Summer is over and Jamon is resisting the beginning of his fifth grade year. Always in charge at home, and a strong leader with friends, he often finds himself in trouble at school, Andrew is Jamon's conscience and best friend, but finds himself unable to steer his unruly counterpart toward better choices. Ms. Hansen, their older and wiser teacher, is known throughout the school for her strong disciplinary procedures. Always in charge at home and a strong leader with friends, she is in control of her life and often uses the idiom, 'turning a new leaf', to symbolize and elicit changes in the behaviors of her students. But this year, there is a greater challenge. A month before school begins, she discovers breast cancer. Always upbeat, she believes that simple surgery will solve the problem. When it does not, she is faced with a plethora of treatments including surgeries, chemo, and radiation in a world unknown to her. Unwilling to completely give up teaching, she often returns to her worried students, including them in her vast and complicated experience. Jamon, still fighting the system, gradually learns the realities of choice and accountability and begins a transformation as Ms. Hansen outlines the rules for his success. For the first time in his life, he finds himself caring about someone besides himself, and gains respect for his courageous teacher as her journey parallels his own. . Finding strength from each other, they eventually both 'turn a new leaf'. This heartfelt story reveals the power of changing your heart and coming together in a common cause. All ages will relate to cancer explained on a child's level, while shedding light on a hard topic.
About the Author: Dianne Williams McKee was raised on a cattle ranch in southeastern Idaho in a little community called Cherry Creek. Moving to Utah, she received her education and became a teacher in the public school system. She left the profession to raise her family of five sons and one daughter, but for twenty-five years, found time to sing throughout the world with the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir. After returning to the classroom, she experienced breast cancer and realized there was a story to be told. She now continues teaching and also enjoys singing, writing and cycling. But her favorite past-time is spending time with her children and grandchildren.