1. The news : A hunch ; Why your parents told you the way they did ; Why you reacted the way you did ; A charged word -- 2. Cancer 101 : The big question marks ; Treatments and their side effects ; The cure: why isn't there one yet? ; True or false ; Tell me more! -- 3. Let's talk: how to keep your family communication lines wide open : How much do you want to know? ; What if you're out of the loop? ; Reality check: how far in the know can you go? ; How to keep talking--even if it's in writing -- 4. How things will change during cancer : Teenage change is normal! ; Cancer sneaking up on you ; Changes to expect ; Changes in your parent ; Siblings -- 5. Parentification : How it happens ; Catching a break ; Silence isn't golden ; The big picture -- 6. Dealing with stress : How to beat the cancer blues ; Exploring the options -- 7. Risky business : Former bad boys: Gary and Jose turn it around ; Former bad girls: true confessions -- 8. The power (and the limits) of optimism and faith : Think positive ; Faith and spirituality -- 9. The benefit of friends : What you do (and don't) want from your friends ; Girls are from Mercury, boys are from Neptune ; Accepting help ; Have fun with your friends if you can ; But can they still come over? ; Social networks: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and more ; Dealing with friend problems ; New friends -- 10. School daze : School = more stress or a place to escape? ; To announce or not to announce ; Telling the school ; How the school can help ; Dilemmas, dilemmas ; Keeping grades up ; The need to achieve ; Pulling a Bueller -- 11. Seeking support : The adult who knows you ; Seeing a therapist ; Group support -- 12. Facing a dire prognosis : Facing the news ; How long do we have? ; When the bad news isn't all bad ; Find hope when things seem hopeless ; Living for the moment ; A different kind of hope ; What if you feel closer to the parent with cancer? ; Avoidance ; Making memories -- 13. Losing a parent to cancer : A dictionary of emotions ; Mourning doesn't come with an expiration date ; All kinds of questions ; Life goes on ; Dealing with your emotions ; School can be a comfort--or a pain ; Music can make it better ; Staying connected -- 14. The new normal: life after cancer : What happens now? ; New normal hiccups and surprises ; Struggling in the aftermath ; Becoming a activist ; Same old you ; Silver linings -- Appendices: A. The camp for kids coping with a parent's cancer ; B. In their own words ; C. The parents' guide ; D. Resources.

Collects stories and advice from over one hundred teens who have dealt with a parent battling cancer.

Grade 9 to 12.

Grade 9 to 12.