This was a sweet story but I couldn't get over the number of grammatical errors in the text. Not sure if they were intentional or sloppy editing. ( )

A boy has a severe immune disease and has lived in a hospital room his whole life. He dreams of going outside but that would require a very expensive NASA space suit to keep germs away. The chances of his dream coming true are next to zero, until a quirky nurse walks into his life.

The premise of the story is very interesting. Curious people are fascinated by the unusual lives people live. There are some great themes in this one, especially resilience, acceptance, and risk-taking. The problem with the story is a lack of a strong plot. 2/3 of the book is about the everyday life of a boy confined to a room. It doesn't change much, so reading about it can become boring. The sentences are simple in style, giving the main character a flat emotional affect. His feelings are described but they don't elicit an emotional response in the reader. Not sure the typical tween reader will stick with it unless he/she has a strong interest in the subject matter. ( )

Being poked and monitored continuously and stuck inside an almost 100 percent air quality hospital room in London, all day, every day, is not the life any eleven-year old-boy would want. Born with a rare immunodeficiency disease, this has had to be Joe’s life for as long as he can remember. All he wants is a normal life in the outside world with his sister Beth, his last surviving relative since his parents died in an automobile accident. He takes classes online, his sister visits as much as she can (although she has to move to Edinburgh) and he Skypes with Henry, another boy with the same illness in America. Life outside the hospital might kill him, but what if…? Along comes hope in the form of a new zany, nerdy, nurse named Amir who introduces him to new adventures and opens the door (and his heart) to exciting possibilities. Funny, sweet, triumphant, heartfelt; I loved this book.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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Joe was born with a terrible genetic condition where he has no immunity. For 11 years of his life, he has lived on the top floor of a hospital in London with only 1 window overlooking the outside world. To make matters worse, his parents were killed a year or so ago and now he only has the doctors and nurses and his sister Beth for company. On Skype he talks to another bubble boy like himself called Henry who lives in the USA.
His day is dominated by figures Heartbeat, temperature, room temp, oxygen levels, white blood cell counts. But Joe's life is about to change - his sister is off to Scotland to do an internship so he won’t see her everyday, Henry is going to do a walk in a mall protected in a suit made by Nasa and he has a new nurse who seems a bit strange - he believes in aliens, installs 12 Tvs in Joe’s room and hooks up cctv from the hospital as well as 800 plus channels.
A very moving story about isolation and loss and the people who care for the critically ill. ( )