Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie – Jordan Sonnenblick

Thirteen-year-old Steven Alper has a pretty normal life. He plays drums in his school’s jazz band, has a crush on the prettiest girl in the eighth grade, and spends a lot of time being annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey, who has a talent for getting into his stuff and embarrassing him. Then, one day, everything changes. Jeffrey falls ill and is diagnosed with leukemia.

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, the acclaimed debut novel by Jordan Sonnenblick, follows Steven through the difficult months that follow. As his parents focus on Jeffrey’s treatment, with frequent hospital visits and mounting medical bills, Steven feels lost and invisible. He tries to keep his brother’s illness a secret at school, struggles with his grades, worries about the future and wrestles with feelings of anger, guilt and fear.

Through it all, Steven finds ways to cope, with the help of his drumming, his friends and some unexpected allies, and he gradually learns how much his little brother means to him. His journey shows the strain a serious illness places on an entire family, and the strength they can find in one another.

Despite its serious subject, the novel is full of humor, warmth and honesty, told in Steven’s funny, believable voice that has resonated with readers of all ages.

Moving, funny and hopeful, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie is a wonderful novel for middle grade and teen readers, and for families dealing with illness. Its theme of childhood cancer may be emotional for some readers.