From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-In first-person free verse, John tells what he loves most: setting up and toppling his huge collection of dominoes. While his sister, Tess, and some of his classmates mock his hobby, he has unflappable confidence and takes it all in stride. "Maybe I'm not normal/but I'm happy./If Tess is normal,/then that's something I don't want to be." What helps is his solid, loyal group of close friends, including his very best bud. But then Dominic gets sick. John takes readers with him emotionally while he waits and finally learns that Dominic has cancer. Although John's social environment at school sometimes feels a bit contrived, his struggle to navigate fifth grade, be a supportive friend, and cope with the possibility of loss are authentic and tangible. Ultimately he and his friends and the rest of their class come together in a special way that allows them to see one another more clearly and to support Dominic, whose fate is unknown but hopeful. Peppered with black-and-white illustrations, this story presents an accessible look at serious illness and classroom dynamics.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

John, who narrates this novel in verse, is your typical fifth-grader except for his fascination with setting up curving rows of dominoes, tipping the first one, and watching them topple. He’s part of a tight group of five buddies in his class, including his best friend since kindergarten, Dominick. Shaken by the news that Dom has cancer, John and his friends try to deal with it and find a way to support Dom when he returns to school. Originally published in Australia, the story tackles a tough subject in an approachable manner. John makes an appealing narrator, caught up in his own concerns and expressing himself in age-appropriate ways. Though quick to read, the book manages to say quite a bit about people’s reactions to serious illness. Attractive ink-and-watercolor illustrations, reproduced in gray scale, appear throughout the book, and the 10 chapters are numbered visually with domino tiles. A short chapter book with plenty of potential for discussion. Grades 3-5. --Carolyn Phelan

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