Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Razorbill (2011), Hardcover, 360 pages
Description
Having spent several years in and out of hospitals for a life-threatening illness, pragmatic sixteen-year-old Cam is relocated by her miracle-seeking mother to a town in Maine known for its mystical healing qualities.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Rebecca_Hail
In a sea of dystopian, vampire, zombie, and awkward teenage romance novels, The Probability of Miracles is a fresh new novel from Wendy Wunder. While the idea of a teenager with cancer isn’t new, the whole take on it is. We’re used to the “survivor” types who have the will and urge to live,
I know that sounds super idealistic and typical of a cancer kid YA book, but believe me it’s not. This book is so sarcastic and dry there were points at which I thought Wunder had taken lines from my own life. The awkwardness of Cam is not over done in the cutesy way we see so often, but in the way we all feel from time to time. Wunder also has that wonderful ability to make it seem as if you are really there and experiencing everything with Cam, from the ocean to the long drive. It is a brilliant debut novel that should not be overlooked.
With all that said, there were a few misses with it. A couple of the characters felt one dimensional and flat, but that could very well just be because in Cam’s mind, that’s all they were. There were a few unrealistic things with the Disney portion, like how her friend just stuffed his Tigger costume in the car and drove her home, or how he took off his head. Granted most people reading this will be of the age we know Tigger isn’t really Tigger, but how many theme parks do you know that don’t require an employee to check in and out their costume? I know, I know, creative liberties, but a little more care should have been taken with the whole being an employee of Disney thing. There’s also the best friend situation with a fight and make up that was just a little too convenient as a plot point to push Cam on, but I’ll let you read that part.
Over all, this is a must read book. Truly one of the best ones I’ve read this year and I’m pretty stoked to have it living on my shelf now. Granted, part of that is because it is just so dang pretty to look at. Wunder’s writing, imagery, cadence, and snark are beautiful things that make this novel one that you won’t want to put down, or stop reading. Cam, Perry, Alicia, Lily and the entire crew will not be ones you forget any time soon. This is one of those books that sticks with you for a bit after reading.
Final Thoughts:
This book took me to places that other novels haven’t lately. The culture that Cam grew up in , the Samoan one, not Disney, reminded me of the time I had spent living in Hawaii and the culture and hula classes I had taken while there. Being able to draw up my past experiences and knowledge of the dances, smells, and history added an extra depth that wasn’t expected and caused an emotional bond with these characters. I loved most everything about it. From Cam’s dry humor to Perry’s naive outlook on life to the stark contrasts between Florida and Maine, this book was moving and endearing. Wunder’s realistic writing makes it feel as if you’ve known this cast your entire life, which only makes it all the harder at the ending of the book. This is the first book that has moved me to tears in a long time, and I don’t regret one single second of crying over it. So do yourself a favor, go pick up this book, and start paying attention to the coincidences in your life that make up the tiny miracles.
Show More
and those who have come to accept it, but Cam is a whole new type of cancer kid. Cam grew up around Disney, and as a result works there and has seen all the magic it holds. Her mom and late father work at the Polynesian resort as dancers, and much to Cam’s mom’s dismay, Cam herself does not dance on stage anymore after cutting her hair short for treatment. After finding out that her cancer is back, Cam has decided to just let things take their course and live as normal a life as possible. Her mom however has very different ideas and has heard of a magical place called Miracle, Maine. So off they go with Perry, Cam’s little sister, for a summer in Maine in the search of miracles.I know that sounds super idealistic and typical of a cancer kid YA book, but believe me it’s not. This book is so sarcastic and dry there were points at which I thought Wunder had taken lines from my own life. The awkwardness of Cam is not over done in the cutesy way we see so often, but in the way we all feel from time to time. Wunder also has that wonderful ability to make it seem as if you are really there and experiencing everything with Cam, from the ocean to the long drive. It is a brilliant debut novel that should not be overlooked.
With all that said, there were a few misses with it. A couple of the characters felt one dimensional and flat, but that could very well just be because in Cam’s mind, that’s all they were. There were a few unrealistic things with the Disney portion, like how her friend just stuffed his Tigger costume in the car and drove her home, or how he took off his head. Granted most people reading this will be of the age we know Tigger isn’t really Tigger, but how many theme parks do you know that don’t require an employee to check in and out their costume? I know, I know, creative liberties, but a little more care should have been taken with the whole being an employee of Disney thing. There’s also the best friend situation with a fight and make up that was just a little too convenient as a plot point to push Cam on, but I’ll let you read that part.
Over all, this is a must read book. Truly one of the best ones I’ve read this year and I’m pretty stoked to have it living on my shelf now. Granted, part of that is because it is just so dang pretty to look at. Wunder’s writing, imagery, cadence, and snark are beautiful things that make this novel one that you won’t want to put down, or stop reading. Cam, Perry, Alicia, Lily and the entire crew will not be ones you forget any time soon. This is one of those books that sticks with you for a bit after reading.
Final Thoughts:
This book took me to places that other novels haven’t lately. The culture that Cam grew up in , the Samoan one, not Disney, reminded me of the time I had spent living in Hawaii and the culture and hula classes I had taken while there. Being able to draw up my past experiences and knowledge of the dances, smells, and history added an extra depth that wasn’t expected and caused an emotional bond with these characters. I loved most everything about it. From Cam’s dry humor to Perry’s naive outlook on life to the stark contrasts between Florida and Maine, this book was moving and endearing. Wunder’s realistic writing makes it feel as if you’ve known this cast your entire life, which only makes it all the harder at the ending of the book. This is the first book that has moved me to tears in a long time, and I don’t regret one single second of crying over it. So do yourself a favor, go pick up this book, and start paying attention to the coincidences in your life that make up the tiny miracles.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JulieDillard
I was instantly enamored with Cam, the main character in Wendy Wunder's The Probability of Miracles. In the first pages, the pop culture references, Cam's keen eye for detail and subtle, biting humor reminded me of James Joyce's famous idea that "in the particular is contained the universal." Cam's
Show More
situation may not be universal, but Wunder's skillful crafting of a teen voice that is at once jaded and fresh puts me squarely in her world. I adore books that make me laugh *and* cry--and The Probability of Miracles is one of those gems. My first laugh came with the line "...it could get you into a buttload of trouble if you admitted to anyone that you thought the Virgin Mary probably just got knocked p like 20 percent of the teenage girls in Florida. That was an idea you kept to yourself." Contrast that with the emotion on the next page as Cam notes that "a sick, bald-headed two-year-old in a pink dress slept on the shoulder of her father, who walked in a daze toward the family's SUV, probably wondering how this had possibly become his life." Cam is a relatable, yet one-of-a-kind character. She's sharp and soft--wise for her years, but I think pain and longing will do that to a girl for whom "details stuck inside her brain like spitballs to a chalkboard." This is a book that will stick with me and I look forward to sharing it with high school students in my class. The pop-culture references, surprising humor, and emotional intensity are sure to be a hit. Show Less
LibraryThing member katie.funk
There is a reason that people tell you never to say never. Like when I swore a decade ago after an ill-advised Lurlene McDaniel binge that I would never again read a teen cancer novel. Inevitably, never always turns into a someday (or some book) that makes you want to take back your words. And for
Campbell is 17 years old and dying, which has all the trappings of a premise that will have you in tears starting on page one. But instead Cam makes you laugh again and again. She has a sharp mind (the sort that has been accepted to Harvard) and an even sharper wit. The one thing she doesn’t have though is time.
