How to Live on the Edge by Sarah Lynn Scheerger
on August 4, 2020
ISBN: 1541578899
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Teens Cayenne and Saffron lost their mother as toddlers to what seems like a family curse that doesn’t allow women to live past the age of 37.  Knowing this has taken the sisters down two different paths.  Saffron is all about safety and order and being educated on the options.  Cayenne is all about taking risks and testing death by jumping off cliffs and dodging trains.  Their aunt, having tested positive for the BRCA breast cancer gene, decides to get a preventative mastectomy, which brings the subject to the forefront for the girls.  They also discover a journal and videos from their dead mother which brings even more perspective to their lives.  The essential question here is how to live with so much uncertainty and dread.  The author splits the narrative between the normal issues for teens (friends, boys, etc.) and specific information regarding the potential for breast cancer and the issues surrounding that.  Focusing more on one or the other would attract more readers. Most likely of interest mostly to those with some knowledge or experience with breast cancer. Back matter does include a list of resources.  Best for ages 14+.

Reviewed by  Kara Reiman, Maine State Library