Living with Leukemia

From The Critics

Living with Leukemia continues the Living with . . . series, but has an added dimension not found in the other books I looked at. Inevitably, leukemia, associated with an excess of poorly formed white blood cells, has the potential for serious, even fatal, effects. In younger children, however, it has responded to many treatments and enabled patients to go into remission. Nonetheless, its malignant nature makes relapse a possibility. Young readers should have a parent guide them through this volume, even as the author very carefully describes one young girl whose treatment did not succeed and whose leukemia worsened, leading to her death. Facing this possibility has no boundaries related to age. As regards the origin of the disease, the role of electromagnetic fields was studied by the National Academy of Sciences, which noted no direct relationship from the available data. The author does a commendable job of explaining the nature of the disease and its symptoms in the types affecting the young subjects. Chemotherapy, requiring hospitalization and separation from one's family, complicates the road to remission. This is well-done book that offers aid to young readers as they grow wiser about the world they live in. (from the Living with Series.) Highly Recommended, Grades 5-6. REVIEWER: Dr. Bob Deufel (Deufel & Associates)