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When Ross is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, aged 12, his desperate attempts at school to just be 'normal' become impossible. Suddenly he is the cancer kid, and everything he does, how he looks, and how he behaves falls under the scrutiny of the other kids in school. Ross is, understandably, angry. He is facing potential blindness, whilst dealing with an eye sealed in a permanent wink. He has gloopy eye medicine to try to help with the pain, plus the need to wear a hat at all times to protect his face due to the ongoing treatment. With the sudden ghosting by one of his best friends, and a series of horrible memes that someone at school creates about Ross, nothing about his life is normal any more, and he has to find new ways to deal with his feelings, and survive.
One way Ross finds to cope with his turbulent emotions is through music. One of the technicians managing his treatments introduces him to some new genres of music, and then teaches him how to play the guitar. Ross is inspired, finding a release and freedom through music that he struggles to find anywhere else. He ends up in a band, alongside his other best friend, Abi, and a misunderstood bully. There are, as you'd imagine, some very dark moments through the book. But the way the story is told means as a reader it's never so dreadful that it overwhelms you. But still, the story doesn't shy away from the horror of Ross' situation. It's incredibly realistic, probably because it is based on the author's own experience of having cancer.
The bullying aspect is well-handled. The speed of the memes travelling around the school is terrifying, and demonstrates the sort of situations some children can find themselves facing. That Ross must face this, too, as well as his cancer treatments is awful. Whilst he has the support of his friend Abi, it's all too easy to identify with his feelings, and how difficult it is for him to face everyone in the school after images of him with the grim reaper do the rounds. I really liked the way this aspect of the story was told, and how the truth of the memes unfolds.
Through the book there are a series of cartoon panels, drawn by Ross, illustrating the adventures of Batpig, who turns incidents in Ross' life into moments of comedy. They're fun to read, and will appeal to children who are moving on from books like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Tom Gates. They may seem a little unnecessary to some readers, but I liked them.
