Before I Die: Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2008 and shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

I read this book, two or three months ago. And I have to confess that I always forget the plot in stories after reading.But this story was completely different and I remember all the things which happened in this book.The story is about a young girl who exactly knows about her death. And she aims to do what she never did before. She draws up a list with 10 things she envisage to do in the next months before she will die.I donŽt want to tell you more, you have to discover it by yourself.I didnŽt expect such a serious book about a young girl like you and me, who will die. Who knows that she will die. There is no time left to found a family or to have kids. She has no future-not because she doesnŽt want it in that way but because the destiny says it like that.While reading this book, I relearned to appreciate the life. I just thought about the fact that I donŽt have to struggle with these fearful thoughts like she does. My interpretation, what the author wanted to tell us by this story is that our life is too precious to waste time with groaning and complaining and so on.I have cried at the end. Really really cried for this end. From the beginning, you know what will happen at the end. But you just go on reading because you want to know this girl. And at the end you are really surprised by what will happen.There was just one thing which bothered me: Tessa-the protagonist- is selfish. Yes, she will die and itŽs hard to deal with it. But she is so mean to her best friend and to her parents. They do the best to help her, they support her with all their forces, although they have their own problems. And it makes me sick to read that Tessa just goes on. She never asks about her father or her best friend. She only cares about her life. About what is the rest of her life. I donŽt want to offend her or to criticise her behaviour, itŽs just, I think that people like us, we canŽt understand her and that has made me feel a little bit helpless.And that is why this book is so good: You change from one mood in another one. You just feel like you were Tessa. Like you were the one who has to deal with these thoughts.I just loved this book and his sincerity toward life and what it is worth.I recommend this book to all people who are interested in real life stories.

This is a very dangerous book. It might make you wish to die, too, so you can live before you die as intensively as 16-year-old Tessa does during her last months. Yes, it is a book about the death of a teenager and so it is a hard book to read, but it also is a book about life itself. About the things that make life really worthwile like mango juice. It is a book that teaches the reader to live every day to the brim and therefore should be read carefully, in deep sips and with respect and reverence to all people in real life to whom all the things Tessa deals with are not just a story but reality. Highly recommended.