Desperate to save her daughter, Cam’s mom, Alicia, packs up Cam and her sister, Perry, and heads for the Promised Land. Or the next best thing: Promise, Maine. Promise has a reputation of being a place where miracles happen--flamingos hang out in the ocean, snow might fall in July, and the sun sets in the same place that it rises (in fact, sometimes it sets all day). But can it pull off the biggest miracle of all and turn Cam into a believer?
Surrounded by amazing people--her mom the Disney performer, her sister who believes in unicorns, Asher who has his own mythology, and the Lands End catalog kids--Cam is loved, but struggles to show love in return. Instead of devolving into cliche, though, Cam's unique voice keeps the story fresh and her perspective authentic.
This is a beautiful story about paying attention to the little things, living in the moment, and learning to love. It’s also a showcase of really great writing and superb dialogue. Cam is the sort of character who will stay with you long after her story is over.
Show More
me that book was The Probability of Miracles.Campbell is 17 years old and dying, which has all the trappings of a premise that will have you in tears starting on page one. But instead Cam makes you laugh again and again. She has a sharp mind (the sort that has been accepted to Harvard) and an even sharper wit. The one thing she doesn’t have though is time.
Desperate to save her daughter, Cam’s mom, Alicia, packs up Cam and her sister, Perry, and heads for the Promised Land. Or the next best thing: Promise, Maine. Promise has a reputation of being a place where miracles happen--flamingos hang out in the ocean, snow might fall in July, and the sun sets in the same place that it rises (in fact, sometimes it sets all day). But can it pull off the biggest miracle of all and turn Cam into a believer?
Surrounded by amazing people--her mom the Disney performer, her sister who believes in unicorns, Asher who has his own mythology, and the Lands End catalog kids--Cam is loved, but struggles to show love in return. Instead of devolving into cliche, though, Cam's unique voice keeps the story fresh and her perspective authentic.
This is a beautiful story about paying attention to the little things, living in the moment, and learning to love. It’s also a showcase of really great writing and superb dialogue. Cam is the sort of character who will stay with you long after her story is over.
Show Less
LibraryThing member flashlight_reader
BEAUTIFUL. Simply beautiful.
I had no idea what to expect when I started this book. I don't typically like books that tend to be heavy. I like my books light and fluffy. Afterall, they are my escape. The synopsis does a pretty good job of summarizing the book, but it doesn't tell you how beautiful
I loved Cam and Asher. I loved Nana and Pery. All of the characters were great and did such a great job of complimenting one another. Nana is hilarious. I found it hilarious that she got Cam to steal a leaf off a sacred tree that had "healing powers," but she ran off in the middle of the heist because she saw her arch nemesis. So funny. Pery is your typical teeny bopper. She's playful and innocent, but also incomplete.
Cam and Asher were mesmerizing. Cam was sarcastic and real. You could feel her fear and insecurity. I totally understood why she was trying to protect herself (her heart). And I LOVED how she changed throughout the book. It was so heartwarming. Asher is a little different. He's not dying like Cam is, but he is guarded. He has a fear of loss, so it's hard for him to leave Promise. He feels like if he leaves his mystical home, everything will come crashing down on him. All of these characters were flawed and real. More real than I could have imagined. Their imperfections were captivating.
The plot is pretty straight forward in this book. Cam is dying. In a final effort to find a saving miracle, her mother packs the entire family up and goes to the mystical Promise, Maine because she has heard magical things happen there. Cam is skeptical and guarded at first. She's an odd one (she asked to adopt a lobster from a local sea food restaurant) and doesn't want to get attached to anyone or anything because she knows she won't be around much longer. Somehow, though, things start to change. She slowly decides that maybe pretending to believe in miracles will help her family. There are some hilarious antics with Cam's forced miracles. My favorite being when she kidnapped the vet's donkey, James Madison, and doused him in flour and duct taped an aluminum foil horn to his head in order to fake a unicorn sighting for her younger sister. So. Funny. Of course, that event didn't turn out the way she wanted (like most things in her life), but it proved to be monumental. It was almost like it was the catalyst for her change of heart. And what a change it was.
There are no magical healings in the book. Cam does not overcome her sickness. It was very tragic and so real. I cried while reading the final 40+ pages. I didn't cry out of sadness though. The writing was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. But most importantly, the transformation that Cam-- as a person-- had undergone was what was so amazing. I expected to be so overwhelmed with grief at her passing, but I wasn't. Instead, there was an unbelievable sense of completeness and closure. I can't put into words how the end of the book moved me. The emotions that I felt while reading are too much for simple words. But I can honestly say, it was one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.
I know there is a lot of discussion about YA books being "too dark." I would counter that argument with this book. Yes, the material is very sad and heavy, but it's not dark. It's a beautiful story of hope and change. Yes, the main character dies in the end, but it's not a sad ending. It gives hope and closure to a part of life that seems to be avoided because it brings so much grief. This is a must read. Plain and simple. You owe it to yourself to read this book, and experience the beauty of this story.
I had no idea what to expect when I started this book. I don't typically like books that tend to be heavy. I like my books light and fluffy. Afterall, they are my escape. The synopsis does a pretty good job of summarizing the book, but it doesn't tell you how beautiful
Show More
the writing is. (sigh)I loved Cam and Asher. I loved Nana and Pery. All of the characters were great and did such a great job of complimenting one another. Nana is hilarious. I found it hilarious that she got Cam to steal a leaf off a sacred tree that had "healing powers," but she ran off in the middle of the heist because she saw her arch nemesis. So funny. Pery is your typical teeny bopper. She's playful and innocent, but also incomplete.
