Side Effects

Just before going on vacation I read SIDE EFFECTS by Amy Goldman Koss (Roaring Book Press, c2006, ISBN 1-59643-294-2), a book for young adults.

And again, like some of my more recent YA books, I enjoyed it.

Set mainly in Los Angeles at the Children's Hospital, Isabelle aka Izzy is a fifteen-year-old who wakes up one morning with swollen glands AGAIN, and is suddenly diagnosed with lymphoma.

The first sentence is:

The overhead light snapped on and my shoulder got one quick shake.

Now Izzy must deal, not only with being 15, but cancer and everyone around her who is changing because of her illness. Why do they get to change and act all weird when she's the one who's dying? That type of sarcasm is how Izzy deals but deal she does in this wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone faced with this type of issue.

I found the writing to be honest in the way I could only imagine a fifteen-year-old would react to something like this, as well as the family members and friends trying to shelter her from the reality of it. On top of it all, Izzy's spunk and determination is quite endearing.