Mrs. B Has Cancer, by Glynis Belec (Angel Hope Publishing, 2013)

Tristan has a bit of trouble learning in school, but his tutor, Mrs. B, makes learning fun. Now Mrs. B says she has cancer, and she won’t be able to teach him for a while.

That means less homework, which is great. It means school will get harder. Not so great. Worse still, his grandfather had cancer, and he died. Will Mrs. B die?

In this chapter book for early readers, Tristan and his friends ask a lot of questions. They also decide to do something to help: they’ll hold a “Cancel Cancer” party to raise money for research and encourage Mrs. B.

Cancer is something we don’t talk a lot about, especially to children. But when it affects a loved one, kids’ questions and reactions may be different from adults’. This story looks at the issue from a child’s-eye view and is designed to take away some of the fear.

Although Mrs. B Has Cancer is fiction, it comes out of the author’s personal journey through ovarian cancer and some of the material is drawn fairly closely from real life.

This is a book to benefit any school library or family bookshelf. No cancer in sight? So much the better. That’s a safer time to explore the subject.

Canadian author Glynis Belec has also written for adults about her cancer experience in the anthology, A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. She’s the author of the children’s picture books Jailhouse Rock and Jesus Washes Peter’s Feet, as well as a number of other anthology pieces for adults. To learn more, visit Glynis M. Belec on the web.

[Review copy provided by the author.]

Related articles

• Mrs. B. Has Cancer (review) (violetnesdoly.com)
• Mrs. B Has Cancer (stephseclecticinterests.wordpress.com)