Cam and Asher were mesmerizing. Cam was sarcastic and real. You could feel her fear and insecurity. I totally understood why she was trying to protect herself (her heart). And I LOVED how she changed throughout the book. It was so heartwarming. Asher is a little different. He's not dying like Cam is, but he is guarded. He has a fear of loss, so it's hard for him to leave Promise. He feels like if he leaves his mystical home, everything will come crashing down on him. All of these characters were flawed and real. More real than I could have imagined. Their imperfections were captivating.
The plot is pretty straight forward in this book. Cam is dying. In a final effort to find a saving miracle, her mother packs the entire family up and goes to the mystical Promise, Maine because she has heard magical things happen there. Cam is skeptical and guarded at first. She's an odd one (she asked to adopt a lobster from a local sea food restaurant) and doesn't want to get attached to anyone or anything because she knows she won't be around much longer. Somehow, though, things start to change. She slowly decides that maybe pretending to believe in miracles will help her family. There are some hilarious antics with Cam's forced miracles. My favorite being when she kidnapped the vet's donkey, James Madison, and doused him in flour and duct taped an aluminum foil horn to his head in order to fake a unicorn sighting for her younger sister. So. Funny. Of course, that event didn't turn out the way she wanted (like most things in her life), but it proved to be monumental. It was almost like it was the catalyst for her change of heart. And what a change it was.
There are no magical healings in the book. Cam does not overcome her sickness. It was very tragic and so real. I cried while reading the final 40+ pages. I didn't cry out of sadness though. The writing was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. But most importantly, the transformation that Cam-- as a person-- had undergone was what was so amazing. I expected to be so overwhelmed with grief at her passing, but I wasn't. Instead, there was an unbelievable sense of completeness and closure. I can't put into words how the end of the book moved me. The emotions that I felt while reading are too much for simple words. But I can honestly say, it was one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.
I know there is a lot of discussion about YA books being "too dark." I would counter that argument with this book. Yes, the material is very sad and heavy, but it's not dark. It's a beautiful story of hope and change. Yes, the main character dies in the end, but it's not a sad ending. It gives hope and closure to a part of life that seems to be avoided because it brings so much grief. This is a must read. Plain and simple. You owe it to yourself to read this book, and experience the beauty of this story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member haharissa
I absolutely loved The Probability of Miracles. The protagonist was witty and sarcastic, without being so witty and sarcastic that you didn't like her. It was very easy to sympathize with Cam and her situation, and I always felt like I my mood matched hers throughout the story. When Cam was being
This book could have you laughing one moment and crying the next. There were multiple times while reading when I would literally burst out laughing at the situations that Cam got herself into. They were hilarious and improbable situations, but they never felt forced, like the author was trying to be funny, because it just fit within Cam’s personality that this kind of thing would happen to her.
I loved almost every other character in the book too, with the exception of Alec, because they were all given their own unique personalities that blended so well together. Perry was a typical tweenager, at Cam’s throat one moment and super sweet little sister the next. Nana was hilarious, definitely not your typical grandma, but that fit given Cam’s family life at home. Asher was, as Cam often describes him, perfect. He was easy to love ☺.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone.
Show More
cynical, it was easy to feel cynical right along with her; when she was upset I was upset; She didn’t understand her mom’s relationship with Izanagi until the end, and neither did I; when she fell in love with Asher, I fell in love with Asher. It was so easy to put yourself in her shoes and understand what she was going through, and most of the novel was very lighthearted despite the overarching cancer theme.This book could have you laughing one moment and crying the next. There were multiple times while reading when I would literally burst out laughing at the situations that Cam got herself into. They were hilarious and improbable situations, but they never felt forced, like the author was trying to be funny, because it just fit within Cam’s personality that this kind of thing would happen to her.
I loved almost every other character in the book too, with the exception of Alec, because they were all given their own unique personalities that blended so well together. Perry was a typical tweenager, at Cam’s throat one moment and super sweet little sister the next. Nana was hilarious, definitely not your typical grandma, but that fit given Cam’s family life at home. Asher was, as Cam often describes him, perfect. He was easy to love ☺.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ylin.0621
It was bittersweet, beautiful, and aspiring. It hits you so hard. (The book hasn’t even been released yet and I’m already hoping for books from Wendy Wunder.) The Probability of Miracles surprised just as I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan did last year. Both novels give the reader the
Snarky Cam is hard on the outside but soft on the inside. Cam has a rare cancer that's slowly destroying her body that is if the treatments and trials don't kill her first. On a last ditch effort to live her life, Cam and her mother and sister move to Promise, Maine where rumor has it the place is full of miracles. After living and working in Disney World Cam is far from being a full believer. But from purple dandelions to flocks of flamingos to a unicorn in her back yard*, Cam may have to reevaluate her opinion.
With a mix of 13 Little Blue Envelopes and I'll Be There and something all its own, The Probability of Miracles will break your heart, glue it back together, and shatter it all over again.
Cam was the perfect heroine for me. She was a genuine sister and daughter who fights with her younger sister and mother, but ultimately loves and cares deeply about them. Cam wasn't a romantic or a dreamer. She was sarcastic, she was real. Can breathed life with all of its ups and downs into the novel.
Life isn't prefect, but it can be pretty darn good sometimes when you let people in and the negativity out. That was what Cam learned and we as readers learned with her. Promise was just one more hoax that Cam scoffed at, but the small town with its motley crew of people melted the ice around Cam. She became a softer version of herself and started to be the giver of miracles.
The Probability of Miracles had an array of characters, which gave the book an explosion of voices and personalities. And yet it remained harmonious because at its center was Cam. She brought them in together from the perky sister, to the ever-fighting mother, to the sassy Nana, to the boy who taught Cam how to love, to the best friend who gave Cam a purpose when she felt like giving it all up. They were a perfect cast of supporters to the perfect heroine of an amazing and profound book.
It was slow in the beginning, but worth it in the end. Oh, the end. The last line literally made me fall in love with the book all over again and again. There’s wickedness to the humor, but lightness to the romance.
Savor this book.
*The Probability of Miracles is a contemporary novel and not a fantasy one. So the unicorn was my attempt to throw a little curve ball to you, but it is in the novel, just no what you might expect.
Show More
chance to believe in coincidence and miracles and the need to live for what is perfect now.Snarky Cam is hard on the outside but soft on the inside. Cam has a rare cancer that's slowly destroying her body that is if the treatments and trials don't kill her first. On a last ditch effort to live her life, Cam and her mother and sister move to Promise, Maine where rumor has it the place is full of miracles. After living and working in Disney World Cam is far from being a full believer. But from purple dandelions to flocks of flamingos to a unicorn in her back yard*, Cam may have to reevaluate her opinion.
