These links show the original reading lists. Inclusion is not a guarantee of suitability for your child.
Morris Gleitzman - Author
This is an emotionally serious but often humorous story about a child trying to solve an illness he cannot control. Its interest lies in Colin’s urgency, bold schemes and changing understanding of help, responsibility and loss.
IllnessThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.AgencyThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.GriefThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.
Consider
Grief and lossDiscrimination or prejudiceViolence and harm
Personalised Fit
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Colin tries to obtain better medical help for Luke and pursues increasingly ambitious plans when he cannot accept the situation.MixedMixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.Mixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.
How the book presents it: His determination is treated compassionately, but his anger, damage to property and risky actions have consequences. The book appears interested in both the love behind his behaviour and its limits.
Talk about: If Colin cannot change the medical outcome, what forms of help remain possible to him?
Compassion across different experiences
Colin meets Ted, whose partner Griff has AIDS-related cancer, and helps reconnect them while dealing with his own family crisis.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: Ted is described as warm and open, and Colin’s practical care for Ted and Griff is presented as meaningful.
Talk about: What helps Colin recognise another person’s pain without treating it as identical to his own?
Prejudice and dignity
Ted is attacked because he is gay, while his relationship with Griff is presented as part of the illness and hospital storyline.CriticalCritical: the book challenges or disapproves of this theme.Critical: the book challenges or disapproves of this theme.
How the book presents it: The attack is presented as harm, while Ted is characterised warmly and openly. This supports a critical treatment of prejudice, though the full narrative framing is not available.
Talk about: How does the story show the difference between other people’s prejudice and Ted’s own understanding of his relationship and circumstances?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
It may offer a useful way to discuss how fear and grief can drive determined behaviour, while showing that compassion can extend beyond one family’s immediate crisis. The story also brings illness and prejudice into the same moral landscape.
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What Deserves Attention
Be ready for cancer, terminal illness, AIDS-related cancer, bereavement, injury following an attack motivated by homophobia, risky escape plans, property damage and conflict with adults. The treatment combines painful events with warmth and humour.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How does Colin’s idea of helping change when he meets people whose experiences are different from his own, and what might the story suggest about acting on strong feelings before understanding the consequences?
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Reading Approach
Consider reading alongside the child, pausing after major discoveries about illness, prejudice or loss. Invite questions without promising easy answers, and distinguish Colin’s understandable feelings from the safety or fairness of his actions.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Trying to control an uncontrollable illness: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Compassion across different experiences: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Prejudice and dignity: The available plot account does not show the language, perspective or aftermath surrounding the attack in full.
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