Mother, Help Me Live

This is the only "terminal illness" Lurlene McDaniel book I've ever read; it was in my 5th grade classroom library and one of the books I picked up out of boredom.

I was pleasantly surprised by the themes and characters. Although the plot revolves around a terminally ill teenage girl searching for her biological mother (two heavy issues in one plot), it wasn't as cheesy or souped-up as I expected. The characters seemed fairly real, and the dynamics between the main character and her adoptive family in contrast to her biological mom were emotionally true and touching. So too were her feelings about her condition; not too much angsting, or at least not as much as you'd expect in a book about a dying teen girl. I also remember really liking show more boy-next-door, kinda-sorta love interest Scott; he may possibly have been one of my first fictional crushes, and I loved his compassionate loyalty to Sarah when she needed him.

The book also ended on a hopeful note, not at all what I was expecting, so that was a plus too. It wasn't fantastic, but it was quite decent to my 5th grade self. :) show less

I love this book.

This book was great! But the ending wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.

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