With a mix of 13 Little Blue Envelopes and I'll Be There and something all its own, The Probability of Miracles will break your heart, glue it back together, and shatter it all over again.
Cam was the perfect heroine for me. She was a genuine sister and daughter who fights with her younger sister and mother, but ultimately loves and cares deeply about them. Cam wasn't a romantic or a dreamer. She was sarcastic, she was real. Can breathed life with all of its ups and downs into the novel.
Life isn't prefect, but it can be pretty darn good sometimes when you let people in and the negativity out. That was what Cam learned and we as readers learned with her. Promise was just one more hoax that Cam scoffed at, but the small town with its motley crew of people melted the ice around Cam. She became a softer version of herself and started to be the giver of miracles.
The Probability of Miracles had an array of characters, which gave the book an explosion of voices and personalities. And yet it remained harmonious because at its center was Cam. She brought them in together from the perky sister, to the ever-fighting mother, to the sassy Nana, to the boy who taught Cam how to love, to the best friend who gave Cam a purpose when she felt like giving it all up. They were a perfect cast of supporters to the perfect heroine of an amazing and profound book.
It was slow in the beginning, but worth it in the end. Oh, the end. The last line literally made me fall in love with the book all over again and again. There’s wickedness to the humor, but lightness to the romance.
Savor this book.
*The Probability of Miracles is a contemporary novel and not a fantasy one. So the unicorn was my attempt to throw a little curve ball to you, but it is in the novel, just no what you might expect.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lilibrarian
Campbell has grown up at Disney World in Florida, as part of the Polynesian show. Now seriously ill with cancer, her mother moves her and her younger sister to Promise, Maine where miracles are supposed to happen. Cam learns to believe in herself, in others, in love and in miracles.
LibraryThing member karen813
This was a beautifully written book that made me think about what it means to really live your life. I was not sure I even wanted to read this book because books about dying children or teens are usually too much for me. I find them unbearably sad and usually too heavy. I was pleasantly surprised
Show More
that although the subject matter was sad the author still managed to inject some lightness in the book. I loved watching the relationship between Cam and Asher develop and watching Cam help Asher learn to live. I found Cam to be refreshingly real and I loved her sarcastic wit. I was glad to see Cam come out of her shell and do the things she really wanted to do without regard for her disease. Through her willingness to live her life no matter what she taught Asher and her family to not be afraid to try things. I would have loved to see more development of Cam's relationship with Lily but that was my only complaint about this very well written book. I still find the subject matter sad and heavy and I probably won't seek out more books about dying kids, but I will look for more books from Wendy Wunder in the future. Show Less
LibraryThing member myheartheartsbooks
Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it’s undeniable that strange
Reactions in 3 steps.
1. By page 48 fighting tears
2. By page 78 teared up twice
3. By the end of the novel, I couldn’t stop crying, but I also couldn’t stop smiling
Review:
This is one of those rare books that makes your life better by reading. I promise you, there is a probable chance that you will cry. Booth happy tears and sad tears. This story is about Campbell, a realist teen, a maybe a little jaded, as a result of her diagnosis of a terminal cancer. She realizes that she’ll die sooner rather than later. While Campbell doesn’t believe in miracle, there has to be a reasonable explanation for everything, she goes along with her mother’s crazy shenanigans because she realizes that it’s what her mother needs, her mother needs hope…even if that means trekking their family (Campbell, Campbell’s mother Alicia, and Campbell’s younger sister Perry) to Promise, Maine, where miracles happen. In Promise, Campbell attempts to complete her “Flamingo List” that her best friend Lily made her create. The last thing Campbell expects is Asher. In the course of that summer Campbell and Asher help each other truly live.
Wender Wunder did an amazing job with her debut novel. Being from Osceola County, Fl where this novel begins, reading this novel was like being taken on a tour of my hometown without having to leave my bedroom. This is one of those novels that you can truly envision, while reading it, you can almost close your eyes and just be transported on Campbell’s journey alongside her. Wunder also does a wonderful job really getting into the mindset of not only a teenager, but a teenage battling this disease, and in return the reader can understand how this disease effects Campbell’s view of the world and you understand why she does the things that she does and says the things that she says. Somehow while reading this novel, Campbell stops being a character, she becomes a friend that you root for, the brutally honest friend that you need in your life.
Show More
things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.Reactions in 3 steps.
1. By page 48 fighting tears
2. By page 78 teared up twice
3. By the end of the novel, I couldn’t stop crying, but I also couldn’t stop smiling
Review:
This is one of those rare books that makes your life better by reading. I promise you, there is a probable chance that you will cry. Booth happy tears and sad tears. This story is about Campbell, a realist teen, a maybe a little jaded, as a result of her diagnosis of a terminal cancer. She realizes that she’ll die sooner rather than later. While Campbell doesn’t believe in miracle, there has to be a reasonable explanation for everything, she goes along with her mother’s crazy shenanigans because she realizes that it’s what her mother needs, her mother needs hope…even if that means trekking their family (Campbell, Campbell’s mother Alicia, and Campbell’s younger sister Perry) to Promise, Maine, where miracles happen. In Promise, Campbell attempts to complete her “Flamingo List” that her best friend Lily made her create. The last thing Campbell expects is Asher. In the course of that summer Campbell and Asher help each other truly live.
Wender Wunder did an amazing job with her debut novel. Being from Osceola County, Fl where this novel begins, reading this novel was like being taken on a tour of my hometown without having to leave my bedroom. This is one of those novels that you can truly envision, while reading it, you can almost close your eyes and just be transported on Campbell’s journey alongside her. Wunder also does a wonderful job really getting into the mindset of not only a teenager, but a teenage battling this disease, and in return the reader can understand how this disease effects Campbell’s view of the world and you understand why she does the things that she does and says the things that she says. Somehow while reading this novel, Campbell stops being a character, she becomes a friend that you root for, the brutally honest friend that you need in your life.
Show Less
LibraryThing member spartyliblover
Cam is dying. Her mother is determined to find a cure and as a last resort moves Cam and her sister to Promise, Maine where miracles are said to occur.
I had a hard time getting into this book. Other than Cam the other characters are not well developed and I was getting them confused. But once the
Fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy this story with Cam as a strong female character and her quest to live her life while she has it.
There are some more adult scenes in sections of the book so it is geared more towards older high school teens, and adults that read YA.
I had a hard time getting into this book. Other than Cam the other characters are not well developed and I was getting them confused. But once the
Show More
family made it to Maine I found it easier to understand I didn't put it down until I finished it.Fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy this story with Cam as a strong female character and her quest to live her life while she has it.
