Zac and Mia

At nearly 18, Zac is too old for the pediatric oncology ward, but far younger than the rest of the patients in the adult ward. So when a teenage girl turns up next door, it’s a big deal. Outside the hospital, beautiful Mia would never have noticed Zac, but not only does Zac know the ward, he also knows cancer’s existential terrors and daily discomforts. The two start by tapping on their shared wall, move to Facebook conversations, and eventually meet. Aside from its Australian setting (Zac’s family runs an olive farm/petting zoo that’s conveniently on Mia’s bus route when she runs away), this is familiar territory. Betts portrays cancer as hard, scary, and isolating, but beatable—or at least bearable—if one isn’t facing it alone, and her depiction of a boy trying to hold onto normal life and a girl realizing she can’t keep hers from changing has power. Mia’s odds may be better than Zac’s are (Zac knows: he’s Googled it), but in the end, both are better off for having taken a chance on the other. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)