Finn is a fourteen-year-old
boy who intends to spend his summer speaking to as few people as possible, and
reading as many novels as possible. That is until Johanna moves in next door.
She is a 25-year-old currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her
upbeat personality slowly chips away at Finns shell, and it doesn’t help that
his dog Dylan absolutely loves her. Finn and his friend Matthew embark on a
plan to raise money so that Johanna can compete in a race. Through this, Finn
ultimately loses his initial summer intention and talks to over 100 people, and
finds that helping Johanna through her treatment is actually helping him.
This isn’t a depressing,
breast cancer novel. It is however a tale of passion for life, and making sure
to see the positives everywhere. Gary Paulsen does a wonderful job taking a
typically female theme, and making it applicable across all genders.
Chapter 2: Adolescent
Development
One of Havinghurst’s Theories of Developmental Tasks is developing healthy relationships
with peers. Finn is a loner, but develops a strong and healthy relationship
with Johanna. All readers can learn from Finn and Johanna’s relationship, that
despite age, health, and any other factor, you can rise above it and learn more
about yourself than you ever knew possible.
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