There are some more adult scenes in sections of the book so it is geared more towards older high school teens, and adults that read YA.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tipsister
The Probability of Miracles is a very special book. It made me cry which is always a good sign because it means I grew to love the characters. The story is about Cam, a seventeen year old with cancer. She’s been fighting and surviving for years until she receives the news that there isn’t
Cam deals with the news in a typical Cam way. She acts tough and strong. Her mother decides to take Cam and her younger sister to a town in Maine that is known for it’s miracles. Cam doesn’t believe in Miracles but she is charmed by the odd little town and quickly sets about making miracles for other people.
This story is really, very lovely. The characters are all fantastic and really feel authentic. Wendy Wunder created a little town that I’d like to visit. One where the sun rises and sets in the same place, dandelions are purple, and whales leap at the same time every night. This story will make you wish for a miracle too.
Show More
anything more the doctors can do. Medically, they’ve reached the bottom of the barrel.Cam deals with the news in a typical Cam way. She acts tough and strong. Her mother decides to take Cam and her younger sister to a town in Maine that is known for it’s miracles. Cam doesn’t believe in Miracles but she is charmed by the odd little town and quickly sets about making miracles for other people.
This story is really, very lovely. The characters are all fantastic and really feel authentic. Wendy Wunder created a little town that I’d like to visit. One where the sun rises and sets in the same place, dandelions are purple, and whales leap at the same time every night. This story will make you wish for a miracle too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Raquel_LuLe
I was really glad that i won the book. I like the characters even though it was a sad book i would recommended it.
LibraryThing member nlsobon
“The Probability of Miracles” isn’t an easy book to read, but it is an absolutely beautiful debut.
The story is about Cam, a seventeen year old girl with cancer. She’s just been informed by her doctor that there’s nothing else they can do to help her, that the best she can hope for is a
When they finally do reach Maine, Cam finds herself unable to believe in hope, love, and miracles – everything her mother and Lily want her to believe in. But when she finally opens up, she begins to rethink everything.
I absolutely loved Cam. She’s sarcastic. She’s funny. She seems real. Everything that she goes through: falling in love for the first time (Asher), dealing with the loss of a friend, and accepting that her family’s lives will continue without her – it all feels real. Same for the other characters. Each and every character in “The Probability of Miracles” is flawed, but that makes them more realistic. For example, Cam’s mother, Alicia, isn’t the perfect mother by any standards, but you can tell she loves her daughter and that she’s terrified of losing her. That final scene between the two of them – it’s a beautifully written moment.
There are plenty of humorous moments through out “The Probability of Miracles”, mainly thanks to Nana and Cam, but this isn’t a happy story. It’s a story about a young girl trying to experience everything life has to offer before it’s too late. Expect tears when you finish. Lots of them.
The story is about Cam, a seventeen year old girl with cancer. She’s just been informed by her doctor that there’s nothing else they can do to help her, that the best she can hope for is a
Show More
miracle. Her mother, Alicia, refuses to give up, however, and soon they head off to Promise, Maine – a place that is said to be magical. Along the way they visit her grandmother and her best friend, Lily, who is also battling cancer. Although Lily and Cam speak daily, Cam finds herself dumbfounded when Lily reveals she’s met a boy, Ryan. When Cam finds out Ryan has a girlfriend and he’s messing around with Lily on the side, she flat-out asks if he intends on breaking up with his girlfriend for Lily. When Cam tries to explain to Lily what Ryan told her, Lily decides she wants nothing to do with Cam anymore.When they finally do reach Maine, Cam finds herself unable to believe in hope, love, and miracles – everything her mother and Lily want her to believe in. But when she finally opens up, she begins to rethink everything.
I absolutely loved Cam. She’s sarcastic. She’s funny. She seems real. Everything that she goes through: falling in love for the first time (Asher), dealing with the loss of a friend, and accepting that her family’s lives will continue without her – it all feels real. Same for the other characters. Each and every character in “The Probability of Miracles” is flawed, but that makes them more realistic. For example, Cam’s mother, Alicia, isn’t the perfect mother by any standards, but you can tell she loves her daughter and that she’s terrified of losing her. That final scene between the two of them – it’s a beautifully written moment.
There are plenty of humorous moments through out “The Probability of Miracles”, mainly thanks to Nana and Cam, but this isn’t a happy story. It’s a story about a young girl trying to experience everything life has to offer before it’s too late. Expect tears when you finish. Lots of them.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tarawriter
This book had a little bit of everything I enjoy about YA. A snarky, but lovable protagonist. A slightly wacky family. A swoonworthy romantic interest. Add in a road trip, a setting first in Disneyworld (yay!) then in a town in Maine where miracles happen, and a little bit of magical realism, and
You'll definitely read this one in a day, it's very engaging and I was sad to see it end.
Show More
that sums up The Probability of Miracles.You'll definitely read this one in a day, it's very engaging and I was sad to see it end.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMP
Not a feel good book, but worth reading. I love contemporary YA and think this one has a lot to entice readers.
LibraryThing member andreablythe
When the bad news comes down that there is nothing more the doctors can do for Cam's cancer, her mom insists its not over and drags her daughter up to Promise, Maine, a mysterious town that is supposed to be capable of granting miracles. Though Cam is an avid disbeliever, certain that everything
I love Cam. She has a snarky tone and always throws out random science facts, which was fun. She was sympathetic and had her down moment, but she's not a complainer or much of a moper. She's simply matter of fact about her situation and her reality.
I also really loved the mom, who was presented as a mom should be, very loving of her daughter and practical where practicality is needed. It's refreshing to see a parent in a YA novel not be absent or a complete idiot. She's a part of the story and a part of Cam. So is Cam's sister, who is cheerful and girly and wonderfully surprising at times.
I loved the mixture of miraculous and scientific in this book, which allows you to choose for yourself whether you believe the events can all be explained or if there is some mystical influence taking place. It's a wonderful, joyful, heartbreaking story, that will definitely go on my list of favorites.
Show More
has a scientific explanation, she can't help but admit that strange things -- a field of purple daisies, flamingos well outside their natural ecosystem, a boy who seems to magically appear to help at the exact perfect moment -- do happen in Promise. I love Cam. She has a snarky tone and always throws out random science facts, which was fun. She was sympathetic and had her down moment, but she's not a complainer or much of a moper. She's simply matter of fact about her situation and her reality.
I also really loved the mom, who was presented as a mom should be, very loving of her daughter and practical where practicality is needed. It's refreshing to see a parent in a YA novel not be absent or a complete idiot. She's a part of the story and a part of Cam. So is Cam's sister, who is cheerful and girly and wonderfully surprising at times.
