So Much to Live For

A Review by April

I got this book a couple of days ago from my sister as an early Christmas present. It’s a fairly short book, so it’s a quick read.

The main character, Dawn Rochelle, is a fifteen year old cancer survivor. She had leukemia twice, but has been cancer free ever since she got a bone marrow transplant from her brother. When she was thirteen, and still had the cancer, she was in the hospital with a roommate names Sandy. The two girls quickly became best friends. That summer, they both went to a camp for kids with cancer and had a blast. After camp, Sandy went to Mexico to receive experimental treatment. Sandy died there after receiving the treatment. Now Dawn has been asked to return to the camp to be a counselor. She meets Sandy’s brother, Brent, who has come to be a counselor too. Through the weeklong camp session, Dawn fights back old memories that she and Sandy had together, and tries to help a girl named Marlee have a good time at camp despite her negative attitude. Can Dawn handle all of this? Read So Much to Live For to see what happens next!

I thought that this was a fantastic book. I would really like to read the first two books in the Dawn Rochelle Series as well as the fourth book that comes after this one.

The reader really begins to feel what Dawn feels because of the intense description that he author, Lurlene McDaniel, uses to tell what happens to her. It has absolutely no relation to Harry Potter. So Much to Live For is about the reality and struggles of cancer with no reference to anything magical. I know that as Harry Potter fans, you must like the genre of fantasy books. Even though this book doesn’t fall under that genre, I know that it is a good book that everyone can enjoy!

The reading level of this book is about sixth grade, 11-12 years old. Regardless of the reading level of this book, all ages will really like this enchanting book.

Author: Lurlene McDaniel
Number of Pages: 158
Publication Date: 1991
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