Sarah Benwell

The Last Leaves Falling Sarah Benwell

Marc Notes: In Japan, teenaged Abe Sora, who is afflicted with Lou Gehrig's Disease, finds friends online and elicits their help to end his suffering. Publisher Marketing: A teen grapples with ALS and his decision to die in this devastatingly beautiful debut novel infused with the haunting grace of samurai death poetry and the noble importance of friendship. Abe Sora is going to die, and he's only seventeen years old. Diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), he's already lost the use of his legs, which means he can no longer attend school. Seeking a sense of normality, Sora visits teen chat rooms online and finally finds what he's been longing for: friendship without pity. As much as he loves his new friends, he can't ignore what's ahead. He's beginning to lose the function of his hands, and soon he'll become even more of a burden to his mother. Inspired by the death poems of the legendary Japanese warriors known as samurai, Sora makes the decision to leave life on his own terms. And he needs his friends to help him. Review Citations: Booklist 02/15/2015 pg. 82 (EAN 9781481430654, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2015 (EAN 9781481430654, Hardcover) School Library Journal 03/01/2015 pg. 149 (EAN 9781481430654, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Publishers Weekly 04/27/2015 (EAN 9781481430654, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2015 pg. 105 (EAN 9781481430654, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Contributor Bio:  Benwell, Sarah Sarah Benwell lives in the picturesque English city of Bath, where she studied for an MA in Writing For Young People. Now she writes, runs creative writing workshops for teens and adults, such as the Young Writers Squad at Trowbridge Library where she's also a writer in residence, and works retail at unsociable hours. Having seen a good chunk of the world, Sarah is a keen advocate for diversity in life and on bookshelves, and she loves nothing more than acquainting herself with both. As such, she co-runs DiversifYA.com: an online space that highlights diverse experience and promotes inclusion in YA fiction.