Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

Reviewed by Kristin

Megan can’t believe she has to be on the pediatric ward of the hospital.  After all, she is fourteen. Well, almost fourteen.  Having cancer is bad enough, but being in a ward with flying elephants on the wall makes it even worse.  The only other teenager is a rather forward boy named Jackson who seems to be loved by all the little kids, parents and nurses.  Megan just can’t stand how he is so cheerful in dealing with the fact that he is sick too.

Though Megan finds Jackson annoying, she is also drawn to him.  Even Megan’s mother is dazzled by Jackson’s appeal.  Jackson has a kind of charm and is able to convince the staff to let him wander about the hospital as he pleases.  The younger children enjoy his antics, and he is kind and comforting to them as they also face being sick in the hospital.  Megan’s friends have promised to text and to visit, but that turns out to be harder than it sounds.  Many of Megan’s friends find her illness hard to understand.  Even her best friend Gemma doesn’t quite understand what Megan is experiencing.  Megan begins to look forward to her interactions with Jackson, and finds herself missing him when he is not there.

Because the book is set in England, some of the language is slightly different.  The exclamations of “Rubbish!” and “Brilliant!” add to the flavor of the setting.

As is natural for all children and teenagers, (and perhaps any person dealing with a serious illness,) Megan is very egocentric and feels that she and her problems are the center of the universe.  Part of her growing-up process is realizing that there are others affected by her diagnosis.  Megan has the support of her mum, dad and 96-year-old grandad.  As the family is dealing with her cancer, Megan begins to see that the adults have vulnerabilities as well.  While the adults are in the background, this story focuses on Megan’s experiences.  The book does describe some of the side effects of her treatment, but it does not dwell on them.  The story is much more about the interactions between Megan and her home and hospital friends.

This is a coming-of-age book with a teenage girl going through a tougher than usual time.  Along the way she finds different friendships than she might have expected.  Because it is about young adults with cancer, this book immediately reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  Although this is a young adult book, I still found it to be a touching story that will appeal to people of all ages.  The characters remain innocent with only a touch of romance involved.  I won’t give away any huge plot twists, but I will say that this story will make you laugh and cry as the characters go through the ups and downs of illness and friendship