Goodbye Tomorrow

Miklowitz (Secrets Not Meant to Be Kept, etc.) continues to write novels with stories right out of the headlines. Here her subject is AIDS, and she tells a compelling story while presenting the facts about the fatal illness. High school junior Alex has everything going for him: he's on the swim team, a good student, handsome and has a loving girlfriend, Shannon. Following a car crash, his life was saved by blood transfusions; ironically, those transfusions have given him AIDS-Related Complex. And suddenly, every aspect of his life changes: he and Shannon break up, he's temporarily suspended from school, his friends shun him, and even his sister doesn't want to touch his dinner dishes. Alex feels like a time bomb and doesn't know what plans to make for his futureor whether he even has one. This riveting book well deserves to be put on students' required reading lists. Ages 12-up. (May)