Madeline Whittier is sick. So sick that if she leaves her house, she will die! But she has accepted this. She doesn’t need anyone, except for her mom, her nurse Carla and her books. But after 17 years of living like this, her secret wish came true. A mysterious boy, named Ollie, and his troubled family moved next door. Her world will never be the same. After weeks of awkward eye contact, sideways glances and little messages written on their bedroom windows, they both find the courage and talk though email. Because Madeline has had no outside contact with people, she is very comfortable with expressing herself through words, until now. She finds herself at a loss for words. Over the course of a few months, Ollie and Madeline become very close. Ollie begins to bring her out of her comfort zone and changes her entire world.
This book will send you on a emotional roller coaster, throughout the whole book I was on the edge of my seat wanting to keep reading more. The author really connects to the reader emotions and pulls you into the story, in this book Madeline has to over come many challenges some that connect to real life. Such as distance learning, to her this was her normal she never had to the experience of getting on a bus or walking into a class room but I know that most of us have. So the transition was in some ways drastic so for me to read about her and see how she handles it and still is able to do fun learning activity, this gave me hope for the future in a sense that maybe there is light in this. I highly recommend this book to everyone who just needs a good book to read and enjoy.
Reviewed by Maren K., Grade 8