I loved the mixture of miraculous and scientific in this book, which allows you to choose for yourself whether you believe the events can all be explained or if there is some mystical influence taking place. It's a wonderful, joyful, heartbreaking story, that will definitely go on my list of favorites.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ctmsjisc
Your mother has tried everything, nothing has worked. The cancer just won't stop. Your last chance is to go to a town called Promise that supposedly grants miracles. You have to up and leave your home for something that may not even work. You've given up all hope.
This is Cam's life. She has
Cam's mother finds out about a secret town in Maine that grants miracles. Cam, her sister, and her mother pack up from their house in Florida and plan on staying in this small town for the summer, hoping it will help Cam.
While in Promise, the name of the miracle town, Cam experience “Miracles”. Cam refuses to call the things that happen miracles. Cam get's to stay in a house and she doesn't have to pay for it, she sees Flamingos in Maine, Cam find love, but the biggest miracle is that Cam makes friends, and almost forgets about the cancer.
I give The Probability of Miracles three and a half stars. The book had a good concept and the miracles were captivating but there were things I didn't like about the book.
The author really had a good idea for the book. I loved the whole idea and the plot of the story but things were repetitive. Cam would have things happen to her and they were the same kind of things over and over gain. After about the third “Miracle” I got bored. Something god would happen to Cam and then something bad, it was the same thing over and over again.
The author made the characters very realistic. The characters acted like annoying tween sisters, and trying not to be charming but is anyways guys. The characters were spot on. The one thing I did and didn't like about the characters was Cam. I got that she acted like she had given up hope and she was a “Debby Downer”, but after a while her character got really annoying and I didn't like her very much.
The main thing I liked about this book was the romance. There was a little bit of it, as there is with any novel that has a teenage girl in it. I liked how the relationship between Cam and the boy she liked. I really liked how their relationship tied in with the women that have stayed in the house that Cam did before her.
Overall The Probability of Miracles was a good book with a few flaws. It was Adventurous, fun, and cute. But in the end it was like eating the same thing for dinner every night, after a while you get bored.
This is Cam's life. She has
Show More
struggled with cancer the past couple of years. The cancer has moved all over her body. The doctors say there really isn't much more that they can do.Cam's mother finds out about a secret town in Maine that grants miracles. Cam, her sister, and her mother pack up from their house in Florida and plan on staying in this small town for the summer, hoping it will help Cam.
While in Promise, the name of the miracle town, Cam experience “Miracles”. Cam refuses to call the things that happen miracles. Cam get's to stay in a house and she doesn't have to pay for it, she sees Flamingos in Maine, Cam find love, but the biggest miracle is that Cam makes friends, and almost forgets about the cancer.
I give The Probability of Miracles three and a half stars. The book had a good concept and the miracles were captivating but there were things I didn't like about the book.
The author really had a good idea for the book. I loved the whole idea and the plot of the story but things were repetitive. Cam would have things happen to her and they were the same kind of things over and over gain. After about the third “Miracle” I got bored. Something god would happen to Cam and then something bad, it was the same thing over and over again.
The author made the characters very realistic. The characters acted like annoying tween sisters, and trying not to be charming but is anyways guys. The characters were spot on. The one thing I did and didn't like about the characters was Cam. I got that she acted like she had given up hope and she was a “Debby Downer”, but after a while her character got really annoying and I didn't like her very much.
The main thing I liked about this book was the romance. There was a little bit of it, as there is with any novel that has a teenage girl in it. I liked how the relationship between Cam and the boy she liked. I really liked how their relationship tied in with the women that have stayed in the house that Cam did before her.
Overall The Probability of Miracles was a good book with a few flaws. It was Adventurous, fun, and cute. But in the end it was like eating the same thing for dinner every night, after a while you get bored.
Show Less
LibraryThing member renkellym
The Probability of Miracles is a bittersweet and inspiring tale of the last few months of a teen’s life. Make no mistake, though--The Probability of Miracles is not a sad, sappy sobfest. There are plenty of hilarious, hopeful, and sweet moments that will help relieve the stress that comes with
The story moves along at a perfect pace—quite a lot happens in The Probability of Miracles, but nothing seems too fast or too slow. Wendy Wunder effortlessly invokes the teenage voice and tells the story in third person, but we get to know Cam as well as we would were the narration first person. Cam’s joy and pain are palpable as the story goes along, and it’s impossible not to feel as if you’re connected to her by the end. Wunder’s writing is also something to marvel at: her prose is lovely, and she really knows how to capture the reader.
The Probability of Miracles sets out to tell readers that hope and determination can create miracles, even if they are only temporary—you just have to believe. I think it succeeds in this endeavor: I finished the book with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat, but I was also left with a lingering sense of resolution and hopefulness.
The Probability of Miracles will make you laugh and make you cry; Wendy Wunder manipulates the reader’s emotions like a master puppeteer in this brilliant coming-of-age story. Highly recommended!
Show More
reading about a cancer patient. This is especially because Cam, the protagonist, doesn’t act mopey or sick at all! She’s an incredibly enjoyable heroine, and her quirky world-view brightens the book. Though Cam can also be cynical and borderline depressed, it’s easy for the reader to accept these aspects of her personality because of how tough her life has been (but Cam is the last person who’d want your sympathy!). Additionally, Cam’s cynicism is also usually the source of the laugh-worthy moments in the book, so it isn’t often anything to frown at. The story moves along at a perfect pace—quite a lot happens in The Probability of Miracles, but nothing seems too fast or too slow. Wendy Wunder effortlessly invokes the teenage voice and tells the story in third person, but we get to know Cam as well as we would were the narration first person. Cam’s joy and pain are palpable as the story goes along, and it’s impossible not to feel as if you’re connected to her by the end. Wunder’s writing is also something to marvel at: her prose is lovely, and she really knows how to capture the reader.
The Probability of Miracles sets out to tell readers that hope and determination can create miracles, even if they are only temporary—you just have to believe. I think it succeeds in this endeavor: I finished the book with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat, but I was also left with a lingering sense of resolution and hopefulness.
The Probability of Miracles will make you laugh and make you cry; Wendy Wunder manipulates the reader’s emotions like a master puppeteer in this brilliant coming-of-age story. Highly recommended!
