Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls.
Eleven year old Sam knows he is dying but before that happens he wants to accomplish everything he has always wanted to do. It all started with Mrs. Willis's idea of writing a book, Mrs. Willis is Sam's home school teacher, and is always looking for ways to engage Sam and his side kick Felix. Soon Sam and Felix start to find ways to make Sam's dying wishes come true. Felix finds a way for Sam to go to a pub, kiss a girl, and have a drink- everything a teenage boy wants to do. Throughout the book Sam finds ways for his family to deal with his death. I am sure you will find yourself pondering the same questions Sam's wonders about- why do kids get sick? why do they have to die? what happens after you die? Hard to finish without tearing up.
Legend by Marie Lu.
This boy-girl fighting to survive a dystopian world ruled by a republic using viruses against their own people reminded me of the Hunger Games trilogy. Enough said about dystopian worlds, harsh realities, love and romance against all the odds. I enjoyed the story even with the predictability factor.
I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat History's Strangest Cures by Carlyn Beccia.
We had lots of fun reading and trying to guess which was the correct cure for common illnesses like sore throats or fevers. In the past, people have used all sorts of strange remedies, like wearing a necklace made of live worms to using leaches to bring down a fever. The illustrations and layout made the guessing game even more fun with a spread from three to six possible cures to one page followed by a page with the correct answers.
