Hello Everyone!
I believe that this is my second book review of the year.
Cancer is not only the disease of adults but it’s also seen in children. The book I’m going to review today talks about childhood cancer and is based on the true life experience of the author.
Last night, I finished reading this wonderful book called Wink by Rob Harrell.
It is a book that literally blew me away. It was a book that was one of a kind. I say that because it has a sad plot but this book was completely humorous. Ross is a 7th grader who lives with his Dad and his stepmother Linda. His mother died of Breast Cancer very young but his mother isn’t discussed a lot in this book. The book starts off with Ross in the hospital getting radiation for his left eye swelling that has been lately diagnosed as cancer. But it’s not only the cancer that completely harms him but his left eye looking very disfigured which affects his appearance and causes people to create memes about him and bully him on the internet. Also his best friend Abby has to move away to Minnesota because of a job offer and he doesn’t have any friends to stick with after she moves, and his face hurts because of the radiation which makes his life a huge mess. In his difficult phase of his life, he found support in his family and his few but true friends and music where he learned to play the guitar. When he goes to school, to cover his disfigured face, he wears a hat that makes him look like a batpig. This reminds me of Auggie from the book Wonder as Auggie has a Cleft Palate which disfigures his face and how he suffers from bullying and being different from everyone else. There are so many serious topics covered in the book like moving on, life changes, growing up, childhood cancer, death, and bullying. This book may sound very sad to you but hey when you read it you will be laughing so hard that you will actually cry (Happily though). I absolutely hated that the kids bullied him and made memes of him. It’s not funny to make fun of someone’s insecurities, disease, race, or their background because it can cause some serious harm. I believe that in this book that adding humor in a sad situation can make things less heavy like how Albus Dumbledore said “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light” which the author did.
I would recommend this book to middle grade readers and people who have loved reading the book or have watched the movie.
Have a good week everybody!