The Chemo Kid

by Robert Lipsyte

When the drugs that he takes as part of his chemotherapy suddenly transform him from wimp into superhero, sixteen-year-old Fred and his friends plot to rid the town of its most lethal environmental hazard, toxic waste in the water supply.

Genres: Young Adult, Friendship

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[hhhhhhhhh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We were slow dancing in a dim corner at the Junior Prom when Mara discovered the lump." So begins The Chemo Kid, and don't you just expect an Oprah-style against-all-odds story about a teenager overcoming cancer... HARDLY! Fred's put on an experimental drug that gives him incredible strength and superpowers... or is it all just a fevered dream? Magical realism renders the perils of high school into an epic battle of good vs. corruption, jocks and drug dealers vs. RPG-playing nerds. Meanwhile his relationship with a budding young eco-terrorist leads him to investigate who's dumping chemicals in the town reservoir in a climactic finish.

This book would also be great therapy for the real chemo kids out there--or anyone who feels toxic while people thrive around you in the normal way. Some good advice on page 29: "You are not a mere spectator at a contest between cancer cells and killer drugs. Your attitude is important. Your will to get healthy. People give up; sometimes it seems easier to die than hang in there, go the distance... You've got to be your own hero. People need to find things inside themselves they never knew were there."

I can't recommend this enough.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a sixth grader in 1992 we took a whole day off of regular classes to celebrate Earth Day. When I went home that day Captain Planet, the environmentally conscious superhero, blared on my family television. Later that year my science project demonstrated how to recycle paper using a mixing bowl and a microwave. It seemed like saving the Earth was pretty cool in 1992, the year that The Chemo Kid was first published.

The Chemo Kid is a cool book. Fred gets cancer and receives an experimental form of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy causes him to develop special abilities, and he tries to use those abilities to do the right thing, despite sometimes feeling that there may not be a right and wrong.

I thought the best parts of the book were those that didn't deal with the fantastic. I could have done without the super powers and the eco-terrorism. I found it more interesting that Fred was a guy trying to deal with his lack of ambition, tendency to fantasize too much, and the cancer, of course. The parts of the book when Fred has to deal with people's sympathetic reactions to his cancer are pretty funny. No one in school knows his name until he contracts the disease, but after he becomes a cancer patient the football team and the school dope dealer both want to make themselves feel better by supporting Fred. This is the real meat of the book, I think. The super powers are kind of just . . . . there.

My wife found this book at a library book sale out in the middle of nowhere in Texas. It's safe to say that this one slipped through the cracks for a lot of readers in the 1990s and beyond. I think it's worth checking out for kids and bigger kids like me, especially as a sort of segue between meatier reads.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little book. I really enjoyed it. Robert Lipsyte's sense of humor is fantastic.

This is the story of Fred, a kid in high school, who after the prom finds out he has cancer. But the story doesn't dwell on his cancer. It's more a fantasy story with great humor. The theme is how not to let cancer (or any illness or situation) be the thing that defines you.

The story is adventure about stopping bullies and big corporations and big government. This was just a different type of book for me and I am glad I read it.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all starts when Fred Bauer, a 17 year old from california, finds a massive lump on his neck. When he finds out he has cancer, everything changes, and it is a thrilling fight against it.

This book is an exciting fiction story of a boy who is fighting cancer. He is taken out of school and spends most of his time at a hospital. His friends Mara, John, and Jack are by his side, but he is becoming very weak. When all hope seems to be lost, Fred starts chemotherapy. Things start to get a little better, and Fred even discovers that he has a special power. This power helps him through all of his adventures, and gives him a nickname: The Chemo Kid.

Overall, I think this is a good book because it is very exciting and has a good, interesting plot. It also uses very descriptive, powerful words, which sucks you in and makes you feel like you are in the story. This book is also very fast paced, as in it doesn’t waste too much time on the parts where nothing exciting happens, and goes right to the thrilling parts. That is what I love about the book. Some people would not like this, but I like the way the author makes it very complete, so the people who like more slow paced books should still try this. I also think the book will make you want to keep reading and not bore you, so you should definitely pick it up. Now it’s for you to find out what fred’s power is and if he can get through his cancer.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fred Bauer has pretty much lived his life in anonymity. In the game Cyber Punk Rovers that he and his friends Jon and Jeff played in Jr. High, he was the hero, Ranger, that did no harm for profit but always died. He never would have dreamed of taking on Tank Ganz and Roger Sharkey, the football captain and the drug dealer. But at the Jr. prom, when Mara first discovers the lump in his neck, everything changes. As he takes treatment for his cancer, he meets Vandal, Brian, Alison and Spike, other kids in the cancer ward. Together with his old and new friends, they devise a plan to take on the Mayor, Sinclair Ecosystems, the School Board and even Tank and Roger. It's a cinch ... with Fred, now The Chemo Kid, exhibiting super powers from his drug therapy.

[Sasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay

[Cece Vee · Rating 2 out of 5]

its okay