ABOUT THIS BOOK

It’s the summer of 1945, and April is delighted that the war is finally over and her beloved father is home again. But she has a nagging cough and a fever, and she just can’t seem to get better. When she’s diagnosed with tuberculosis she’s in shock–all she knows about TB is that characters in novels die of it. Soon her world has changed from school and swim meets to long days of complete bed rest in a TB hospital. There she meets her roommate, the beautiful and desperately ill Nancie. There she also meets Ravi, the handsome Indian prince who begins courting her under the guise of a “literary friendship.” They share some wonderful times, but April is slowly getting sicker. There is one way out, but it is radical surgery that will leave her scarred–if she lives through it. What should she do?

This vivid depiction of romance, tragedy, and courage is based on the actual experiences of the author, who spent three years in the hospital, was courted by an Indian prince, and lost dear friends to tuberculosis.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ella Thorp Ellis is the author of eight novels for young readers.