they're fine.)
(read: 44)
April 24, 2010
Without much depth, it's a realistic and short description of what it's like for a teenager to battle cancer, lose her hair, want to die, and come back, while having to support her family who seems to be struggling to cope with the issues that arise.
Heartwarming and funny, but also realistic.
Heartwarming and funny, but also realistic.
December 28, 2009
I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one setting. It was painful, sad, touching, funny, and sweet all at the same time. Being a mother myself, I traveled on Isabelle's journey both through her mother's eyes, as well as her own.
December 3, 2008
Great book about a teen faced with cancer. Any person that has gone through cancer can appreciate this book.
August 5, 2010
When Izzy goes to the doctor to check her swollen glands, she thinks he'll give her some medicine and that's it. Well, it's not that simple. She has cancer and must undergo chemotherapy.
January 29, 2010
This book was also very good!
October 18, 2019
The book I read is called Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss. This book was about a young middle schooler girl who has lymphoma. I really enjoyed this book because I can use this in the long run and I can relate to it. Not only did the main character didn’t know what was going on at first but her crush didn’t even come see her in the hospital. There were parents, aunties, best friends, and a young girl. The perspectives made the book easier to understand on how to go about things and certain situations.
This book is about a girl named Isabelle but she likes people for people to call her Izzy for short. She is being raised by both her mom and dad in a two story house in the city. Isabelle has been suffering from swollen glands way before she knew that she had lymphoma. Her mom and dad and auntie took her to their neighborhood hospital after school and they both were in shock when they found out that their daughter had lymphoma. Izzy mom didn’t exactly take it in the best way possible. Izzy just wants to be a normal middle schooler and not have to struggle with this but she has to until she gets cured. The theme of this story is to not let having a disease ruin your childhood and how people see you.
I really like this book because the message that the author tries to tell the readers throughout this book. Relating back to my theme, Izzy is being treated differently at school and so is her best friend Kay. They both have to struggle because everyone knows that Izzy has Lymphoma and Kay is Izzy best friend, so there treating her like she has it to. Not one single time did either of the girls act out of character or try to get out of things. Someone is going through the same thing that Izzy is and probably don’t know how to handle it but all Izzy did was go to school (even though people treated her and her best friend differently) and act like things were normal and nothing happened to her. Amy Goldman Koss really showed how to push through and not give up and just be the best you that you can be.
This book is about a girl named Isabelle but she likes people for people to call her Izzy for short. She is being raised by both her mom and dad in a two story house in the city. Isabelle has been suffering from swollen glands way before she knew that she had lymphoma. Her mom and dad and auntie took her to their neighborhood hospital after school and they both were in shock when they found out that their daughter had lymphoma. Izzy mom didn’t exactly take it in the best way possible. Izzy just wants to be a normal middle schooler and not have to struggle with this but she has to until she gets cured. The theme of this story is to not let having a disease ruin your childhood and how people see you.
I really like this book because the message that the author tries to tell the readers throughout this book. Relating back to my theme, Izzy is being treated differently at school and so is her best friend Kay. They both have to struggle because everyone knows that Izzy has Lymphoma and Kay is Izzy best friend, so there treating her like she has it to. Not one single time did either of the girls act out of character or try to get out of things. Someone is going through the same thing that Izzy is and probably don’t know how to handle it but all Izzy did was go to school (even though people treated her and her best friend differently) and act like things were normal and nothing happened to her. Amy Goldman Koss really showed how to push through and not give up and just be the best you that you can be.
September 22, 2017
This book was really interesting to read. When I read the summary on the front, I thought it was going to be another sad story where people cry and mourn. Instead, it had an amazing twist to the end. One thing I love about this book is the main girls attitude. She reminds me of me if I really speak whats on my mind. One thing I don't like about this book is that right in the middle, it was more of a drag on. Like she goes to the hospital and leave, then she goes back to the hospital and leaves. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a book project in a short amount of time. This book wasn't that long, but it sure was interesting.
When I saw the book's cover, it took me awhile to know that it is a girl that has cancer. Like I said before, I am not the kind of person that likes to read sobbing stories when at the end, I am crying my eyes out. But this book wasn’t. It had a lot of humor in it. I almost feel like there wasn’t a point in the book where I thought “Oh, the author is taking a serious note here.” But also, the author did really well on putting me into the little girl shoes. At times, I almost felt like I was the little girl, having cancer, and dealing with people. But overall, this book is really good. I feel like the author did really good with details and putting me into the hospital and how a normal girl would act in situations like this. Also I feel like the character development was good. I could see everything going on, almost like I was there watching it all happen. If you even get a chance, please read this book. Its short, but almost feel like it’s longer than what it appears to be.
