From Ant to Eagle

Damn it, I always try to steel myself before reading a book that I know will be sad, and yet every time - every damned time! - I end up ugly crying. I can’t help it.

So Calvin Sinclair is eleven years old and he has an adorable six-year-old brother called Sammy. It’s not a spoiler that Sammy dies - it’s literally mentioned on page one. Somehow I thought “OK, I can tough this out, I won’t cry, I’ll be strong and objective and I’ll write a nice review for the internets.”

Yeah, nope.

This book had me in a puddle. Stories about siblings always reduce me to a puddle because I have siblings. I loved reading from the perspective of the older brother because, as the youngest sibling, I have no idea what that’s like. I was on the receiving end of the torment, so I related really hard to Sammy but it was nice to see Calvin’s thought process, the reasons why he can just casually torment his brother, but at the same time love Sammy to pieces. I also really liked the relationship between Calvin and Aleta - it was sweet and felt realistic, considering these are two eleven-year-old kids trying their best to process grief.

So yeah, if you’re in the mood a weepy middle-grade, or if you’re looking for a way to introduce the grieving process to adolescent readers, then you should read this.

I don’t recommend reading it on public transit because you will cry. If you cry easy, then you will cry. Be warned.

I love everything about this book. Even though it tackles a difficult subject matter., the story draws you in and the author does a wonderful job of balancing the heavy moments with some lighthearted and tender moments as well. It leaves the reader with much to think about and is a very realistic portrayal of all of the characters in a crisis. I love Cal and that the story is told through his eyes. This is a wonderful book for both children and adults and should be a must read for anyone whose lives have been touched by cancer or any other potentially fatal disease.

Such a strong voice of a child who cares and feels deeply. The author brings the sadness of illness, and the beauty of family and friendship to life. Highly recommeneded.

This is a heartbreaking middle grade novel about six year old Sam and eleven year old Calvin. Cal's your typical tween - he wants to watch TV, ride his bike with the mysterious new girl, and avoid spending time with his little brother. He most certainly isn't concerned about Sam, who's feeling left behind yet too sick to do much about it. But when the summer ends, and Sammy is diagnosed with cancer, Cal becomes obsessed with making amends.

So many tears! I loved both boys, as well as Oliver, the Mennonite teenager who has been in the children's oncology ward for 670 days. Oliver's seen so many children come and go, and is wiser than his years. He's also a source of both practical information and comfort for Cal, whose parents are weathering through their own emotional journeys.

This was well-written and compassionate, a book delicately balanced between the realities of childhood cancer and the possibility of hope.

This book is an excellent work of realistic fiction. It portrays the relationship between siblings very well, capturing the push and pull of having a brother to play with, yet also wanting time to hang out with friends of one's own. Calvin, the older brother, is eleven and bored over summer break. His younger brother Sammy is only six and can't do many of the things Calvin can. But Calvin has created a game with challenges that he makes up and Sammy has to complete to gain a level. Sammy started at Ant level, but wants to attain Eagle just like Calvin. Even with such entertainment available, it's understandable that when Calvin makes friends with a new girl from church, he wants to have fun without Sammy around all the time. When the family realizes Sammy is very ill, then Calvin begins to feel guilty over ignoring him all summer when he wasn't busy sending him on missions like spraying a bees nest to earn another level. And Cal's friend Aleta has her own guilty feelings to deal with over something from her family's past.

The characters really come to life in this story - the older brother annoyed by a younger tag-along; the new girl who captures the boy's attention; the younger brother with a case of hero worship for his sibling; the parents stressed by their child's illness. Readers can easily picture people they know in similar situations. Who hasn't hear siblings whine, "Do I have to play with him?" And many readers have probably has the experience of meeting a new kid at school, or in the neighborhood and being intrigued by the novelty of making a new friend. The saddest part is that some readers may also have firsthand knowledge of being in the hospital with a family member who is undergoing extensive tests. The portrayal of how each person within Calvin's family deals with the stress of the medical situation is heartrendingly real and may cause some tears among readers.

Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy realistic fiction centered around family and friendship, and who don't mind some sadness and scenes that will bring out intense emotions.