Shortlisted for the Spread the Word : Books to Talk About 2008.
An incredibly moving and uplifting novel. Get the tissues out for this one. You will find yourself wanting to race through it in the hope that somehow that will change the inevitable outcome. Tessa tells her story with a matter-of-fact tone that keeps the book from being over sentimental, there is laughter and there are tears and there is a very positive message. Highly recommended.
Tessa has just a few months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, she compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up.
Jenny Downham was an actress for many years before concentrating on her writing full-time. She lives in London with her two sons. Her book Before I Die was critically acclaimed and was short listed for the 2007 Guardian Award and the 2008 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year, nominated for the 2008 Carnegie Medal and the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize, and won the 2008 Branford Boase Award.
Get to know Jenny more by watching her 30 second interview.