Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss
Izzy’s swollen glands still haven’t gone away, even though her flu was ages ago.
A trip to a doctor and some tests confirm the terrible news, Izzy has lymphoma. A teenager, enjoying school and friends, shouldn’t have to deal with cancer, but Izzy fights her illness with humor and sarcasm. The side effects of the chemotherapy make Izzy really sick, but she never loses her feisty spirit or the hope she’ll get better. Side Effects is a realistic, yet humorous take on fighting cancer from a teenager’s perspective. I really enjoyed the book as it was quick to read, and Izzy’s character has a great voice that I can relate to and like reading.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Thomas wakes up to find himself trapped in a moving box. With no memory of who he is or where he’s from, he finds himself trapped in the Glade, a homestead where dozens of teenaged boys life, surrounded by an insolvable, deadly maze that contains horrible creatures called Grievers. Thomas and the other Gladers must fight to survive, all the while trying to find out how to escape the maze and hopefully regain the memories of their lives from before the maze. The plot really begins to move when the final Glader is placed in the maze, a girl named Teresa. Do her and Thomas hold the key to their escape? The Maze Runner was a novel I just could not put down. I love books like this that allow me to get caught up in a story, not able to stop until the end, and then being disappointed in the end that the book ever had to finish. I can’t wait to read the second in his series.
Although I really enjoyed both novels, my vote has to go to The Maze Runner.
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