After Ever After

I finished "After Ever After" by Jordan Sonnenblick late this morning with tears rolling down my face. Such an emotional ride..... for a book that made me laugh throughout!

It was not the subject that was funny....after all there is nothing funny about a young Eighth grade boy who is a cancer survivor. But it was the way Jeffrey thinks and talks and tries to deal with his feelings about his family, especially his adored older brother who has abandoned him for the wilds of Africa, his best friend Tad, another "cancer kid", and this new girl Lyndsay, who unbelievably seems to like him handicaps, both physical (a limp) and mental (thinking and memory deficits) and all!

It seems like Jeffrey's school district has decided to fail any student who does not pass State wide exams. This is a huge problem for Jeff who has serious attention and memory problems because of the chemo he has taken. Tad has decided it is up to him to tutor Jeffrey so he will pass, a seemingly impossible feat, but in return Jeff is going to help Tad gain the strength to walk again at their graduation after being in a wheel chair for years. Whew .... Are we having fun yet?

Through this all are two kids trying to have a normal life but always with the threat of "what if".

I think this is a new favourite of mine

The Runaway King

"I had arrived early for my own assassination" begins the sequel to one of my favourite books "The False Prince" by Jennifer A. Nielsen. What a wonderful first sentence!

  "The Runaway King" begins with the above quote that demonstrates the daily challenges for Jaron  now that he is king; assassination attempts, bickering advisors, threats of war......This might be overwhelming for any other 14 year old king but Jaron  has already had to deal with the death of his family and outsmarting an evil courtier so he does what he has to do - he runs.

Only when Jaron runs he is not running away but running to....more danger. He tracks down the very threat to his kingdom and his life. Once again Jaron is playing a part that is half lie and half truth and the two are always intermingled.

"Above all else I think you are a compulsive liar.
My laughter was tense, but sincere. Hardly. In fact, I consider myself to be a compulsive truth teller. It's only that everyone else seems compelled to misunderstand me."

An exciting, wonderfully written story and an entertaining yet caring character of the highest moral integrity combine to make this a new favourite. Like The False Prince I will read this again and again.