Cancer
Easy Books
Hair for Mama
Kelly A. Tinkham, Illustrated by Amy June Bates (E) “The following story grew out of a conversation Kelly A. Tinkham had with her five-year-old son when she was explaining that she had cancer and would lose her hair.” It’s about a mother who has cancer and, through chemo, loses her hair. Her little boy tries to give her his hair, thinking that it will cure her. While there is mention throughout that the outcome may not be what the family wants, the ending is hopeful.
The Lemonade Club
Patricia Polacco. (E) Everyone loves Miss Wichelmans fifth-grade class, especially best friends Traci and Marilyn. Thats where they learn that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! They are having a great year until Traci begins to notice some changes in Marilyn. Shes losing weight, and seems tired all the time. An entire class shaves their heads when Traci develops cancer and loses her hair.
*My Brand New Leg *
Sharon Rae North (E); illustrations by Tony Ross. Lithonia, Ga. : Northstar Entertainment Group, c2003. 40 p. + 1 CD narrated by Sharon Rae North. A little girl with an artificial leg shows her friend all the things she can do despite her disability.
There’s A Little Bit Of Me In Jamey
Diana Amadeo (E) ; illustrated by Judith Friedman. Niles, Ill. : A. Whitman, 1989. 26p. Brian, whose younger brother Jamey has leukemia, feels frightened, confused, and neglected by his parents; but he finds some comfort when he donates bone marrow to his brother.
Juvenile Fiction
Bluish
Virginia Hamilton (JF). New York : Blue Sky Press, 1999. 127 p. Ten-year-old Dreenie feels both intrigued and frightened when she thinks about the girl nicknamed Bluish, whose leukemia is making her pale and causing her to use a wheelchair.
The Christmas Spurs
Bill Wallace (JF). 1st ed. New York : Holiday House, c1990. 121 p. Nick is changed by his younger brother Jimmy’s slow death from leukemia, but a small private miracle at Christmastime helps him accept Jimmy’s fate and go forward with renewed faith.
Defiance
Valerie Hobbs (JF). New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2005. 116 p. In this honest and life-affirming novel for young readers, an unforgettable 11-year-old boy who has cancer learns about the importance of letting things happen on their own and listening to his heart. While vacationing in the country, eleven-year-old Toby, a cancer patient, learns some important lessons about living and dying from an elderly poet and her cow.
The Golden Bird
Hans Stolp (JF); illustrated by Lidia Postma. New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 1990. 55 p. Translation of: De gouden vogel. Engaged in a losing battle with cancer, ten-year-old Daniel is comforted by many people but finds his greatest solace in the visits of a phoenix-like golden bird and its vision of rebirth and renewal.
Hunter In The Dark
Monica Hughes (JF). New York : Atheneum, 1983, c1982. 131 p. A teenage boy goes on a secret hunting trip alone in an effort to come to terms with his leukemia and to test his strength and resourcefulness in battling the elements and stalking the white-tailed deer that is his quarry.
Ida B: And Her Plans To Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, And (Possibly) Save The World
Katherine Hannigan (JF). New York : Greenwillow Books, 2004. 246 p. In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B spends happy hours being home-schooled and playing in her family’s apple orchard, until her mother begins treatment for breast cancer and her parents must sell part of the orchard and send her to public school
Isabel And The Miracle Baby
Emily Smith Pearce.(JF) Asheville, N.C. : Front Street/Boyds Mills Press, 2007. 125 p. Eight-year-old Isabel feels her mother no longer cares about her because she has no time or energy even to listen when Isa tries to share her sadness about being unpopular, her jealousy over her new baby sister, and, most importantly, her fear that her mother’s cancer will come back.
Lenny’s Space
Kate Banks (JF). New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. 151 p. Nine-year-old Lenny gets in trouble and has no friends because he cannot control himself in school and his interests are not like those of his classmates, until he starts visiting Muriel, a counselor, and meets Van, a boy his age who has leukemia.
Long Way Home
Barbara Cohen (JF) New York : Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard, 1990. 170p. Sally’s relationship with an elderly bus driver who recites Shakespeare stories helps her to cope with the problems of her mother’s cancer and being separated from her twin sister at summer camp.
Mama’s Going To Buy You A Mockingbird
Jean Little (JF). New York : Viking Kestrel, c1984. 213 p. Young Jeremy and Sarah learn to cope with their grief and drastically changed lifestyle during their father’s battle with cancer, which forces their mother to sell their house and return to school full time.
