What This Book Is About
Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk, who goes by Ana, is twelve and a half, and she is dying of cancer. She narrates the last year of her life herself, with fury and with jokes: the absurdity of being twelve and dying, her family, her imaginary best friend Al, and the daily insults of a classmate, Alyssa Anderson, whom Ana calls "Queen Mean." There are a few things she wants to do before she dies.
The title is a figure for leaving life, not an actual shop. It is Maryam Master's first novel, and it moves between life and death, kindness and cruelty, the ordinary and the extraordinary. It is short, and it does not soften what is happening to Ana.
Available at Popular bookstores, Kinokuniya, and the Singapore National Library.
Why UWC Chose This Book
Ana's story asks something unusual of a twelve-year-old reader: to stay with a narrator whose situation is not going to be fixed. The book does not use her illness to teach a lesson, and it does not ask the reader to be brave on her behalf. For a class that talks often about empathy, that is a harder and more honest exercise than sympathy.
It is also a short book with a very strong narrating voice, which makes it a good entry point for students reading in English as an additional language. Ana jokes her way through much of it, and the humour carries readers through material they might otherwise avoid.
Reading Level Guide
Accessible at strong A2. A short book in a plain, first-person voice.
Perfect difficulty. The language is straightforward; the subject is what makes it demanding.
An easy read at B2. Consider Refugee or The Giver for more complexity.
Other UWC Recommended Books for This Grade
Not sure if this book is right for your child? Take our free 30-minute English assessment to find their CEFR level, then choose books that match.