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Summary
Summary
A cancer survivor must readjust to "normal" middle school life in this hopeful novel from the author of Star-Crossed and Truth or Dare .
Norah Levy has just completed two years of treatment for leukemia and is ready to go back to the "real world" of middle school. She knows it'll be tricky--but like the Greek mythological characters she read about while she was sick, Norah's up for any challenge.
But seventh grade turns out to be trickier than she thought. Norah's classmates don't know what to make of her. Her best friend, Harper, tries to be there for her, but she doesn't get it , really--and is hanging out with a new group of girls. Norah's other good friend, Silas, is avoiding her. What's that about, anyway?
When Norah is placed with the eighth graders for math and science she meets Griffin, a cute boy who encourages her love of Greek mythology and art. And Norah decides not to tell him her secret--that she was "that girl" who had cancer. But when something happens to make secret-keeping impossible, Norah must figure out a way to share her cancer story.
But how do you explain something to others that you can't explain to yourself? Can Nora take her cue from her favorite Greek myth? And then, once she finds the words, can she move forward with a whole new 'normal'?
Author Notes
Barbara Dee is the author of fourteen middle grade novels including Unstuck , Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet , Violets Are Blue , My Life in the Fish Tank , Maybe He Just Likes You , Everything I Know About You , Halfway Normal , and Star-Crossed . Her books have earned several starred reviews and have been named to many best-of lists, including The Washington Post 's Best Children's Books, the ALA Notable Children's Books, the ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List, the NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten. Barbara lives with her family, including a naughty cat named Luna and a sweet rescue hound named Ripley, in Westchester County, New York.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Dee (Star-Crossed) traces the trials of a pediatric cancer patient who returns to middle school after a two-year absence. Norah Levy, a seventh grader, has recently completed treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and is allowed to resume her "normal" life. Norah excelled with her tutor and fellow cancer survivor, Ayesha, so she's invited to take eighth grade math and science. New student Griffin seems interested in Norah; she'd like for him to notice her Greek mythology knowledge or drawing talents, and not as "Cancer Girl." But Norah's parents are nervous about her overdoing it, so they create rules meant to help her rest and continue progressing-rules that inhibit her social life. Meanwhile, Norah's seventh-grade friends have mixed (and occasionally negative) reactions to her return to their suburban New York City school. Griffin is a bit too perceptive, Norah's best friend Harper unfailingly patient, and Norah herself jarringly hypercritical, even if her resentments are understandable. Still, Dee realistically explores the varied emotions of maturing middle-school students, as well as the way Norah feels singled out and patronized by classmates and adults alike. Ages 9-13. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
After two years of hospitalization, Norah begins middle school as a leukemia survivor. She wants to be a regular seventh grader--maybe join art club and have a crush on a boy--but her protective parents and the unwelcome attention from kids and teachers make normalcy difficult. Norah's voice is fresh and distinctive as she faces her new reality with a sense of humor. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Norah has lost two years of school to a battle against archvillain Lou Kemia, her vision of acute lymphoblastic leukemia personified. Now she's rejoining her class as they begin seventh grade, but social alliances have reformed during Norah's absence. Compounding the problem, because of the academic progress she made with her tutor, Norah is placed in eighth grade math and science, where she quickly bonds with a cute new kid, Griffin. Meanwhile, Norah's concerned parents remain deeply involved in monitoring her daily life, which becomes problematic as Norah needs space to navigate the ordinary challenges of seventh grade, such as mean girls, baffling boys, and clueless adults. The authenticity of Norah's story can be credited to the author's own experience as the mother of a cancer patient. But this is not a book about cancer; rather, it's about the process of moving forward in its wake. Readers who appreciate well-wrought portrayals of transformative middle-school experiences, such as Rebecca Stead's Goodbye Stranger (2015), will find a story in a similar spirit here.--Colson, Diane Copyright 2017 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--The print version of Halfway Normal was published in 2017 and is as relevant now as it was then. Norah has been successfully fighting leukemia and is poised to join her seventh grade classmates at school after a two-year absence. Middle school can be tough in the best of circumstances, and Norah finds her adjustment rougher than anticipated. She rages against her divorced parents' rules, finds established friendships shifting, falls for a new student, and experiences the requisite middle school insecurities and drama. She just wants to be treated normally and hates being faced with acknowledgment of her illness and her limitations. As Norah comes to terms with her life-changing cancer experience, the novel ends on a hopeful note of self-acceptance. Kim Mai Guest narrates in a very youthful voice in the first person, expressively revealing Norah's thoughts and feelings of angst. VERDICT Guest's engaging treatment of what could have been a grim subject makes this a perfect choice for middle grade listeners and middle school libraries.--Julie Paladino, formerly with East Chapel Hill H.S., NC
Kirkus Review
Norah Levy is 12 and entering seventh grade, but she hasn't been in school for the past two years: she's been busy fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and now she's figuring out how to re-enter the "normal" world. Norah has difficulty making the transition from cancer patient to normal middle schooler. Everyone in her grade knows her as "The Girl Who," and Norah is tired of people treating her differently. She makes a new friend, Griffin, who shares her taste in books and mythical creatures. But she's doing everything in her power to avoid telling him about her cancer or talking about cancer with anyone at school. She doesn't even explain things to her best friend. Readers will feel with her as Norah struggles with how, when, and to whom she should tell her storyif at all. The moment that really sings is when Norah realizes that there are some life experiences that change you forever, and that's not always a bad thing. Dee, whose acknowledgments hint at family experience with childhood cancer, does an exceptional job accurately depicting Norah's struggles in a way that is translatable to those with varied understanding of illness. Norah and Griffin are white, but their school appears to be a fairly diverse one, mostly conveyed through naming conventions. A powerful story not only about illness, but about accepting yourself for who you areno matter the experiences that shaped you. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.