Dealing With a Difficult Topic

Death is not a topic that is dealt with very often in children's literature, although it is present in some of our most memorable novels like Bridge to Terabithia.  My 11 year old daughter recently read Ways To Live Forever a first person account of a boy with leukemia who has just few months left to live.

I'll admit, I cry very easily in books, movies, tv shows, you name it, so I wasn't terribly excited about reading what would have to be a sad book.  There's no doubt that it was a sad book, but I didn't cry as much as I thought I would;  in fact, I laughed more than I cried.

Sally Nicholls tackles tough issues in her book by having the main character, Sam, pose questions related to dying that adults don't like to answer like why do we have to die, and how do you know that you've died?  Sam writes lists, journal entries, stories and questions as part of his school project, intending it to be a book for people to read after his death. 

Readers join Sam in figuring out what his wishlist is before he dies and how he goes about checking off the items on his list.  Readers also catch a glimpse of what it feels like to sit with dying friend, attend a funeral, and to think of life as a cycle.

Death is an inevitable part of life, and reading this book will make it more real and less scary for children.  It is believable and well written, with humor, anger, and sadness, but not overwhelmingly so.  I highly recommend this book for children ages 9 and up, including adults!