Official Review: Scars, Scribbles, and the Power of Crayons

Misael Carlos · Post by **Misael Carlos** » 21 Oct 2018, 04:36

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Scars, Scribbles, and the Power of Crayons" by Lara Lazenby.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Narrated in the first person, Scars, Scribbles and the Power of Crayons by Lara Lazenby is the story of seven-year-old Lexi's battle with cancer at the young age of seven. Her trip to the clinic is always a nightmare to her, meeting other kids who suffer the same predicament. Drawing blood from her fragile body a harrowing experience, each treatment session sends her over the edge. The clinic staff try devising ways to make it easy on her, but nothing works; she can't help herself from screaming. Then, she becomes a celebrity when she learns self-hypnosis while under chemotherapy. The doctor instructs her to use her imagination and “breath through the pain,” to soothe her during the treatment. Lexi clings to her faith, praying for her life to at least reach the age where she could be baptized. When her mother gets frustrated at the way her treatment is being handled, Lexi is whisked away to a desert trip, meeting Indians and other colorful characters. This novel takes the readers to Lexi, her family and friends who stand by her during her ordeal. Will her wish be granted? Or should she just accept her fate and wait for the disease to finally overcome her young body?

What I like about the novel was the author's ability to make the reader feel the love of Lexi's family towards her, as well as their immeasurable pain and sadness at her predicament. This book shares to the readers a cancer patient's innermost thoughts and feelings. Lexi’s scenes with Evelyn made me reminisce my own childhood as if it was just yesterday. The message of positivity is very evident in this novel; that whatever hardship one encounters in life, one should never give up because there is always hope, and God blesses those whose faith is unshaken. The author was able to present Lexi’s character very well: strong, steadfast and determined to rise above her disease. She likes sorting herself out and I was amused by how she uses simile in her life; she sees the clinic as a vampire's lair, the nurses as bloodsuckers, and the fluid injected to her as venom. Besides Lexi, the character I liked the most was Gaea, her mother. She was a fighter, a determined woman, and steadfast warrior in her goals. She was focused and set to defy the odds. She represented a classic example of a mother who loved her daughter so much she would let her child enjoy a life as normal as possible, given the circumstance.

On the downside, it looked like the author forgot at times to remember that Lexi was a seven-year-old child: this was when she thought another girl was a siren. I don't think a kid at this age thinks like that or uses such term in describing another kid. She also talked about things as security blankets. These were only some of the moments that it felt like Lexi were narrating as a grown-up woman and not as a kid. Since the story was told in Lexi's point of view, it was like the author was the one narrating and not Lexi. Also, the author should have included Lexi thinking about her condition so that the reader may be able to understand what Hodgkin's Disease is or what 3B means.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. While there were a couple of grammatical errors, these errors did not distract the novel in any way, and the book provided so much positivity that the highest rating was well-deserved.

This book is for everyone who enjoys a story about family, love, friendship and a will to survive. But if subject matters like cancer and death seem overly sensitive and scary for you, skip this one.

******
Scars, Scribbles, and the Power of Crayons
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fredrick otieno · Post by **fredrick otieno** » 26 Oct 2018, 03:07

It really saddens me to see a tender child goes through much as Lexi does. But i like the fact that the author, through this novel has shown how one can be supportive to children during these times.

Debjani Ghosh · Post by **Debjani Ghosh** » 26 Oct 2018, 04:17

The book has a catchy title and sounds like an inspirational novel about a child and her family's journey in fighting a deadly disease - cancer. Thanks for the review!

wendos · Post by **wendos** » 26 Oct 2018, 04:52

It's so sad that such a young kid can undergo such suffering, I like the author's approach to bring out her confidence in trying to overcome this problem.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 26 Oct 2018, 07:57

This sounds like it has the potential to be a very emotional book. Having cancer at such a young age does tend to force a child to grow up. So it is possible that that's why Lexi sounds so out of character sometimes. It's a book that I'll have to research more. Thanks.

T_stone · Post by **T_stone** » 26 Oct 2018, 14:38

Having to deal with cancer at such a young age is so heartbreaking and emotional, hence, making this book a very emotional book. However, Lexi's strength and zeal to overcome the suffering, and her mum's support was everything. Thanks for the review.

Britty01 · Post by **Britty01** » 27 Oct 2018, 13:58

I like a book that tells a story about family, love, and friendship. This one seems to offer that and much more. I like the way the author tells the story from Lexi's point of view and the descriptive method she uses to convey what is happening to Lexi during her fight with a rare form of cancer. As Lexi's mother is well read and has an appreciation for classical music it did not surprise me that Lexi's seemed to have a vocabulary different from what might expect from an average seven year old. It is difficult to think of young children going through so much at such a tender age, but also inspiring that she held onto faith. I enjoyed reading the thorough and well-written review.

writer808 · Post by **writer808** » 29 Oct 2018, 11:13

It seems like a highly emotional book.

Dael Reader · Post by **Dael Reader** » 29 Oct 2018, 15:22

I wasn't immediately interested in this book when I saw it on the list because of the focus on a terminally ill child. I've recently read a few other books involving cancer patients and similar characters, so dealing into one about a child wasn't something I felt drawn to. But you write a compelling review.

HollandBlue · Post by **HollandBlue** » 29 Oct 2018, 21:13

This book is for everyone who enjoys a story about family, love, friendship and a will to survive. But if subject matters like cancer and death seem overly sensitive and scary for you, skip this one.

I'm not sure whether I'll read this book or not. I enjoy family stories and can appreciate the will to survive aspect, but it may be too emotional for me right now.
Thanks for your review!