Paper cranes don't fly by Peter Vu

Ford Street Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925272765
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Knowing someone with a terminal illness can be a challenge at any age. But when it's your best friend and you're just finishing high school? It can change everything.
Adam has been sick ever since he was little. A benign brain tumour- but a tumour none-the-less. At any point it could become cancerous and there is only so much that the doctors can do. But Adam isn't just the sick kid at school. He is best friends with Tess and Ambrose - a friendship that was strong enough to last from day one, survive the diagnosis, and resist crumbling when Adam attended a different high school. Together they are invincible. Adam is invincible. But their greatest challenge is yet to come. Adam is readmitted to hospital during exam season. Another surgery. Routine. During this time he also makes another friend, a fellow patient by the name of Rachael who could almost compete with Tess and Ambrose for his affection. Hospital days are slow days, yet between Rachael, Tess, and Ambrose, Adam is kept busy. Despite his cancer Adam seems to be doing well. He is lucky to have such strong friendships and his family's support. As it must, disaster strikes and Adam and his friends must come to terms with what his illness means.
This is a very powerful novel. Vu gives us some important life lessons about love, friendship, and appreciating the day to day. I would highly recommend for people fifteen and up, however, the subject matter may be distressing and the book will probably break your heart.
Kayla Gaskell, 21