Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie - Jordan Sonnenblick

Synopsis from B&N:  Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school, and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey. But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, Steven's world is turned upside down. He is forced to deal with his brother's illness and his parents' attempts to keep the family in one piece. Salted with humor and peppered with devastating realities, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is a heartwarming journey through a year in the life of a family in crisis.

This was our book club book for May.  And I didn’t want to put it down. 

I don’t know if it was so appealing to me at this time because I have an eighth grade student recently diagnosed with leukemia, and I’ve seen a glimpse of their struggle.  Or if the appeal can be completely chalked up to the Sonnenblick’s writing style and the voice he gives to Steven.

Let me tell you, Sonnenblick is right on with how 8^th graders think, act, feel, and talk.  I could easily see many of my students speaking the same way or doing the same things.  And the titles of the chapters made me want to dive right into each one.

Well done.  And one of my students saw me in the hallway, coming back from lunch with the book.  She added her seal of approval as well.