Before I Die
by Jenny Downham
"'It's really going to happen. They said it would, but this is quicker than anyone thought.'
Sixteen-year-old Tessa is going to die. And she's made a list of ten things she wants to do in the time she has left. But getting what you want isn't easy. And getting what you want doesn't always give you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important. Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous - this extraordinary novel celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it's really like to die."
Before I Die is a book that makes you think life over again. How precious it can be.
Tessa Scott is going to die and she knows it. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was twelve, just after her parents had divorced. Her friend, Zoey, helps Tessa create a bucket list of ten things she wants to do before she dies, from fame to getting her parents back together. Tessa didn't expect to fall in love but the boy next door, Adam, always made her feel better. A lot of things Tessa wants is out of her reach but even though, it doesn't stop her from trying.
Zoey Walker is Tessa's best friend. She is outgoing and courageous. At first Zoey really wanted to help Tessa complete her list but sometime along the way things change. Zoey was the only person from Tessa's school who isn't afraid of her illness. She the only person who walks down the street as if muggings never happen, as if people never get stabbed, buses never mount pavements and illness never strikes.
Cal Scott is Tessa's younger brother. He seems to like to annoy and irritate Tessa but deep down he really loves her. Cal is constantly learning new magic tricks and enjoys showing them to their family. He and Adam got along well together.
Adam is the boy next door. He was a couple years older than Tessa and at first there was nothing between them but them their relationship bloomed. Adam didn't care that Tessa had cancer. He loved her. Sometimes they would go out on his motorbike to their place in the forest. During Tessa's last few days Adam promised he wouldn't leave her. He was there until the end.
Philippa became the nurse that visited Tessa at home sometimes. She and Tessa sometimes talked about things that weren't relevant to the reason why she was there. It was said that she had a husband named Andy. On Philippa's first visit Tessa didn't seem to like Philippa but later on she actually wrote that she wanted Philippa to go to her funeral.
Tessa's parents divorced when Tessa was twelve. Her mother left a wealthy family to marry her father but left him because she wanted to travel. Her father gave up his job as a financial adviser to care for Tessa. Tessa's mother didn't come back until Tessa was thirteen but she bought an apartment and stayed there. It wasn't until further in the book where her parents seemed to get back together.
Tessa had decided to give up chemo and treatment. It wasn't until after she found out she had peripheral disease that she decided that she's not going back to the hospital, that she's finished with all the doctors, needles, blood tests and transfusions. During Tessa's last days her thoughts came across to me as random. Her mind focuses on whats around her. Thoughts of when she was younger. Some of her thoughts don't make sense but she hears the people she loves, who love her. The ending did make me cry but I am not ashamed of that. It was sad and it does make you think twice about life.
Tessa Scott is going to die and she knows it. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was twelve, just after her parents had divorced. Her friend, Zoey, helps Tessa create a bucket list of ten things she wants to do before she dies, from fame to getting her parents back together. Tessa didn't expect to fall in love but the boy next door, Adam, always made her feel better. A lot of things Tessa wants is out of her reach but even though, it doesn't stop her from trying.
Zoey Walker is Tessa's best friend. She is outgoing and courageous. At first Zoey really wanted to help Tessa complete her list but sometime along the way things change. Zoey was the only person from Tessa's school who isn't afraid of her illness. She the only person who walks down the street as if muggings never happen, as if people never get stabbed, buses never mount pavements and illness never strikes.
Cal Scott is Tessa's younger brother. He seems to like to annoy and irritate Tessa but deep down he really loves her. Cal is constantly learning new magic tricks and enjoys showing them to their family. He and Adam got along well together.
Adam is the boy next door. He was a couple years older than Tessa and at first there was nothing between them but them their relationship bloomed. Adam didn't care that Tessa had cancer. He loved her. Sometimes they would go out on his motorbike to their place in the forest. During Tessa's last few days Adam promised he wouldn't leave her. He was there until the end.
Philippa became the nurse that visited Tessa at home sometimes. She and Tessa sometimes talked about things that weren't relevant to the reason why she was there. It was said that she had a husband named Andy. On Philippa's first visit Tessa didn't seem to like Philippa but later on she actually wrote that she wanted Philippa to go to her funeral.
Tessa's parents divorced when Tessa was twelve. Her mother left a wealthy family to marry her father but left him because she wanted to travel. Her father gave up his job as a financial adviser to care for Tessa. Tessa's mother didn't come back until Tessa was thirteen but she bought an apartment and stayed there. It wasn't until further in the book where her parents seemed to get back together.
