Maybe One Day

Maybe One Day

by Melissa Kantor

Synopsis:

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had Big Plans: They''ll tour the world as prima ballerinas and live in a swanky Manhattan apartment (where they''ll hang out with their fabulous boyfriends, of course). But when they''re cut from the ballet company, their plans for the future evaporate. Suddenly, Zoe''s dodging cheerleaders who want her and Olivia to go out for the squad, and Olivia''s got a crush on Calvin Taylor, who Zoe can''t stand. 

Zoe can''t imagine anything worse happening . . . until Olivia gets sick. Really sick. Suddenly, not being able to dance is the least of their problems.

Olivia has always been the nice one, the happy-go-lucky one. Zoe has always been the snarky one, the look-on-the-dark-side one. But when your best friend is in the hospital, you better learn to step up fast. Now Zoe needs to put on a brave face and be the positive one. Even when Zoe isn''t sure what to say. Even when Olivia misses months of school. Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this thing, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for Zoe to even imagine.

My thoughts:

Best friends Zoe and Olivia have made Ballet their whole lives until according to Zoe “the worst thing that will happen to us in our entire lives” happens to them; they are cut from their prestigious ballet school. Livvie doesn't seem to fazed by this rejection and finds other activities including teaching a ballet class at a community centre but Zoe is upset and angry and renounces dance especially ballet.  Sadly Zoe’s prediction about being cut from ballet being the "worst things that will happen to us in our entire lives" isn't true when Olivia is diagnosed with Leukemia at the start of the new school year and Zoe’s world is once again shattered.  Kantor does a marvelous job of showing the real life ups and downs that cancer patients and their families and friends have to go through.  Maybe One day is told from Zoe’s point of view which is a change from some of the other “cancer books”; as most of those books are told by the person with cancer. But cancer doesn’t affect just the one person it affects everyone in that person’s life.  Kantor has done a wonderful job of depicting Zoe’s struggles as she simultaneously has to deal with the realities of Olivia’s cancer (that Olivia will not be better over night, as Zoe’s dad says cancer “is a marathon, not a sprint”) but also accept that life still goes on and it’s okay to enjoy it.