Staring Down the Dragon

By Dorothea N. Buckingham

Book Overview

When Rell DeMello went back to Kailua High after being treated for cancer, some kids called her brave; some said she was a hero. But, Rell didn't want to be a hero, she wanted to be normal, Rell... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972457739
• ISBN13: 9780972457736
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Sydney Press, LLC
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.6" x 5.3"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

ALA 2004 Best Books for Young Adults

Best Books for Young Adults honors 84 books The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2004 annual recommended list of Best Books for Young Adults. The list was released during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, January 9-14. The 15-member committee narrowed the list from over 900 submissions to 207 official nominations meeting the criteria of both good literary quality and popular reading appeal for teens, ages 12-18. The 207 nominations alone equaled 49,119 pages of reading for this very dedicated committee. Teens attended special sessions to share their opinions with the committee at two ALA conferences and submitted their input throughout the year through committee members. The 84 winning titles make up an extremely diverse list that includes graphic novels, adult books, and books from small presses. Science fiction and fantasy titles are prominently featured, and many high-quality, appealing nonfiction titles round out the list. For more information, contact the YALSA office by phone at 800-545-2433 x 4390 or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org . Buckingham, Dorothea N. - Staring Down the Dragon, Sydney Press, ISBNpbk. 0-9724577-3-9, 2003, $10.95

Richie's Picks: STARING DOWN THE DRAGON

Cancer scares me. Shari and I have both lost our moms to It during the past five years. Everyone, from rock stars to relatives, old friends to infamous assassins get It. Sometimes, even kids. "All I wanted to do was sneak back to my old desk and pretend that nothing had ever happened."Going back to school after being treated for cancer wasn't like the first day after summer vacation. I didn't think any teachers would ask me to write an essay on what I did on my chemotherapy vacation." Hawaiian teenager Rell DeMello has survived It. Across the ocean in the San Francisco hospital where she'd lived and had been treated over the past year, there are kids--including Rell's best friend--who are dying from It. But Rell is counting the eyelashes which have grown back, adjusting her wig, and returning to the high school where everyone knows what she has been up to since leaving unexpectedly. " 'Good luck, Sweetheart,' Mom yelled from the car."I looked back. She waved and threw me a kiss like she was the grand marshall of the Mother Love Parade." 'Smile, Rell,' I told myself. 'Just smile.'Kailua High School's two-story building looked like a towering castle. I climbed the steps, working my way through swarms of kids getting in a last blast of a CD or a last grinding kiss. I hugged my backpack to my chest to keep anyone from bumping into me."It was like they were in a fast-forward video and I was in slow motion. I got to the door, put my hand on the handle, turned and walked down the steps and straight to McDonald's, where I spent the rest of the day." In a world of friends and boys and papers due Thursday, Rell is dealing with thoughts and feelings that her Hawaiian friends just cannot understand, powerful dreams that she dare not share with them, and the fear that It will show up again, or will soon kill L.B. back in San Francisco. "...And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able..." Another complication of Rell's moving forward is the fact that: "I was an only child--the only one who could be blamed for drawing cows on the wall or feeding peanut butter to the dog. No brothers, no sisters, no one to distract Mom and Dad from me or my cancer." This makes things even worse for Rell when her mom becomes a control freak and her dad fruitlessly demands that assurance that his kid won't have to face It again. " 'Tell her, David,' Mom said."Dad turned down the stove and put the spatula down. 'Your mother read about a veterinarian who quit taking care of dogs because he had Hodgkin's disease.'" 'So?'" 'Having a dog may be a serious health risk for you.' He sounded apologetic." 'You must be kidding?' I turned to Mom." 'Rell, you have to be aware of the risks,' Mom said." 'I cannot believe this.' I looked to Dad for help." 'Hear your mother out on this, Rell,' he said."I threw my hands up in the air." 'Dogs carry a virus,' she said. 'It's the virus that's the concern. It can kill you,' Mom said." 'Bacon can kill me. Eggs can kill me.'" 'Rell, you d

