I Want to Live

Dawn Rochelle #2

by Lurlene McDaniel

Fourteen-year-old Dawn Rochelle has had a busy year. She's been to summer camp and she's helped her brother make plans for his wedding. And Dawn has been in remission from the leukemia that threatened her life.

Now she's sick again and waiting to hear the news. Has the cancer come back? Will she live to celebrate her fifteenth birthday?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

127 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure.


Other places to find her are...
https://www.facebook.com/lurlenemcdan...
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/aut...
http://www.youtube.com/user/LurleneMc

Reviews

[Ling Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sad book. It is about Dawn Rochelle a 14 year old girl who has leukemia, a type of cancer. She only have 50% chance of surviving. She doesn't want to die. She want to stay with her brother, mom, dad, and her friends. She doesn't know when she will die so she uses all her time preciously. I think this is how life should be. No matter how much time you have left in life, the important is to use it precisely and preciously. We don't want to miss a thing.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first Lurlene McDaniel book I read and since then, I've come to love her books.

Dawn is such a strong character and I was rooting for her throughout the book. Cancer sucks, especially for a kid.

[Ella Waltman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book in a couple of hours and loved it so much I couldn't put it down.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just picked this book up and finished it in one sitting. It is as good if not better than the first one, "Six Months to Live." The author specializes in writing about and for kids with tough diseases such as cancer, diabetes and even divorce. She takes Dawn through the end of her first year of remission and ending her school year to go on to a new High school. But her report comes back that her bone marrow is failing. She is out of remission and needs a bone marrow transplant. But this book is about living with cancer not the disease itself nor even the treatments although they are all covered. It is about Dawn's life and her need to be "normal." A 14 year old girl who wants to go on a date and be kissed but boys see her only as a cancer victim and stay away. It is about how her sickness affects even her brother's coming marriage. It's about the loneliness of being the victim of cancer and shunned by those who are healthy. It is the understanding of what life is really about and the desire to live. Of course it is also about the suffering. And the author includes all those who come together to help Dawn and others fight for life.

This is a book (series of 5 books) that everyone should read sick or not. I helps place life in a much better perspective. It is a good read a real page turner.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dawn Rochelle has cancer. She has chemotherapy at the hospital when she gets a surprise. Her brother Rob has come home from college with a surprise..... a fiancée. She goes to camp for kids with cancer and has a great time, but when she comes back, her white count has skyrocketed. Dawn is really sick. So sick that she is put into the hospital. . Rob and his fiancée Darcy are planning a wedding, and Dawn is trying to survive. She gets weaker; it looks like her only hope is a bone marrow transplant. Of course Rob volunteers. What does the future hold for Dawn and her family?


There is a special bond between Dawn and Rob and it's not just bone marrow. I like the interplay between the two. This was a good, easy read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lurlene McDaniel was my favorite author when I was about 10 years old. The stories were all horribly depressing and I'm not sure what drew me to them but I read them over and over. i was so upset when Jaime borrowed one of the books and couldn't find it for a while. Man, was I glad when she finally found that one.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Dawn is growing as a great main character. To read about her struggle to battle cancer is very heartwarming. I can not wait to read the next book.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really loved this book it was so good so touching

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never come as close as I did to actually crying in a book until this.. the end got intense and the older brothers always get me.
I hated freaking Darcy (like already ew) from the beginning, excited about Katie though. And personally I liked Greg but her and Mike would be cute. Now that Sandy is gone, but I don’t want him to be all dumb and just be in love with Dawn now because Sandy is gone.

