Ready to Fall

A YA novel about a teen who finds hope and a fresh start after a terrible loss, and learns that being strong means letting goFollowing the death of his mother, Max Friedman comes to believe that he is sharing his brain with a tumour; one that possesses a dark sense of humour and a relentless ability to tease. As Max becomes focused on controlling the malignant tenant, he starts to lose touch with his friends and family, and with reality itself - so Max's father sends him off to the artsy Baldwin School to regain his footing. Soon, Max has joined a group of theatre misfits in a steam-punk production of Hamlet. He befriends Fish, a girl with pink hair and a troubled past, and The Monk, a boy who refuses to let go of the things he loves. For a while, Max almost feels happy. But the tumour is always lurking in the wings - until one night it knocks him down, and Max is forced to face the truth. Ready to Fall is a funny, touching story of grief, love and the courage it takes to start afresh. 'Grief becomes something oddly beautiful and beautifully odd' Kirkus (starred review)'Rewarding and touching' Publishers Weekly (starred review)Marcella Pixley is a teacher and the author of two previous books for teens, Freak, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, and Without Tess. She lives in Westford, Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.