On Christmas Eve
Ann M. Martin (JF) ; illustrations by Jon J. Muth. New York : Scholastic, 2006. 149 p. Eight-year-old Tess is convinced that if she believes and stays aware of the magic around her, she will meet Santa Claus on Christmas Eve of 1958, when she will thank him for his gifts and ask him to use his magic to cure her best friend’s father of cancer.
Sisters, Long Ago
Peg Kehret (JF). New York : Cobblehill Books, c1990. 149 p. When Willow Paige nearly drowns, she envisions scenes from a past life which lead to an exploration of reincarnation and mental telepathy and set her on a quest to help give hope and strength to her sister who has leukemia.
Sort Of Forever
Sally Warner (JF). New York : Knopf, c1998. 136 p. Twelve-year-olds Cady and Nana explore the strengths of their special friendship as they cope with Nana’s cancer.
The Year My Mother Was Bald
Ann Speltz (JF) This book is Clare’s journal and scrapbook the year that her mother is diagnosed with cancer and goes through treatment. Clare tells her story, shares her feelings, and describes her family’s experiences from her mother’s diagnosis through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Young Adult
A Time For Dancing
Davida Wills Hurwin. (YA) Boston : Little, Brown, c1995. 257 p. Seventeen-year-old best friends Samantha and Juliana tell their stories in alternating chapters after Juliana is diagnosed with cancer.
Juvenile Non-fiction
Afraid To Ask
Judylaine Fine (JUV 616.99 FIN). New York : Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1986. x, 178 p. Describes the various types of cancer and discusses, through case histories, the physical and emotional problems involved in having or knowing someone who has cancer.
Cancer
Oliver Gillie (JUV 616.994 GIL). Chicago, IL : Heinemann Library, 2004. 56 p.
Contents: Fight against cancer — What is cancer? — Cancer throughout history — How cancer grows and spreads — Signs and symptoms of cancer — Diagnosis of cancer — Screening tests — Food and cancer — Cancer and smoking — Breast cancer — Leukemia — Skin cancer — Cancer in children — Treating cancer — Anxieties and fears — Recovering from brain cancer — Friends and family — Hospices and palliative care — Hope in the fight against cancer — Information and advice — More books to read — Glossary — Index.
Cancer : Can It Be Stopped?
Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein (JUV 616.994 SIL). New York : Lippincott, c1987. 153 p. Explains the various forms of cancer, their symptoms, possible causes, and treatment; and discusses research being conducted to find better means of preventing, detecting, treating, and curing this disease.
*My Book For Kids With Cansur [i.e. Cancer]
Jason Gaes (JUV 616.99 GAE) ; illustrated by Adam and Tim Gaes. 1st ed. Aberdeen, S.D. : Melius & Peterson, 1987. 31p. A young boy describes his successful two-year battle with cancer and offers advice to other cancer patients.
The Rainbow Feelings Of Cancer : A Book For Children Who Have A Loved One With Cancer
Carrie Martin and Chia Martin (JUV 362.1969 MAR) ; illustrations by Carrie Martin. Prescott, Ariz. : Hohm Press, c2001. 32 p. A ten-year-old girl tells of the many feelings she has regarding her mother’s cancer.
Adult Fiction
My Sister’s Keeper
Jodi Picoult (F). 1st Atria book hardcover ed. New York : Atria Books, 2004. 423 p. ; Written with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity, this novel is about a teen who was conceived as a bone marrow match for her sister Kate, and what happens when she begins to question who she really is.
Adult Non-fiction
The Breast Cancer Care Book : A Survival Guide For Patients And Loved Ones
Sally M. Knox with Janet Kobobel Grant (616.994 KNO). Grand Rapids, Mich. : Zondervan, c2004. 248 p. Contents: The journey begins — Testing, one, two, three — Travelmates: your medical and personal support teams — Consulting the great physician — What are your surgical options? — Choosing the right surgery for you — The next step: post-surgery chemotherapy and hormone blocker therapy — Moving onward: radiation therapy — Alternative healing methods — Emotions: making them work for you — Your spouse, your biggest supporter — Helping children face the challenge — Restoring fitness and well-being — After cancer.
I Want To Grow Hair, I Want To Grow Up, I Want To Go To Boise : Children Surviving Cancer
Erma Bombeck. (618.92 BOM ) New York : Harper & Row, c1989. xxii, 174 p. A collection of inspiring, sensitive, and humorous anecdotes of children surviving cancer
Non-fiction Video
Will Mom Be Ok?
[Videorecording] : Families Talk About Breast Cancer (VIDEO 616.99 WIL) Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Bosom Buddies, c2003.1 videocassette (45 min.) : ISBN:0966855620