Show Less
LibraryThing member usagijihen
Oh boy. We’re now entering a place of no return, one of my most uncomfortable places of thought: bald cancer kids. Apologies for the flippancy, but this is a pretty sore topic of mine, mostly because I’ve had issues with it in the past. I lost my best friend to cancer-related complications when
This book was extremely awesome up until the middle and the heroine’s attitude did a 180 shift, allowing herself to believe things that she so staunchly stood against before. “But usagi”, you say, “that’s a good thing, right? We want bald cancer kids to have hope!”. We do. We do indeed, but not when it’s a cancer that has a 0% survival rate. Cam had more or less accepted her fate before things in Promise started to change her. False hope is relentlessly cruel, and so though I understand why Wunder went there with her heroine (all cancer patients do, right?), how she took it further with the slow but almost total attitude change topped off a “going into the white light” death scene just made me want to smash everything like the Hulk.
I mean, seriously. White light in a death scene? REALLY? Do we really need more of this in YA lit?
While I strongly congratulate Wunder on bringing a great new heroine into YA lit, she totally let me down with this huge cliche. This book needed a death scene (to be the most realistic, which is what Wunder seemed to be aiming for with her heroine), but white light? Rainbows at night? It drives me absolutely mad when something like this happens, and it turns into a selling point instead of something meaningful.
Still, I grudgingly give this book four stars because the woman can write. It sucks you in without you noticing. This could have ended differently, had there not been that “change of heart” that obviously has to happen with every YA book on a terminal illness, no matter what it is. And no matter how close to reality that gets (because this does happen in real life, extremely abrupt changes of heart and all), it just cheapened the rest of it for me. Cam could have stayed her regular self until the end, still could have experienced the magical reality of Promise (which Wunder also really did well, I applaud her for getting magical reality right) without having to have the almost obligatory after-school special ending.
Guys, go read this and see for yourselves. I’m probably really biased about this, mostly because I watched my best friend die with false hope in her heart at too young an age. I’m extremely bitter about it as you can plainly see. So this book lodged right into one of the biggest sore spots that I have. As you can see, it obviously affected me – but if it did that, then it obviously did its job. It got my attention. Still, one of the better books I’ve read this year, and you should too. If you’re going to read one serious-subject contemporary YA lit book this year, make “The Probability of Miracles” that book. After all, bald cancer kids deserve love in YA lit, too.
(posted to librarything, goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
Show More
I was 13. She didn’t make it to her 13th birthday. So when I read a book like this about a heroine who seems pretty awesome in the beginning and then the author brings out quite a few bald cancer kid cliches, it’s both happying (yes, that’s now a verb) and maddening at the same time. Regardless of my issues, Wunder has a way with words, is extremely good at weaving a story, and this book should definitely be read.This book was extremely awesome up until the middle and the heroine’s attitude did a 180 shift, allowing herself to believe things that she so staunchly stood against before. “But usagi”, you say, “that’s a good thing, right? We want bald cancer kids to have hope!”. We do. We do indeed, but not when it’s a cancer that has a 0% survival rate. Cam had more or less accepted her fate before things in Promise started to change her. False hope is relentlessly cruel, and so though I understand why Wunder went there with her heroine (all cancer patients do, right?), how she took it further with the slow but almost total attitude change topped off a “going into the white light” death scene just made me want to smash everything like the Hulk.
I mean, seriously. White light in a death scene? REALLY? Do we really need more of this in YA lit?
While I strongly congratulate Wunder on bringing a great new heroine into YA lit, she totally let me down with this huge cliche. This book needed a death scene (to be the most realistic, which is what Wunder seemed to be aiming for with her heroine), but white light? Rainbows at night? It drives me absolutely mad when something like this happens, and it turns into a selling point instead of something meaningful.
Still, I grudgingly give this book four stars because the woman can write. It sucks you in without you noticing. This could have ended differently, had there not been that “change of heart” that obviously has to happen with every YA book on a terminal illness, no matter what it is. And no matter how close to reality that gets (because this does happen in real life, extremely abrupt changes of heart and all), it just cheapened the rest of it for me. Cam could have stayed her regular self until the end, still could have experienced the magical reality of Promise (which Wunder also really did well, I applaud her for getting magical reality right) without having to have the almost obligatory after-school special ending.
Guys, go read this and see for yourselves. I’m probably really biased about this, mostly because I watched my best friend die with false hope in her heart at too young an age. I’m extremely bitter about it as you can plainly see. So this book lodged right into one of the biggest sore spots that I have. As you can see, it obviously affected me – but if it did that, then it obviously did its job. It got my attention. Still, one of the better books I’ve read this year, and you should too. If you’re going to read one serious-subject contemporary YA lit book this year, make “The Probability of Miracles” that book. After all, bald cancer kids deserve love in YA lit, too.
(posted to librarything, goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrandisBookMusings
Campbell is sarcastic, cynical, and dying.She has accepted it, she just wishes her mother and sister would. She has stage four cancer and there is no more chemo, no more trials, no hope, nothing. In a last ditch effort her mother takes advice from the family pot smoking hippie friend and heads to
This isn't normally the type of book I read. i like supernatural and paranormal stories where possibilities are endless. Every now and then we need a dose of real life, with real people, and real problems. The Probability of Miracles delivers just that. I laughed out loud, I got angry, and I cried right along with Cam. This is a story about finding hope and accepting and living life to the fullest. I can only hope that I will live as much in my lifetime as Cam did in this book.
Show More
Promise, Maine. The land of hope lies in a town you couldn't find on a map with a magnifying glass. Promise is the home to everlasting sunsets, purple dandelions, and miracles. Cam doesn't believe in God and she certainly doesn't believe some tiny town is going to provide her with a cure. She believes in science. Everything boils down to a probability, and just maybe, Promise, Maine has a higher probability of miracles. She has a list to complete, a hot neighbor to deal with, and a family who will have to go on withou her. This is the summer Cam learned to live.This isn't normally the type of book I read. i like supernatural and paranormal stories where possibilities are endless. Every now and then we need a dose of real life, with real people, and real problems. The Probability of Miracles delivers just that. I laughed out loud, I got angry, and I cried right along with Cam. This is a story about finding hope and accepting and living life to the fullest. I can only hope that I will live as much in my lifetime as Cam did in this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member meags222
I picked up this book because it has been getting a lot of attention lately. I have to say that when I first started reading it I was unsure if I would like this book but as I continued reading I found that I couldn't put this book down. I had read something similar recently about a dying teen and
Show More
I wasn't sure if I could handle another one. That being said, I loved the character of Cam and her crazy entourage. The book picked up after Cam moves to Promise, Maine in her family's hopes that a miracle may change her terminal diagnosis. Cam is the ultimate teen who is broody and impulsive at times but she also has a kind of maturity most likely gained from cancer treatment and knowing that she has limited time on this earth. After moving to Maine, Cam meets Asher who is just about the sweetest guy a girl could meet. Throughout the novel you almost forget that Cam is sick and you can't help but laugh at the predicaments she gets herself into. This is another book that actually evoked some tears from me (which I swear doesn't usually happen when reading). I definitely recommend this book and I give it 4.5 stars out of 5. Show Less
LibraryThing member SherylHendrix
A bright and poignant coming-of-age story for a young girl whose imminent death focuses her choices in life; she gains, she loses, but ultimately one is left with the impression that she had learned to die well and, as a result, her family will be left with - not pieces to pick up - but wonderful
Show More
memories of a young woman who loved them and loved life. Show Less
LibraryThing member ilikethesebooks
I really haven’t heard much about this novel, so I had not formed any premeditated opinions and I didn’t really know what to expect. This book has left me speechless -really, really, really (I think you get the point) good. Just… wow
Cam is dying. She knows it and she isn’t really fighting
Okay, that description really didn’t give the book any justice at all, and I have a feeling nothing I say now will. I loved Cam. She is witty and equipped with a biting, dry humor. She has issues, clearly, but every teenager does in one-way or another. I especially liked her transformation towards the end; she went from a character I adore, to a character I respect.
