Sonnenblick brings readers back to the familiar community in which most of his books are set. This time he has chosen Jeffrey Alper, the younger brother of the star of Drams, Girls & Dangerous Pie to be the narrator. Jeff is in the 8th grade, and ready to take on all the usual challenges of those his age.

Jeffrey is not the typical 8th grader, though. He is a cancer survivor, having taken on leukemia when he was younger. He has been in remission for a few years, but the treatment left him with a limp and a brain impairment that is a learning disability. He struggles with staying focused and keeping things in order, which as you can imagine, is a major problem when it comes to math. Everyone around him tries to help, particularly in light of the fact that the state has decided that all of the 8th graders must be judged proficient in core subjects in order to graduate on to high school. This could be quite the problem for our protagonist.

Jeffrey's best friend Tad is definitely stepping to do what he can by helping. Jeffrey and Tad have been friends for years. Like Jefrey, Tad is a cancer survivor, though he fought off two rounds of brain cancer. His treatments kept him a live, but they greatly messed with his body. The result is a need to use a wheelchair to get around. They make a deal ... if Tad helps Jeffrey pass the exam, Jeffrey will help him train up so he can walk across the stage at graduation to get his diploma.

Besides taking on his course work, Jeffrey is exploring middle school love. On the first day of class, he bumps into California-import Lindsey, who is as sweet as pie and cute to boot. He impresses her by helping her pick up all of her school stuff which she has dropped during passing time. She ends up joining Jeffrey and Tad in a triumvirate of friendship that will define their whole school year.

As with most of Sonnenblick's work, humor and drama are masterfully balanced in a way that makes the story on feel that much more real. There are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments, and they nicely offset the really difficult and sad moments that are tied to the cancer so greatly affects both Tad and Jeffrey and those around them.

This is one of those book that I just didn't want to put down. The characters are interesting and really represent the age group of their peers nicely. They seemed perfectly poised to present the difficult challenges of living with cancer and surviving middle school itself.

The discussions surrounding standardized testing are also reflecting of a modern discussion that is redefining the American education system. It explores the issues from both sides and does a nice job of presenting how the system can affect students with learning disabilities and special needs.

One suggestion .... just have a box of tissues at the ready. You are probably going to need them!