Defiance - William Allen White List

Usually in the summer, I try to read several books on the William Allen White Award List. I figure these are going to be the best of children's literature, and it's a great way to keep up with the newest books students will be reading. This book is the beginning of my WAW trek.

Defiance is about a young boy with cancer and the way he finds the courage to continue with treatments. Throughout the story, I found myself relating to his mother. She was very cautious about things like using sunscreen, wearing a bicycle helmet, and eating right. My own children would call me overly protective, like this same boy did. I call it being safe. I suppose this conflict between mother and child is an age old disagreement. The one difference is that this mother could not protect her child from cancer - something that many fear. This is a rather short, but compelling book.