Author: Tiffany Schmidt
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Walker Children's (Oct. 2, 2012)
Synopsis:
Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose. From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.
About The Author:
See,
here’s the thing. I’m not a superstitious person.
After
writing SEND ME A SIGN, I feel like that needs to be confessed in a
whisper… but I’m not a 17-year-old, blonde, cheerleader either. I
don’t feel guilty about that.
I
think it’s because I feel like I should
be superstitious. I’m an imaginative person; my job involves
inventing people and convincing myself and readers that they’re
realistic. I had a zillion imaginary friends when I was little. I
believed in Santa long after my peers had moved on…and I let go of
holiday characters one at a time. “The Easter Bunny too?” “Not
the tooth fairy!” “Wait, does this mean that Mickey Mouse…”
And
have I mentioned how susceptible I am to being permanently scared by
things that scare me? I still insist on sleeping with my closet door
shut (thank you, Poltergeist) and My Buddy and dolls similar to this
will NEVER be allowed in my house (thank you, commercials for Chucky…
I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen the movie).
So,
I should
be superstitious, right?
But
I’m not.
I
had a Magic 8 Ball when I was little, but my favorite thing to do
with it was shake it until the viewing window was filled with
bubbles. Eventually I cracked it open to see what was inside – it’s
not *magic*—it’s blue liquid that stains and a 20-sided answer
thingamabob.
My
sister had a rabbit’s foot. I did not think it was lucky. I thought
it was terrifying.
I was convinced that somewhere out in our woods was a 3-legged,
angry, bright purple rabbit.
I
thought pennies on the sidewalk were fabulous—I still do! Free
money! But I’ve never stopped to inspect whether they were head or
tails side up before I pocketed them.
My
reaction to spilled salt is to sweep it up—throwing more over my
shoulder just means more to clean.
I
don’t have the patience to look for four-leaf clovers.
Cats
are fabulous and things to cuddle—I don’t care what color they
are.
And
if I find a ladder, my immediate focus is can
I climb it?—if
that involves walking beneath it, so what?
…But,
having said all this, if SEND ME A SIGN had released on a Friday the
13th,
that
would have made me just a little bit nervous.
When I first started reading this I couldn't help but feel as if the story was familiar, almost like I had read it before, but of course, that couldn't be because this is an ARC and it hasn't even been released yet.
As the story progressed, I realized why
it seemed so familiar. It has a lot of similarities to another book I
read earlier this year. Similar but not the same (which is a relief).
Both books were about a cheerleader
with leukemia, both heart felt and both managed to bring out a
rainbow of emotions in me.
I really do love it when a story can
manage to bring so many thoughts, feelings and emotions out in the
reader. It truly is a sign (no pun intended) of a good storyteller.
I really loved Mia. She was a strong
brave character and I had to admire her for that. I wouldn't want to
be in her situation and make the choices that she did have to make,
no matter what age I was. Cancer is never easy, not on anyone and she
handled it well, she really did.
She not only was dealing with issues
all teenagers have with trying to find themselves and where they fit
into the world but she was fighting a horrible illness as well.
Gyver, Ryan, Hil, really this book was
chalked full of wonderful characters.
This was a great coming of age story
that will warm your heart, make you cry with joy and with sadness and
leave you wanting more.
I so did not want this one to end.
I give this one 4 Stars!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Great review and guest post. This sounds like a good book. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ellen for stopping by!!
ReplyDeleteI read another review for this and it sounds good! Cancer books are so emotional though and lately I have started feeling like I really need to read more fluff. But when I'm ready for a serious book I will keep this one in mind!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Candace, I am all about the fluff reads! I do like a good emotional read every now and then too and this one was really good!
ReplyDelete