Publishers Weekly
★ 05/02/2016
Samantha “Sammie” McCoy, 18, has big plans: win the National Debate Championships with her friend Maddie, become class valedictorian, attend NYU and law school, and become a human rights lawyer. These plans are derailed when she’s diagnosed with Niemann-Pick, a terminal illness that will rob her of her memory and physical abilities before killing her. Through journal entries that Sammie writes to her future self, including occasional excerpts from text and email exchanges, Avery (Anything but Ordinary) crafts an emotionally charged story about a young woman who has kept her eyes trained on the future, only to learn that all she has is now. Determined to make the most of the time she has left, Sammie begins a relationship with her longtime crush and attempts to have “normal” teenage experiences like attending parties and getting drunk. Though the marketplace is crowded with stories of teens coping with serious illness, Avery’s novel stands out for its strong characters, a heartbreaking narrative that shifts to reflect Sammie’s condition, and a love story that will leave many readers in tears. Ages 15–up. Agency: Alloy Entertainment. (July)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Memory Book:* "Sammie's narrative voice is sardonic, distinctive, wildly intelligent, and sometimes hilarious...Readers will feel her mind and heart shifting with the illness. Indelible." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
* "Sammie's voice is a bright, relatable, and uncompromising one...Strengths abound in Avery's touching novel, and Sammie's relationships, both friendly and romantic, are no exception...Fans of John Green's work and Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places will be reaching for the tissue box at the book's tear-inducing end."—School Library Journal (starred review)
* "Avery (Anything but Ordinary) crafts an emotionally charged story about a young woman who has kept her eyes trained on the future, only to learn that all she has is now...Avery's novel stands out for its strong characters, a heartbreaking narrative that shifts to reflect Sammie's condition, and a love story that will leave many readers in tears."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
* "Avery brings an emotional honesty to Sammie's narrative.... Teens will be inspired by Avery's heart-rending story about a special and intelligent young woman coping with a devastating disease—a story buoyed by the strong love of family flowing through Sammie's narrative and by an exquisite love story in which Sammie experiences happiness with Coop."—VOYA (starred review)
"Avery (A Million Miles Away, 2015) balances humor and devastating sadness perfectly. Sammie's voice is sympathetic but not pitiful as she relates her hopes for the future and thoughts on the past...a story of self discovery that's hard to put down."—Booklist
"A worthy foray into the smart-dying-teen territory of John Green et al...a story that invites empathy, awareness of a tragic disease, and self-reflection for those who still have memories to make."—BCCB
"[A] heartfelt, funny and bittersweet new novel...a memorable read, indeed."—BookPage
"Things you will probably experience while reading this wonderful book: gut-wrenching hope, ugly-crying, the joy of finding beautiful moments in the midst of difficult times. Enjoy."—Adi Alsaid, author of Let's Get Lost and Never Always Sometimes
"Lara Avery's brilliant novel about a girl who learns that her life might be ending—just when it feels like it's finally getting started—will open your heart and very possibly break it. Fierce Sammie McCoy is an unforgettable heroine, and as soon as I closed this book, I started to miss her. I still do."—Emily Raymond, co-author with James Patterson First Love
"In Sammie McCoy, Avery has created a character that completely vibrates with energy. And Sammie's so wicked smart, you almost believe she will overcome everything. But that's not what this book's about. At some point possibility ceases to matter and Avery shows us to love all we already have. Such a moving read."—Geoff Herbach, author of Stupid Fast and Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders
School Library Journal
★ 06/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—Overachieving senior Sammie McCoy has her life clearly laid out. First, bring her debate team to victory at Nationals, then deliver her speech as valedictorian, and make the move to NYU to study economics and public policy before moving on to Harvard Law. Her plans get radically interrupted when she is diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C, a rare genetic disease that will initially affect her memory, rendering her vigorous studying moot, and that is ultimately fatal. Determined to fight the diagnosis, Sammie begins keeping a diary, figuring that when her memory fails her future self, she will have a way to reference her day-to-day life. Sammie's voice is a bright, relatable, and uncompromising one, and when her inevitable decline begins, readers will be surprised and pained by it, right along with the book's fiercely undeterred protagonist. Strengths abound in Avery's touching novel, and Sammie's relationships, both friendly and romantic, are no exception. Not knowing how to deal with the revelation of her illness, the teen's closest friend, Maddie, pushes her away, and the protagonist's relationships with gifted writer Stuart Shah and boy-next-door Cooper are intensified by her decline, in what feels like a genuinely complicated manner. VERDICT Fans of John Green's work and Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places will be reaching for the tissue box at the book's tear-inducing end.—Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City