But I hate Jake, I think he’s dumb, I understand having the regular character boy in school for her that was a previous crush and he noticed her once her cancer. But still, Greg and Mike understand. And like I hope Greg will appear again but if he doesn’t then guy wise, Mike is second best.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A follow up to the book Six Months to Live; a read that I enjoyed.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dawn has been in remission for almost a year. She's tried to fit in with her old group of friends but finds it hard to relate to their major concerns of school, fashion, boys. Dawn meets their curiosity about her cancer with ambivalence. She wants everyone to treat her normally, but at the same time she knows they sense the difference in her. They seem to ask the dumbest questions. Just after her 14th birthday, Dawn's test show that the leukemia is becoming active again. A bone marrow transplant seems the best choice of treatment. Dawn's brother, Rob, proves the best match. He readily agrees to give Dawn some of his marrow even against the protests of his fiancee, Darcy. Rob and Darcy break up when Darcy can't handle the family's worry and concern for Dawn or the proximity to a potentially fatal illness. They don't fit the storybook romance she had planned for herself. Rob keeps all this secret during Dawn's long recovery. When Dawn's heart is strained to the breaking point with infection and rejection, Rob calls her back. He keeps track of her days by writing the important events in her diary. Dawn does, eventually, get better. During her post-operative convalescence Rob begins seeing Dawn's nurse, Katie O'Ryan. On the road to recovery, Dawn begins to count the days to her 15th birthday.

[Kaylee Hamm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting to read at times I didn't understand it but I liked it. I would recommend it to really anyone maybe people that like love stories. This book is about Dawn has been in remission for a little while now. She attended camp where she met with an old friend and spread sandys ashes. When she returns from camp she helps her brother rob with planning his weeding to which he is marrying Darcy. When dawn starts feeling a little odd she attends her check up and learns that her leukemia is back. The best idea is a bone marrow transplant which rob is best tested for. He agrees to do it, going against Darcy's opinion on it. They break off the engagement because of different thoughts on dawn. When dawn body stops agreeing with the transplant and is struggling with infections rob begins writing in dawns diary for her. She eventually gets better and starts counting how many days there are until her 15th birthday.

[Jessica Ong · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Book Two of the series, Dawn Rochelle has had a busy year. She's been to summer camp and she's helped her brother plan his wedding.
Rochelle is now 14 and has been in remission from leukemia. Now she's sick again and waits to hear the news: Now the big question is Has the cancer come back? This has gotten very serious and Rochelle is anious for the results

Why I picked up this book;
I picked up this book cause the cover looked interesting. Even though they day 'never judge a book by it's cover' I enjoyed it.

Why I finished it'
I finished this book because I enjoyed book 2 even though I didn't read book one and now I want to read more of this series.

Who I would recommend this book to.
I would recommend this book to my friend Helen because she wanted to read it but I took it first.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second book of the series. It was about a girl, Dawn, who has cancer and she can't stand having it. She always feels like she can't talk to her friends because she is "different." Her brother, Rob, donated some bone marrow which she needed to help her body fight the cancer. Also, while Rob was at the hospital, he met a nurse that he liked a lot and became very good friends with her. He was going to marry a woman named Darcy, but to see what happens with her, you will have to read the book yourself. Dawn is barely hanging on to life when something terrible happens! No one in the hospital knows if Dawn will live to see her fifthteenth birthday. If you want to see what shocking thing happens at the end of the story...you will just have to read it for yourself.

[Suki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of liked this book because it really brings a strong message about life. It is about Dawn Rochelle who has leukemia which is a type of cancer, struggling to survive because she doesn't want to leave this world. She misses her brother, mom, dad, and her friends. She has only 50% chance of survival and she never knows when she is going to die. She uses her time preciously with her family and friends. I feel sad for her and it makes me feel lucky. She is only 14 years old and she have cancer. I think that life is fragile and anyone can have cancer. Sometimes, I'm afraid if anyone that is close to me will have cancer including myself but we shouldn't be worried. We are just humans and we don't know what will happen so why not just live your life happily.

[Jaelyn O · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about a girl named dawn rochelle and she has leukemia. She found out that her best friend died her name was sandy and she had cancer too. Dawn went to cancer camp that summer again to tell everyone the news about her friend. When she returned from the camp her brother was home from collage and he brought with him his girlfriend. Later that night he tells the whole family that he is getting married to his girlfriend in about 6 months. And dawn didn't like her one bit because she thougtht that she would get cancer too if she was around her. And her brother asked her to be one of the bridesmaid. Dawn didn't want to but she didn't know what to say.

[Sydney Blain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that I want to live was a lot more depressing than 6 months to live.This book I really enjoyed because I left me thinking and left me at the edge of my seat wanting to keep going.This on the other hand was a lot more sad and just heartbreaking.The main character is Dawn a 14 year old girl who whats to see her 15th birthday.But when the 2 love of her lifes leave to go to collage and move she is very upset.then her brother has a big announcement and she does not take it so well.Will she live to see her 15th birthday?I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good depressing story.

