Anthem for Jackson Dawes

February 11, 2013
After 13-year-old Megan Bright is diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, she’s prescribed chemotherapy followed by an operation. Megan is determined to have everything remain as normal as possible during her time in the hospital; her chief concerns are losing her spot on the soccer team and possibly her hair. While stuck in the pediatric wing of the hospital (much to her annoyance), Megan gets closer to the only other teenager there—mischievous, dashing Jackson Dawes—and begins to acknowledge the emotions she’s been keeping buried. Initially, Jackson rubs her the wrong way, but his positivity and determined interest in Megan teach her about optimism and taking control of what she can. Megan’s developing relationships with Jackson and a six-year-old patient named Kipper lend emotional gravity to British author Bryce’s debut. It’s a quiet story, but one that effectively portrays the sudden distance from one’s own life that disease and tragedy can create.
“It was like being stuck between two worlds,” Megan reflects, “not knowing how to get back, not knowing which one to choose. Not wanting either.” Ages 12–up.

March 15, 2013
A movingly told British import about a teen girl with cancer treads some familiar ground. When Megan arrives at a children's hospital to receive her first round of chemotherapy, she immediately meets Jackson Dawes. The only other teenager in the hospital wing, Jackson is quirky, mischievous, charismatic and great with children. He immediately insinuates himself into Megan's life by popping into her hospital room. His company at first irritates, then delights her. As Megan's illness begins to distance her from her school friends, she finds comfort and companionship in the cancer ward's kind nurses and lovable children. She finds it especially in Jackson, who comforts her with Jamaican storytelling and helps cut her hair when it starts to fall out. The third-person narrative voice is evocative and observant, and Megan's changing relationships with friends, family and fellow sufferers are compelling. It is difficult, however, to read a contemporary teen cancer story without recalling John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, which masterfully dismantled cancer-related cliches. Here, many of the tropes Green addressed are left unexamined: A noble Cancer Kid remains full of life until the very end; a death is made easier by platitudes and the knowledge that the dead person's family has contributed to other children's fight against the disease. Sentimental but uncritical. (Fiction. 12-18)

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May 1, 2013

Gr 6-9-When 13-year-old Megan Bright meets Jackson Dawes on the pediatric cancer ward, she doesn't immediately appreciate his confidence and outgoing nature. However, there is something irresistible about him-his energy and good humor bring smiles to the faces of many of the younger patients. Jackson has struggled with cancer for a while, and as the only other teenager on the ward, he is there for Megan, helping her navigate the emotional and physical trauma that comes with illness. Between chemotherapy treatments, both teens return home; however, resuming normal life is difficult for Megan. She elects not to share her feelings with her best friend or her parents. She misses having someone who understands exactly what she is experiencing. As she struggles with the inherent unfairness that some people live long healthy lives while others do not, she gains comfort and strength from the memories of her friendship with Jackson. Sensitive and honest, this novel addresses meaningful questions concerning mortality and soul searching, and its content is appropriate for younger teens.-Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Grades 6-9 Thirteen-year-old Megan Bright is admitted to the children's ward of her local British hospital with a brain tumor to be treated with chemotherapy and surgery. She hates being grouped with the younger children and is astounded by the presence of tall, ebullient Jackson Dawes, a 16-year-old black cancer patient whose effervescent personality makes him a favorite of both staff and other patients. Jackson manages to break through Megan's gloom, and their playful and loving relationship sustains her through her illness. Bryce's debut novel is a perfect three-hankie read for the middle-school set, and it addresses the all-important issue of sick teens whose healthy friends avoid themnot out of cruelty, but because they simply don't know what to say or do. Though predictable in its outcome, this satisfyingly cathartic story is balanced and believable, and unlike many teen novels, it focuses on the importance of family in a teen's life. British idiom and customs throughout are accessible to American readers and add interest to a universal story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
In her first novel, Bryce treads familiar territory with Megan and Jackson, teenagers who meet in a hospital where they are both being treated for cancer. The narrative hurries through crucial scenes, missing opportunities to pack poignant punches, and the central relationship remains underdeveloped. Readers looking for the sentiment of John Green, or even Lurlene McDaniel, may be disappointed.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)