The bald-headed princess : cancer, chemo, and courage /
by Maribeth R. Ditmars.
- Washington, DC : Magination Press, 2010.
- 96 pages ; 23 cm
"American Psychological Association."
With her parents by her side and new friends to tell her bad jokes, eleven-year-old "soccer princess" Izzie Salida learns to cope with her leukemia diagnosis and treatment. This short novel is fast-paced and the deadpan humour makes it an enjoyable read, regardless of whether the reader is or knows someone going through cancer treatment. It explains aspects of cancer treatment but in an entertaining way, such as Izzie learns how the IV unit will help her body but then she and and her hospital room-mate use the IV poles as scooters and tear around the oncology ward on them. They decorate their poles and give them names. The other characters, such as the hospital staff, are more than just conveyors of cancer-related information; they are individuals with quirks and personalities. Elements of the cancer experience are handled sensitively and compellingly. Izzie is vain about her hair and dreads losing it, but finds a way to prank her cousin with the hanks of hair. She occasionally worries about school and friendships, about the future beyond school and motherhood, but these are brief episodes and on the whole this book is an upbeat and entertaining read with a happy ending. Short novel, no illustrations.