Being a teenager can already be a time of growing pains and social challenges. Enter in a cancer diagnosis, and life becomes all that more complicated. Click on one of the following topics to find books that can help your teen cope.
Cancer in the Family
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie
[Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie] By Jordan Sonnenblick
Scholastic, 2005, 208 pages
ISBN: 0439755190
This is a touching novel about the relationship between two brothers and how their family dynamics change as the younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia. Told firsthand from the older brother's perspective, this book is honest and raw - much the way children and teens are when coping with cancer. And yet, the realistic portrayal is gently softened by a backdrop of humour and wit. This book will bring a smile to the faces of families coping with cancer.
Coping with Illness
Cancer Information for Teens
[Cancer Information for Teens] By Wilma R. Caldwell (Editor)
Omnigraphics, Incorporated, 2004, 450 pages
ISBN: 0780806786
This publication contains health tips about cancer awareness and information about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer specific for teens.
Grief
You and a Death in Your Family
[You and a Death in Your Family] By Antoine Wilson
The Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2001, 48 pages
ISBN: 0823933555
This resource gets right to the point of naming and normalizing the varied experiences teens may encounter following the death of parents, grandparents, pets and siblings. This book is made all the more valuable by presenting multicultural photos of young people throughout. In five easy-to-navigate chapters, youth will learn to talk about feelings, how to talk about and understand death and what to expect before, during and following funeral ceremonies.
For more information: (800) 970-4220 FREE or heal2grow@aol.com
Coping with the Death of a Brother or Sister
[Coping with the Death of a Brother or Sister] By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2001, 121 pages
ISBN: 0823928519
This book speaks both to teens and for teens. It presents information and comfort in easy-to-read terms and language that will resonate to teen readers. It is a hard loss to face the death of a brother or sister. For the survivor, everything has changed, the world of family and place may feel shaky and foreign. Coping with the Death of a Brother or Sister does not candy coat the challenges of this great loss, but it does make clear inroads into normalizing the grief experience as it may be felt by siblings and parents. This comprehensive book also provides insight into reactions that can occur when sudden death occurs and talks about the impact a sibling's death can have even if the death occurred when the teen was young.
For more information: (800) 970-4220 FREE or heal2grow@aol.com
Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers
[Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers] By Earl A. Grollman
Beacon Press, 1993, 146 pages
ISBN: 0807025011
This author/rabbi offers "straight from the heart" information about the many feelings and questions a teenager might have when someone they care about dies.
For more information: (800) 970-4220 FREE or heal2grow@aol.com