Oahu Island News Review

Book Review - Staring Down the DragonBy: Randolph GiudiceOahu Island News And now a confession from the reviewer: My mom died from lung cancer when I was only nine years old. She led a healthy life, no smoking, no drinking; but at the age of forty-seven there she was, rationing out Clark bars on Halloween, from a hospital bed we had set up in our living room. This is how it happened. One day my mom sneezed and fell down a flight of stairs. A doctor gave her an X-Ray, and discovered a tumor - like a teakettle she left boiling too long on the stove - sitting on her lung. A year later she was gone. For some people, cancer is not a choice, but a way of life. For Rell De-Mello, the feisty Kailua High School sophomore in Dorothea Buckingham's Staring Down the Dragon, it's an end-less supply of embarrassing moments. A glowing example of "successful" cancer treatment, Rell spends what should be her first day back at school, hiding out in McDonalds. Concealing her bald head under a wig, Rell has lost her eyelashes, her eyebrows, and as far as she's concerned, her future dating prospects. Even Rell's reliable 34 B chest has taken a vacation after chemotherapy for Hodgkin's' Disease. At school, people treat her like a star. She walks into a standing ovation in English class, gets special treatment from teachers, and Wanda Yamanaka wants her to write an inspirational piece for the school paper on "what it was like to almost die." But Rell knows what people really want to hear: "Once upon a time Estrella DeMello had cancer, and she lived happily ever after". Like most girls in Hawaii, Rell dreams of handsome surfers and limbo parties with "six-foot-three lifeguards pouring pina coladas down her throat". But sun-screen, therapy sessions, blood tests, and endless precautions - like making sure her dog doesn't make her sick - won't allow her to forget that she's different. Even her best friend Emi calls her the "Cancer Queen" when her disease threatens to overwhelm their friendship. The only person Rell feels safe with is LB, her old roomie from Stanhope Hospital. But LB's leukemia may make that Grand Canyon trip they've been planning a thing of the past. It's only when Rell meets Nate Lee, a handsome junior with a secret of his own, that Rell decides to let somebody in. With love and understanding, Nate shows her that cancer doesn't have to take over her life. Novels about illness usually have their work cut out for them, and as great as these books may be, their subject matter alone gives you the awkward feeling of waiting for test results. But Dragon is first and foremost about being a teenager, and Buckinghamcaptures the essence of high school experience. Like the best teen novels, Staring Down the Dragon is great because it's honest. Rell doesn't teach us to live every moment as if it's our last. She acts like the rest of us: scared, uncertain, and looking for answers. Cancer survivors don't feel quite like anybody else, and Dorothea Buckingham lends Rell

Honolulu Star Bulletin

The slim-novel equivalent of a well-meaning afterschool special, this story of a Kailua High cancer survivor is told with economy and grace. Young adults and teens will find it hard to put down.

A Compassionate and Enjoyable Read

Being a teenager is difficult enough, but when you're recovering from cancer it's worse. Estrella "Rell" DeMello is returning to Kailua High School after having left to undergo a treatment program for cancer. Now in remission, Rell has to contend with everyone knowing that she truly is "different" and as well deal with the constant threat of a relapse. While Rell would like to pretend that she is just a normal teen, she must adjust from a life where her illness was always her family's focus. Rell copes through this and the traumas of just being a teenager by relying on her sardonic sense of humor, her best friend Emi, and the support of her family. Taking place on the island of Oahu, Buckingham does an exemplary job conveying the flavors and people of Hawaii. In Rell she has created a character who speaks with the authentic voice of a teenager, at times childish and at other times painfully mature. Although suffering from a cruel illness, Rell's sharp wit and strength make her a very likeable and admirable character.This is a wonderfully entertaining read that isn't just a "cancer book." All teens will be able to relate with Rell's dealings with the popular girls, monstrous teachers, and the chance at a new romance. Parents as well will be able to sympathize with Rell's mother, a woman who feels unbearably guilty for not protecting Rell from the illness and yet who must also learn to let Rell grow up on her own. Anyone whose family has been touched by cancer or who has even just been a teenager will find comfort and joy in this novel.