00002413

{spoiler warning}

I'm really on the fence about how to rate/review this book. It's an awesome book, don't get me wrong. But the ending was a letdown, and that kind of threw me off, because I really get built up for good/interesting/surprising endings.
The BSC decides to spend an entire month doing volunteer work, cutting back on babysitting in the meantime. All members do something different... Claudia helps with an art class, Kristy helps at a daycare (and falls in love with the babies).... And Jessi becomes a helper at the Kids Can Do Anything Club at her younger sister's school. She meets Danielle, a nine-year-old club member who just got out of the hospital after a long stay because of leukemia. Danielle is still sick, but puts on a brave face and immediately makes tons of friends in the club, including Becca and Jessi. Jessi wants to do something special for Danielle, and ends up helping get her wish granted to go to Disneyworld.
This is a wonderful book with a VERY strong message and some very, very sad parts (yes, I cried). And the more I write about it the more I realize how much I liked the book. The only thing that I didn't like was the ending... Danielle gets sick again and has to go to the hospital, and everyone is really tense and concerned and worried. Jessi writes a letter to Danielle, and gets one back from Danielle saying that she might have to stay in the hospital for a long time again, but she is trying to be brave. That is how the book ends, which at first made me really frustrated, because I wanted to know if Danielle would get better!! But the more I think about it, maybe it was just the right ending. ( )