Sam is eleven years old and is dying of leukemia. He has discovered his journal to be a place to preserve his thoughts, questions, pictures, stories, and, most importantly, a list of things he wants to do before dying. His writ ing gives the reader the perspective of a child facing the reality of death, but readers also discover through his eyes the different ways family members are coping with the situation. As those around him try to help him achieve his list of goals, readers also become a friend of—and mourn for—this fun-loving and genuine boy. This novel is realistic fiction at its best—full of emotion and sentiment but told from a very frank child’s perspective. 2009 USBBY Outstanding International Book, 2008 Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, 2008 Glen Dimplex New Writers Award, 2008 New York Public Library Children’s Books: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, Horn Book Fanfare Book, The Luchs Prize (Germany), 2009 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2009 NCTE Notable Children’s Book for Language Arts. jm

Originally published by Scholastic Great Britain, in 2008.