“So, here’s the thing
I’m dying.”
Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk, or Ana for short, has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. According to her doctor she has about a year. Outside of her large extended family she has only told one person – her best friend Al.
They’ve been best friends forever and he’s not weird about it at all. He asks her tons of questions and ends up making her laugh, which is pure Al.
Besides her family and BFF Al, the other big presence in her middle school/intermediate life is Alyssa Anderson aka Butt Breath or Queen Mean. Ana has no idea why Alyssa is so horrible to her. It started years before and has escalated to shaming Ana every chance possible and spitting at her every day when she gets off the bus. Ana’s nose, her name, her parentage (her mum is Iranian, but Ana likes the word Persian better) are all targets for Alyssa.
When Ana decides that it’s the right time to let her school know of her diagnosis, she’s hoping Butt Breath’s bullying will stop. In fact Ana has daydreams about Butt Breath feeling so guilty, she will grovel at her feet. It doesn’t quite work out like that.
If anything, things get worse until Ana has finally had enough. Revenge is going to be sweet and Al and Ana spend hours planning and laughing at the possibilities. They know however, that bullying is serious and even against the law.
All through Ana’s battle with her nemesis, she spends time with her dad and his wife and the crazy menagerie that is their home, and her mum and her hubby Plastic Pat – named due to having continuous ‘work done’ to his face.
She is also dealing with chemo and her down days, feeling sick and scared. Al comes to the rescue when her hair begins falling out, with unexpected awesome results. None of this lessens Butt Breath’s assault, now using social media to increase the hurt.
Ana and Al plan a counter attack, which changes everything.
The first two lines of this book are sobering. Someone is going to pass away. This someone is Ana, a funny, clever, brave 12 and a half year old who is taking every day as it comes. Besides taking time off school for treatment and recovery, she is similar to other middle schoolers/intermediate students – dealing with a bully and hanging out with her bestie.
Except for Alyssa, Ana enjoys school, studying and writing – in fact the book you are reading is an English assignment.
Ana is determined to live ‘her best life’ as her permanently positive mum puts it, and just get on with it. This results in a story that made me laugh out loud, want to hug her and shake my head at another’s behaviour. Illustrations, bold fonts and dictionary entries are plentiful, adding even more fun to Ana’s story.
Don’t worry, there is no sad ending, although Ana loses someone herself. Ana shows us that life isn’t all tidy and neat and neither are endings. People are complicated as is their behaviour, and the best we can do is make the most of things, learn as we go through life and love those around us as much as we can.
A gorgeous, funny story about a girl loving the life she has left. You’ll have to read it to understand its title.
Author – Maryam Master
Illustrator – Astred Hicks
Age – 10+
(2021, Pan Macmillan, Death, Cancer, Love, Funny, Humour, Friendship, Loyalty, Bullying, Family, Blended Family, School, Chemotherapy, Drug trials, Loss, Grief, Courage, Bravery, Metaphor, Illness, Sickness)