Side Effects

by Amy Goldman Koss

Book Overview

As if it doesn't suck enough to have cancer, practically every time you pick up books or see movies where characters get sick, you know they'll be dead by the last scene. In reality, kids get all kinds of cancers, go through unspeakable torture and painful treatments, but walk away fine in the end. From the acclaimed author of "The Girls" and "Poison Ivy," "Side Effects" is about the pain, fear, and unlikely comedy of 15-year-old Izzy's journey, told...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596432942
• ISBN13: 9781596432949
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Good Read, Overall

In the middle of writing my own YA, hard-hitting for the under-served market of teen dudes and the 12+ years olds who look up to them, this book was a fast read and a lot of fun. Koss takes us through Isabelle's "Izzy" journey of cancer and it's diagnosis, treatment, procedure and conclusion ... nope, won't give the ending away. But I was surprised how quickly I finished this read; I took scads of notes to employ for my own YAs. I enjoyed how Koss completed Izzy's arc in what mattered more, priorities-wise. Minus the medical jargon, the "dumbing-down" angle of how kids are resilient more than we adults give them credit for, the tactless-but-honest nature Koss took of WHY must children's hospitals look like puppy-dog-and-kittens on the floors with festive circus colors that garishly contrast the real reasons there had me laughing a couple of times. I got into Izzy's voice and loved the sensitive, straight-forward nature Koss took to show us what going through cancer is really, really like. My mother, stepmom and uncle died from cancer. All of them mentioned how tiring, draining and taxing chemo is. They all said it hurt, but never spoke of the ghoulish, but needed details of what they had to endure. "No wonder kids screamed when they saw Tanya coming" is a perfect line to sum what Izzy otherwise dubbed her as "the Smurf." This would've gotten five stars, but for Izzy's level of disrespect her mouth dished to her mother; illness or not, I'm old school and I found that bothersome her mother didn't get in her face more with this; and the disjointed feel parts of the book held for my taste. I got she was triyng to be upbeat about things, but a few times, I wondered where the self-pity was, the anger, the angst, the "what if ..." possibility of dying had crossed Izzy's mind most cancer sufferers wrangle through. This would've made the book longer, I'm sure, but to see her pull through on grit/determination w/o showing that other side of it--even antagonists have a soft side--sorely lacked. Overall, fine read. Loved the CandyLand game reference and how she handled a patient suffering a blood disorder not far from sickle cell, as well. Tastefully done and wonderfully told in a fresh, in-your-face narrative more teen reads need today. Nice job, Mrs. Koss! Kudos!

Rare book of its kind. Must read.

One things for sure, there are not many books like this. As readers we get to see the world of a cancer patient through Izzy's eyes, our fourteen year old cantankerous (or regular teenage angst) main character. For six grueling months we follow her from diagnosis, treatment, to conclusion... sorry, no spoilers here. As readers we come away with both an attachment to the storyline and an appreciation of what having cancer must feel like. I'm happy that someone has finally written a good teen book about cancer that 1. doesn't bog us down with too much medical jargon, 2. chips away at the mystery for all of us looking in from the outside, and 3. gives us a characters we can relate to. My one complaint is that at times the story feels a bit disjointed. Also, if I ever talked to my Mom the way Izzy does, illness or not, I wouldn't be typing this review right now!

One Girl's Battle with Cancer

From the author of The Girls (a realistic look into the inner workings of an all-girl clique) comes a novel about an almost-fifteen-year-old who is diagnosed with lymphoma. The once-healthy Izzy is suddenly hospital-bound. The faces of the nurses, doctors, and counselors who surround her blur as she undergoes chemotherapy. Meanwhile, her mom is a mess, her father is fairly steady, her little brother doesn't quite understand what is going on, and her best friend isn't allowed to visit her. While her body battles cancer, Izzy's tongue stays as sharp as the needles that the nurses stick in her arm. Instead of a book riddled with angst, the story details Izzy's treatments and her physical and emotions reactions bluntly. Instead of being a sob story, this is the story of survival. Izzy refuses to give up, and readers won't give up this book until they've reached the final page. Well-done.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Izzy wakes up one morning concerned because her glands are still swollen from a recent sickness--and she soon discovers that she has cancer. She's placed into a children's hospital where people come talk to her until she no longer hears what they're talking about. All she can do is concentrate on drawing. Her mother is a basket case and Izzy is in shock. Now her life has drastically changed. People who were her friends no longer talk to her and people she's never talked to are fake around her. She doesn't quite know how to react, but it's not with the anger her best friend feels. Izzy goes though treatments: pain, the puking, and the needles, but still never loses her sense of humor. SIDE EFFECTS takes a deep look into the medical and emotional roller-coaster of cancer patients. With Izzy, you hear the knowledge first-hand, which makes you both laugh and cry. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Leisure readers in grades 4-8 will find it outstanding.

Izzy has cancer - and is back in school trying to catch up. Her descent into illness - and struggle to retain to a world of normalcy - makes SIDE EFFECTS an outstanding survey of cancer recovery, delving into much more than the usual physical issues of struggling with cancer. Leisure readers in grades 4-8 will find it outstanding.