Henry Ledniz and Zelda Einnab are distressed when their favorite science teacher, Miss Applebaum, retires suddenly. When they take her a begonia, Miss Applebaum meets them at the door wearing a bathrobe. She is obviously tired and having trouble breathing. Dr. Oblicheck comes, and Henry and Zelda see him stick a long needle into Miss Applebaum's chest. The treatment leaves her feeling better, and she invites them to spend next Saturday in Central Park. Before Saturday arrives, Zelda finds out that Miss Applebaum has terminal cancer. At Central Park, Henry and Zelda watch Miss Applebaum feed the homeless. She shows them her favorite haunts and Central Park's "roller coaster." After returning to Miss Applebaum's apartment, Bernice, Miss Applebaum's niece, arrives and orders her aunt to bed. She tells Henry and Zelda to let her aunt die in peace. Miss Applebaum assures Henry and Zelda that Bernice’s only real concern is Miss Applebaum’s estate. Ignoring Bernice's advice, the trio's next jaunt is to the Metropolitan Museum. Then, Henry and Zelda talk Miss Applebaum into seeing an oncologist who puts her in the hospital for treatment. Henry and Zelda soon realize that they’ve made a mistake. Miss Applebaum's cancer is so advanced that she’s destined to die in the hospital. Instead of leaving her to “die in peace,” they help her live for the time she has left.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com ( )

I really do like the characters Paul Zindel writes into his books. ( )

I discovered Paul Zindel as a tween in the 1970s and like many kids my age, I read The Pigman and loved it.

Fast foward decades and I am now 55 and loved the above book which was written long after I was an adult and it is as wonderful as anything else I've read by him. He was a marvelous storyteller and I am sorry that he is no longer with us, as there will not be any new book forthcoming.

I hope to read everything he has ever written in time - my library does not own everything, so some of them I will have to buy on Amazon or Ebay.

Highly recommended ! A ( )

Henry and Zelda arrive at the beginning of the school year to find that their favorite teacher, Miss Applebaum, has retired. They decide to bring her a begonia, and soon learn that she is actually dying of cancer. But, Miss Applebaum has quite a few more things to teach them before she goes.
This novel is at times wacky and delightful, at times poignant and grave, and always quite genuine and believable. One wishes for her own Miss Applebaum to learn from. ( )

I remember reading this book in jr. high school. Paul Zindel really turned me on to reading, and this one is my favorite. I recommend it most highly for the adolescent reader. ( )