Finding Balance

by Kati Gardner

Overview

Jase Ellison doesn’t remember having acute lymphocytic leukemia when he was three years old. His cancer diagnosis only enters his mind twice a year: once at his yearly checkup at the oncology clinic and one when he attends Camp Chemo in the summer. No one in his “real” life knows about his past, especially his friends at Atlanta West Prep. 
Mari Manos has never been able to hide her cancer survivorship. She wakes every morning, grabs her pink forearm clip crutches, and starts her day. Mari loves Camp Chemo—where she’s developed a healthy crush on fellow camper Jase. At Camp, she knows that she’ll never get “the look” or have to explain her amputation to anyone. 
Jase wants to move on, to never reveal his past. But when Mari transfers to his school, he knows she could blow his cover. That’s the last thing he wants, but he also cannot ignore his attraction to her. Mari wants to be looked at like a girl, a person, and not only known for her disability. But how do you move on from cancer when the world won’t let you?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635830538
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Series:	Brave Enough , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Kati Gardner is a recovering actor, wife, and mom. She is a childhood cancer survivor and amputee who writes books about disability and kissing. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives and writes in Raleigh, North Carolina. Brave Enough was her first novel. You can find her on Twitter at @AuthorKati, on Instagram at AuthorKatiGardner, and at katigardner.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Cancer creates a lifetime of fallout. Gardner writes compellingly not only about the romance between these two teens, but also about the nuances in their navigation of survival. Recommended for YA collections." —School Library Journal

"Plenty of heartbreak and joy shape this compelling story, as well as reminders to find balance in our own lives." —Booklist, starred review

"Gardner, an amputee and cancer survivor, realistically tackles such tough issues as the massive costs of health care, the fear of relapse, and pressure to appear nondisabled." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2020-02-26
Two high schoolers are simultaneously united and divided by their cancer diagnoses, threatening their tentative romance.

Jase Ellison’s friends at Atlanta West Prep don’t know he had leukemia at age 3; he’s safe from the intrusive questions and taunts he endured in middle school. However, last summer at Camp Chemo, his past didn’t prevent a “flirtationship” with Mari Manos. Mari, who “rocked the one-legged look” on pink forearm crutches thanks to osteogenic sarcoma at 10, can’t hide her history. But when Mari transfers to his school and students gawk and gossip, Jase fears that his secret’s in danger and pushes her away. In alternating third-person chapters, the teens navigate medical and academic problems while wrestling with their fear, anger, and attraction. Gardner, an amputee and cancer survivor, realistically tackles such tough issues as the massive costs of health care, the fear of relapse, and pressure to appear nondisabled. However, expository narration, some stilted dialogue, and one-dimensional secondary characters occasionally diminish the emotional impact. The teens’ classmates’ absolute ignorance of cancer particularly strains credulity. Pop-culture references—from Hamilton to “Baby Shark”—feel somewhat forced, as does the use of such disability rights terms as “super crip” and “inspiration porn.” However, Mari’s supportive family is heartening. Most characters are affluent and white; olive-skinned Mari and her family are working-class and cued as Greek American.

An awkwardly written but unusually in-depth portrayal of cancer and disability. (Romance. 13-16)

Kirkus Reviews