Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a fictional, coming-of-age story by Jesse Andrews.
Greg Gaines is in his last year of high school and he doesn’t really have any friends unless you count Earl, his filmmaker buddy. His mom forces him to befriend a girl who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and throughout his book, you will see what the expectations of high school, mediocre filming and being friends with a girl who has cancer does to his life.
If you’re hoping to read a book similar to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, then sadly this is not the book for you. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a witty, socially awkward story with no romance in it whatsoever. From beginning to end, Andrews uses a quirky writing style, which makes you feel as if an actual high school boy wrote it. This book is funny, and no matter how much Greg makes you try to hate him, you can’t help but love him because of all of the embarrassing situations he gets into. For a book that explores the topic of cancer, this one will have you laughing rather than crying.
This book isn’t about a girl with cancer or romance, it’s about a boy and his friendships.
If you’re interested in learning more, or you’d like to discuss the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl with other students, join Ollie’s Book Club in the library at 4:30pm today.