Side Effects
Square Fish · Paperback · April 13, 2010
Serious, funny, compelling -- and unique: a novel about a teenager with cancer and doesn't die, from Amy Goldman Koss, acclaimed author of THE GIRLS.
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- Who it’s for
- Izzy’s sharp, sardonic voice meets the fear and pain of cancer with unlikely comedy.
- Themes
- Cancer and treatment, Teen family and social life, Humor amid fear and pain
- Genres
- YA Illness & Disease Stories, Friendship for Teens, YA Stories About Girls & Women
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For younger readers: Wink, The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet, The Hope of Elephants
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Serious, funny, compelling -- and unique: a novel about a teenager with cancer and doesn't die, from Amy Goldman Koss, acclaimed author of THE GIRLS. As if it isn't bad enough to have cancer, practically every time we pick up a book or hear about a character in a movie who gets sick, we know they'll be dead by the last scene. In reality, kids get all kinds of cancers, go through unspeakable torture and painful treatments, but walk away, fine in the end.
Continue reading
Isabelle, not quite 15, is living a normal life of fighting with her younger brother, being disgusted with her parents, and hoping to be noticed by a cute guy. Everything changes in an instant when she is diagnosed with lymphoma-- and even her best friend, Kay, thinks Izzy is going to die. But she doesn't, and her humor—sardonic, sharp, astute -- makes reading this book accessible and actually enjoyable. From the acclaimed author of The Girls and Poison Ivy, Side Effects is about the pain, fear, and unlikely comedy of 15-year-old Izzy's journey, told in her own powerful and authentic voice. It is Izzy's story—screams and all.
Humor Through Hardship
Izzy’s sharp, sardonic voice meets the fear and pain of cancer with unlikely comedy.
Come here for
- A teenager’s candid take on illness, family friction, and ordinary concerns
- Humor that doesn’t pretend the hard parts are easy
Expect
- A first-person account of pain, fear, and treatment
- A serious story with room for sharp, funny observations
Where it sits
| YA Illness & Disease Stories | 100% |
|---|---|
| YA Stories About Girls & Women | 44% |
| Friendship for Teens | 35% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Funny Stories
- YA Stories About Girls & Women
- YA Illness & Disease Stories
- Authors
- Amy Goldman Koss
- Publisher
- Square Fish
- Published
- April 13, 2010
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Cancer and treatment · Teen family and social life · Humor amid fear and pain
- Reading lane
- Funny Stories