Wink
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Surviving school with one eye open.
Ross Maloy just wants to fit in
But after he is diagnosed with a rare eye cancer in Year Seven, he suddenly becomes the 'cancer kid' of his school.
Now he has to deal with weird hats, a squinty eye and - hardest of all - disappearing friends, social media bullies, and the threat of losing his eyesight ... or worse.
Based on Rob Harrell's real-life experiences, and packed with his cartoons and illustrations, this is a heartbreaking and hilarious story of survival, and of finding the music, magic and laughter in all of life's weirdness.
PRAISE FOR WINK:
'Completely uplifting, deeply moving and brilliantly funny in just the right amounts' - Karen Foxlee, award-winning author of Lenny's Book of Everything
'A joyous, life-affirming and wonderfully human story' - James Moloney, award-winning author of The Book of Lies
'Wow! Brilliant! I loved it! This book goes straight to the top of my all-time favourites' - Felice Arena, best-selling author of the Specky Magee series and The Boy and the Spy
'Heartbreakingly funny, this book is proof that laughter is the best form of medicine' - Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ross wants badly to be a normal seventh grader, but it's not easy when everyone at school knows he has eye cancer. Besides enduring radiation treatments and their nasty side effects, he's contending with personal questions, concerned looks, and cheerful wishes from his schoolmates. His best friend, Abby, makes him feel "like something in the world is normal," but their other friend, Isaac, has all but vanished. When Ross's radiation tech, Frank, turns him on to music and teaches him to play guitar, he finds an outlet for his anger and frustration and comes to see a new side to a school bully, a drum player, whose cousin lives with Frank. Harrell (the Life of Zarf series), himself a cancer survivor, offers a frank account of cancer's effects while keeping the subject matter accessible for middle grade readers. Ross never takes himself too seriously, and amusing black-and-white comics trace his unsavory experiences, capture the ironies of his predicament, and underline his creativity and sense of humor. Told in the first person, this lively novel showcases the author's understanding of middle school angst amid the protagonist's experience with a serious illness. Ages 9 12.
