Characters are paper-white in Harrell’s accompanying cartoons.Īn aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects. While some of these elements will feel familiar, the novel’s emotional climax remains effectively earned. The author balances this anger element well against the typical middle-grade tropes. Ross funnels his feelings into learning how to play guitar, hoping to make a splash at the school’s talent show. Ross is angry at the anonymous kids making hurtful memes about him and at Isaac for abandoning him when he needs a friend most.

The driving force here is Ross’ justifiable anger. This isn’t a cancer book built upon a foundation of prayer, hope, and life lessons. The doctors are hopeful that Ross will be cancer free after treatment, but his vision will be impaired, and the treatments cause him to lose his hair and require the application of a particularly goopy ointment. Ross’ eye is closed in a permanent wink, and he constantly wears a cowboy hat to protect his eyes. There’s just one thing keeping Ross from being completely ordinary: the rare form of eye cancer that’s reduced him to the kid with cancer at school. Seventh grader Ross Maloy wants nothing more than to be an average middle schooler, hanging out with his best friends, Abby and Isaac, avoiding the school bully, and crushing on the popular girl. A rare form of cancer takes its toll in this novel based on the author’s experience.

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