Who I Would Like to Meet and Why

My Book Club Book: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

If I had to meet any one character in my book, it would definitely have to be Steven. In the book, Steven is struggling with his little brother's leukemia. Even though in the book Jeffrey, his little brother, is the person who actually has the cancer, I think that Steven is staying even more confident than Jeffrey. The reason why I think this is because although his brother is the one who is sick, he's just a little kid, and has everything handed to him. All he knows is that he is quite sick and has to go to the hospital every once in a while to get a few shots here and there and some medical treatment, plus the fact that he lost all of his hair. But what he doesn't know is the outcome on what could possibly happen to him in the end, including the his family's hidden struggles. On the other hand though, Steven, who is in eigth grade, faces reality in the whole situation. His family is struggling with financial issues, he has school problems with grades and his social status, his mother does not have a job, and, as it says on the back of the book which basically sums up all of these problems, is that he is "trying to keep his family in one piece." At the same exact time, Steven is getting absolutely no attention from his parents as they only give their attention to Jeffrey. Steven is left to take repsonibility of himself for a long time by, for example, cooking microwave meals every night. At one point, Steven's dad ignored him for days on end while Jeffrey and his mom were in Philadelphia receiving serious medical treatment. His dad did not inform him at all of how Jeffrey was doing, or if the whole cancer thing was just a misunderstanding. Steven was left alone to worry and suffer that whole time. Even through all of this, though, Steven is still so supportive for Jeffrey at home. For example, when Jeffrey went back to school for one day, one of his friends commented on his bald head of hair. He was really upset that night, and felt like he was the only kid in the world who had no hair. To make him feel more secure, Steven shaved off his head of hair that night, and didn't even think of what the people in school would say the next day. He also would hold his hand at the hospital bed when he would get a shot, or when his parents were too stressed out and busy to take care of him, he would make sure to brush his teeth, put on his pajamas, read him his favorite book, and tuck him into bed each night because he is so caring and loving for Jeffrey every second of the book. As you can see, even though Steven has been thrown off track with a sudden family tragedy and has to take on his own responsibilities, he still remains strong and optimistic not only for his brother, but for himself, too. That is what makes an extraordinary, inspiring character to me, which is why I would love to meet him.

Thanks for Reading!
~Katie