Also, this isn’t one of those “cancer” books. I’ll admit, I sometimes really enjoy those, but Cam is not wallowing in her misery (okay, maybe once) or searching for a cure. She is just trying to live in the time she has left, and to leave something good behind to be remembered for. This books is a love story, a story of friendship and family, of adventure, of miracles… in which the main character just happens to be dying… It is much lighter, with a foreboding touch because of the inescapable.
As much as I wanted to see how Cam’s story ended up, I never wanted this story to end. But end it did, and the ending really couldn’t have been better in what it was able to accomplish. A Job done well, Ms. Wunder. Wendy Wunder is a definitely debut author to watch.
Cam is dying. She knows it and she isn’t really fighting
Show More
it, she’s kind of come to terms with the inevitable. She hasn’t given up on living, but she just doesn’t has as much hope, or believe in some “miracle” that her family members are waiting for. But then her mother, convinced she’d find some answer, some magic, moves the family to Promise, Maine. A little town hardly known, difficult to find, but said to be home to miracles. As much as Cam shrugs it off, maybe this town does hold a little magic after all…Okay, that description really didn’t give the book any justice at all, and I have a feeling nothing I say now will. I loved Cam. She is witty and equipped with a biting, dry humor. She has issues, clearly, but every teenager does in one-way or another. I especially liked her transformation towards the end; she went from a character I adore, to a character I respect.
Also, this isn’t one of those “cancer” books. I’ll admit, I sometimes really enjoy those, but Cam is not wallowing in her misery (okay, maybe once) or searching for a cure. She is just trying to live in the time she has left, and to leave something good behind to be remembered for. This books is a love story, a story of friendship and family, of adventure, of miracles… in which the main character just happens to be dying… It is much lighter, with a foreboding touch because of the inescapable.
As much as I wanted to see how Cam’s story ended up, I never wanted this story to end. But end it did, and the ending really couldn’t have been better in what it was able to accomplish. A Job done well, Ms. Wunder. Wendy Wunder is a definitely debut author to watch.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hobbitsies
I knew before reading The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder, I would cry. But I just didn’t realize how much. The Probability of Miracles is seriously intense.
Cam, the protagonist, is biting and sarcastic and witty and real. She’s got this terrible disease that is killing her, and she’s
All of the characters, for that matter – her mother, her sister, Asher…I just loved each and every one of them and I hurt for them, having to watch Cam go through this.
And oh my god, the story. It’s painful and heartbreaking and I just ached for all these characters. I literally cried and cried and cried.
The Probability of Miracles is a beautiful debut full of real characters with real and terrible problems. But it’s almost a story of hope, a story about living, if that makes any sense.
If you’re looking for a fantastic contemporary that’s sure to make you feel something, definitely check out The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder.
Cam, the protagonist, is biting and sarcastic and witty and real. She’s got this terrible disease that is killing her, and she’s
Show More
walling herself off from the world with sarcasm and anger. She doesn’t want to let this disease control her, and the struggle within herself is reflected beautifully in everything she does and says in this book.All of the characters, for that matter – her mother, her sister, Asher…I just loved each and every one of them and I hurt for them, having to watch Cam go through this.
And oh my god, the story. It’s painful and heartbreaking and I just ached for all these characters. I literally cried and cried and cried.
The Probability of Miracles is a beautiful debut full of real characters with real and terrible problems. But it’s almost a story of hope, a story about living, if that makes any sense.
If you’re looking for a fantastic contemporary that’s sure to make you feel something, definitely check out The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kr15tina
What I Liked
Genre
I usually don't read contemporary fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised with the book. I found myself enthralled with the humorous characters, the sad situation for our main character and the journey of personal growth.
Character
Cam: I enjoyed Cam's attitude problems, she is
Supporting Characters: The rest of the characters, her mom, sister, Nana, Asher, friends and random people all added a humorous element that completely enhanced the story with their interesting interactions with Cam.
Lessons
Even though I felt sad and sorry for the Cam, the book isn't really about that. The story is about learning to appreciate your life and to not take things for granted. Life is too short to waste. The book puts life into perspective and makes you contemplate where you are going and what you are going to be doing. It also serves as good reminder to live in the present moment.
I Didn't Like
I cried at the end, lets just leave it at that.
Recommendation
A great book for people who love YA contemporary, but if you are willing to step out of your comfort reads away for fantasy this would be a good book to try.
Genre
I usually don't read contemporary fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised with the book. I found myself enthralled with the humorous characters, the sad situation for our main character and the journey of personal growth.
Character
Cam: I enjoyed Cam's attitude problems, she is
Show More
witty, sarcastic and can come up with some interesting things. I also liked the progression of her character throughout the book.Supporting Characters: The rest of the characters, her mom, sister, Nana, Asher, friends and random people all added a humorous element that completely enhanced the story with their interesting interactions with Cam.
Lessons
Even though I felt sad and sorry for the Cam, the book isn't really about that. The story is about learning to appreciate your life and to not take things for granted. Life is too short to waste. The book puts life into perspective and makes you contemplate where you are going and what you are going to be doing. It also serves as good reminder to live in the present moment.
I Didn't Like
I cried at the end, lets just leave it at that.
Recommendation
A great book for people who love YA contemporary, but if you are willing to step out of your comfort reads away for fantasy this would be a good book to try.
Show Less
Awards
Gateway Readers Award (Nominee — 2014)
Milwaukee County Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2013)
Original publication date
2011
Physical description
360 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
1595143688 / 9781595143686