[Teaha · Rating 5 out of 5]

in this book a girl name dawn rochelle is in remission for cancer and want to be able to live past 15 but than when she thought things might be okay, her cance comes back, but it soo happens that the doctors can use her brothers bonemarrow to save her life, so dawn is in the hospital and trying to survive with all the medicines the doctors give her and plus the affects she has with the bonemarrow of her brothers that she almost died, but she comes back and gets to go home and hopefully gets to live her life the way she ought to.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the sequel to a book entitles Six Months to Live, that fact alone told me everything I needed to know about this book, and in fact, 120 pages later it was still all I knew. Obviously there is a girl—Dawn Rochelle—who is suffering from some likely fatal condition—leukemia, and who will make a miraculous recovery at the last moment—her brother calls her back from death after her heart stops. This sort of book uses leukemia, a terrifyingly real problem that many families must deal with, as a gimmick and completely fails to be anything but wasted paper. Not recommended.

[Valeria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reflects everything a person with cancer and the people around him/her have to go through. It's a very emotional book (i cried atleast three times) and its easy to identify with it. This girl goes through so much and still handles to recover from all those thing that are happening to her.
The book also shows how much a brother is willing to do for his sister. Actually, in the end, the brother plays a big roll on her life. He is the one to bring her back to life.
I trully recommend this book since it is one of the most beatiful things i've ever read. It is amazing <3

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book.
My friend recommended these books to me and I am happy I read it. It is sad but it is still good and makes you think “Hey I’m lucky that this is not happening to me.” Or it can make you think “Wow I wish I could help these people that have cancer.” Great book everyone should read this series.

[Bailey B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book, and i like the series. This book has alot going on in it, like when she goes to camp, her lukiema returns, and her brothers weeding. Her brother's weeding ends up getting canceled because he wants to postpone because of dawn, and Dawn thinks its was because of her. I gave this book 5 stars because it was my favorite one out of the series of the dawn rochelle series.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed this book even more than the last. Lurlene McDaniel's did a beautiful job of writing the scenes between Dawn and Rob, especially towards the end. I really enjoyed reading more of Dawn's story and can't wait to start the next book to see it continue. I did feel like time moved extremely fast in this one, but I understand why. Good characters, great writing, and a lovely story.

[Cherokee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book written by Lurlene McDaniel is the best im learning alot about leukemia and chemo. The book is very interesting for most people because they have something to relate to but otherwise the book is very good and i love the 1st one called Six months to live if you didnt read it already im telling you that you will cry as you go along.

[Dorel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the first book in this series I knew I wanted to read the rest of the books in this series. I felt so sorry for Dawn in this book. I loved all the parts of the story between Dawn & Rob. Like I said about the 1st book I loved the insight & understanding Ms. McDaniel gives you about Dawn's leukemia. I'm really glad I purchased this book.

[Kathy Mescher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Lurlene McDaniel since as far back as I can remember. Even though the book's audience is more geared towards teenagers, I still found the book well worth reading. I went through the book as if I was looking through a window and seeing everything happen. I would recommend this book to those who like reading about real life situations.

[Elah Horwitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This extraordinary book is about how a young 14 year old girl fights back her cancer which has been in remission for almost about a year. She has been struggling and fighting and hoping for a long time that her disease would go away. Dawn (the main character)

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dawn has been in remission for almost a year now, but when her Leukemia relapses she must undergo a bone marrow transplant. Will she survive?

This book was a little better than the first. It is still a bit dated by today's standards, but I think readers will be satisfied.

[Shannon Bromo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two books of this series were some of my absolute favorite when I was young!!! I was so thrilled to buy the four book series for my daughter! I hope she enjoys them as much as I did! I am even tempted to re-read them plus the last two!!!!

[Lisa Buccieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

these books are totally some of the best books i have ever read in my whole life. They made me want to laugh, cry and rejoice about life. Dawn is an amazing character and i couldnt put this or any of the other ones down!!! they were all soooo good, you haveeeeee to read these.