When I saw the book's cover, it took me awhile to know that it is a girl that has cancer. Like I said before, I am not the kind of person that likes to read sobbing stories when at the end, I am crying my eyes out. But this book wasn’t. It had a lot of humor in it. I almost feel like there wasn’t a point in the book where I thought “Oh, the author is taking a serious note here.” But also, the author did really well on putting me into the little girl shoes. At times, I almost felt like I was the little girl, having cancer, and dealing with people. But overall, this book is really good. I feel like the author did really good with details and putting me into the hospital and how a normal girl would act in situations like this. Also I feel like the character development was good. I could see everything going on, almost like I was there watching it all happen. If you even get a chance, please read this book. Its short, but almost feel like it’s longer than what it appears to be.
November 4, 2024
A girl named Isabelle (Izzy) went to the doctor one day because her glands were swollen. The doctors needed her to get X-rays. The doctors thought that Izzy could have cancer. Her mom was apprehensive and sad about this news. The doctors had to do more tests to find out. The doctors later found out that Izzy indeed had leukemia which is a kind of cancer. Her aunt Lucy tried to make her understand her mom being upset and took Izzy to the gift shop to get something, Izzy loved to draw so looked for drawing supplies. They didn’t have what she wanted but her aunt got it later. She had to get IVs into her to help and later found out about the PICC line and biopsies. She had to be put in a room with a girl named Carrie while getting treated for cancer treatments. Carrie and Izzy became good friends and talked. Carrie showed Izzy around and they went into some rooms that weren't busy and visited. Kay (Izzy’s best friend) came one day and met one day. Izzy and Kay were in the hospital bed one day and a doctor walked in on them almost folded in half in the beds. Kay begged one day before Izzy had to go to a check-up thing so Kay had to go home. Izzy would always ask Kay about Jared. Izzy had lots more appointments and Kay couldn’t be there for them because of her dad.
May 13, 2022
I thought this book was actually really great.
What made this book great was how it was written as a teen wrote it and it definitely was from a personal experience. The main character Izzy, was funny and found her relatable in different ways. The way the book also had a tinge of romance which was a nice touch. I thought it was nice how some of the world is brought up in the book and really shows how people can be very messed up people and never were sugar coated. The ending had a nice happy ever after to it which was to be expected but all in all it was a good book to me.
What made this book great was how it was written as a teen wrote it and it definitely was from a personal experience. The main character Izzy, was funny and found her relatable in different ways. The way the book also had a tinge of romance which was a nice touch. I thought it was nice how some of the world is brought up in the book and really shows how people can be very messed up people and never were sugar coated. The ending had a nice happy ever after to it which was to be expected but all in all it was a good book to me.
August 26, 2022
it was fine. i signed up for a novel about a teen with cancer, but i got this weird style of humor that screams “i’m an adult writing a book about kids and i don’t know how they talk because i haven’t spoken to a kid in 10 years and i peaked in middle school”. it very much felt like a memoir, but without the real personal details. flat characters, not much of a plot other than she has cancer. other than that, i think the descriptions and stuff was good, and honestly i’d read more by this author eventually
November 15, 2017
This is a really good book for teens wanting to know what cancer can be like from the viewpoint of a teen. As a cancer survivor myself, this is a realistic look at what chemo can do to your body and how you feel as a result. It also mentions the side effects, some of which seem worse than what they are supposed to be curing. Good job, Amy Goldman Koss.
January 31, 2018
I thought the book was good but it had a lot of bad language that I thought was unnecessary. It showed a pretty realistic reaction to a teen having cancer and what they have to go through.
I would recommend it to older teens.
I would recommend it to older teens.
March 9, 2020
I gave this one 2 stars just for the humor and the writing style which make reading easy loke in flow. Im kind of disappointed with the story which is not at all like what i expected from the synopsis. But a good read to have a nice time
October 12, 2022
Honestly a niche book. We should have more books about kids just getting through cancer. Not dying, not being inspiration porn, just going through hell but surviving to see the rest of their days. Idk, feels important.
July 12, 2017
Wonderful writing about a difficult subject. Spot on with emotional reactions, side effects of chemo, descriptions of medical procedures, and the wonderful gift of hope at the end.
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