The someday suitcase

Format:

Book

Title:

The someday suitcase

Author:

Haydu, Corey Ann author

ISBN:

9780062352750

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

New York, NY : Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2017]

Physical Description:

297 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

Clover and Danny are the kind of best friends who make each other better: Clover makes lists, and Danny makes fun. Clover is thoughtful and quiet and loves science. Danny is chatty and funny and loves art. They're so important to each other that Clover believes they're symbiotic: her favorite science word, which describes two beings who can't function without the other. But then Danny comes down with a mysterious illness that won't go away, and the doctors can't figure out what's wrong with him. So Clover decides to take matters into her own hands by making lists -- lists of Danny's symptoms, his good days, his bad days, and his moods. As the evidence piles up, only one thing becomes clear: Danny is only better when Clover is around. When they're separated, he's in danger. Clover knows they need to find a cure -- together. Will science be able to save Danny, or is this the one time when magic can overcome the unthinkable?

Reading Level:

Ages 8-12.

Subject(s):

Sick children -- Juvenile fiction.

Best friends -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship in children -- Juvenile fiction.

Sick -- Fiction.

Best friends -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Genre:

JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Friendship.

Fiction.

Juvenile works.

Romans.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN Haydu, C.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	J FICTION HAYDU	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	JF HAYDU	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Readers who loved The Thing About Jellyfish and Goodbye Stranger will find a mysterious magic and unforgettable friendship in The Someday Suitcase, written by the critically acclaimed author of Rules for Stealing Stars.

*2018 Bank Street Books Best Children's Books of the Year*

Clover and Danny are the kind of best friends who make each other even better. They're so important to each other that Clover believes they're symbiotic: her favorite science word, which describes two beings who can't function without the other. But when Danny comes down with a mysterious illness that won't go away, the doctors can't figure out what's wrong with him. So Clover decides to take matters into her own hands by making lists--list of Danny's symptoms, his good days, his bad days.

As the evidence piles up, only one thing becomes clear: Danny is only better when Clover is around.

Suddenly it feels like time is running out for Clover and Danny to do everything they've planned together--to finally see snow, to go on a trip with the suitcase they picked out together. Will science be able to save Danny, or is this the one time when magic can overcome the unthinkable

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Fifth graders Clover and Danny are best friends and have had an incredibly close bond since they were babies. Early on in the novel, Danny develops a serious illness that eludes his doctors and keeps him out of school, leaving Clover to navigate the social side of school without him. When it comes time to choose a science fair topic, Clover decides to study Danny's illness, reasoning that she knows and cares more about him than his doctors do, and slowly deduces that his condition improves when the two are together. At the same time, Clover is learning about symbiosis and thinks there may be a special link between her and Danny that eases his symptoms. Concerned that Danny's doctors aren't doing enough and that he is running out of time, Clover and Danny devise a secret plan that combines Danny's dream of seeing snow for the first time with a visit to the Somerset Clinic, a facility that specializes in a holistic approach to healing. Clover is a compassionate and reflective narrator, and readers will experience her anxiety and overwhelming need to help her friend. The parents are portrayed with refreshing honesty, as are the challenges in various relationships and friendships. While the last few chapters of the book, after Danny's death, are fragmented, they perfectly capture the unfocused feeling of grief. VERDICT Haydu does not shield readers from hard truths, creating complex characters who face difficult situations. This sensitive work will strike an emotional chord with middle -graders.-Juliet -Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

A science-class lesson on symbiosis gives Florida fifth grader Clover a perfect metaphor for describing her relationship with her best friend, Danny. After Danny develops an autoimmune disorder that leaves his health deteriorating quickly, Clover finds that her presence is the only thing that eases his symptoms. But even that becomes less effective with time. As the adults in their lives struggle to find a treatment for Danny, Clover decides to find a cure herself. She hatches a plan: the two of them will stow away on her truck-driver fathers next trip north, achieving a double goal of getting Danny to a holistic clinic in Vermont and giving the two Floridians a chance to see snow for the first time. Haydu maintains a balance between the flights of fancy of a ten-year-olds mind and the pathos of Dannys decline and Clovers grief. The supporting characters--science teacher Ms. Mendez, Clovers autistic brother Jake, a variety of classmates--are fully realized and make solid contributions to the narrative. The storys ambiguity surrounding Clovers effect on Danny, which is both real and unexplained, leaves readers to draw their own conclusions and offers plenty of room for discussion and interpretation. sarah rettger (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

If two people connect through symbiosis, what happens when one weakens?Clover and Danny, both 10 and both white, have known each other since birth. They have an unmarred record in the statue game, closing their eyes and striking the same pose; he eats her pizza toppings because she only wants sauce and crust. They're more than next-door best friendsClover believes they're literally symbiotic. Then Danny starts fainting and getting infections. Hospitalizations, specialists, and a long trek to diagnosis arc ensue. Danny has common variable immune deficiency, but it's not identified until late. With Danny out of school, there's nobody to fill in the paper outline of Clover in art classa keen symbol of his absence and her needso Clover uses her scientist's heart and acute eye for detail to do a science project on Danny himself. She identifies something that actually improves his medical symptoms: her. There's magic herein her personal contribution to his wellness, in their stowaway adventure from Florida to a last-ditch clinic in Vermont, and in Haydu's quietly superb prose. But Danny's CVID is serious and worsening, and his improvement from Clover's nearness is fading. Haydu doesn't romanticize illness, but she provides comfort through art, science, magic, love, and a purple suitcase. A sharp, clear-cut piece that knows life is beautiful and sickness isn't. (Fiction. 10-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* It seems to happen suddenly for Clover. One minute, her best friend Danny is perfectly fine, sitting next to her in their fifth-grade class, as always, and the next, he's fallen to the floor. Then come the absences from school, and the tests and lack of concrete answers from Danny's doctors. As far back as Clover can remember, she and Danny have been practically symbiotic, but is there a line between symbiotic and codependent? As Danny's unknown illness, later determined to be common variable immune deficiency, or CVID, progresses, Clover decides to use him as her science fair project. She hypothesizes that it's actually her presence that alleviates his symptoms. But what if her magic isn't enough? Haydu's second middle-grade novel is poignant and powerful. Clover's efforts to save Danny become more and more draining, robbing her of many regular childhood joys in a way that is painfully honest about the real experiences shared by friends and family of the terminally ill. The boy-girl friendship between Clover and Danny will call to mind classics like Bridge to Terabithia (1977). While a story with this subject could stray into saccharine territory, Haydu never lets it, consistently grounding us in Clover's perspective, and her hope, resilience, and belief in both science and magic ring true. A heartbreaking story about the healing power of friendship amid human fragility.--Barnes, Jennifer Copyright 2010 Booklist