Side Effects

Side Effects is written by Amy Goldman Koss and is 143 pgs. Side Effects is about an 8th grade girl named Isabelle Miller who finds herself where nobody wants to be. She woke up one day with her still swollen glands from a flu that was over days ago. Her mom took her in to the doctor where they thought it was Mono, sent her home and would call with info later. It was much worse than mono- she had Lymphoma which is cancer. She is sent to Childrens Hospital where she then undergoes treatments almost immediately. Her roomate is a young girl named Carrie who has Sickle Cell Anemia- routinely in and out of hospitals. What gets Isabelle through this is her Paper Mate blue pen and sketch pads. She draws ordinary things but turns then into simple works of art. Such as drawing the IV as a snake going into a small child or a CAT scan machine as a shark with bate entering through its mouth. She has a sense of humor the size of Alaska and a toungue as sharp as a rozor blade. But thats who Izzy is- she is super sarcastic and a very enjoyable character. Throught Side Effects you get to follow Izzy throught her journey and battle with Lymphoma. Bye the end, you are completely satisfied and you feel like you were there the whole time- through the breaking news, to loosing hair and even in the hospital waiting room.

I loved this book! I finished it in less than a day because i was HOOKED! I couldnt get enough of reading this book. Amy Koss is an excellent writer- she brings Izzy to life with her Teenage antics and her sarcastiness with EVERYTHING. By reading this book, you feel like you know Izzy ( Isabelle). You feel her pain through the Chemotherapy treatments and you get an idea through the artistic use of words what her surroundings are like. This is a five star-must read of the summer. You simply must go to your library and check it out. I am going to put this on my list of To-Buy list. The ending is extremely satisfying, you wont be disappointed. You will feel like you are on top of the world for the rest of the day. It makes you appreciate everything you have in a whole new light. So what are you waiting for?- GO READ IT!