After a particularly painful bout of bullying in physics lab, Connor and Skeates both end up in the hospital. Connor's mom is out of the picture, and without anyone to care for him, he ends up in Dachaigh House - an institution for violent youths - with Skeates. Dun, dun, dun! I normally dislike books about dying teens, but this one had me feeling all the feels. I laughed (often), my heart raced during the get-aways, and yes, I even cried. Real tears! The last time a book made me cry was . . . well, I can’t exactly remember, but it was a long time ago. The real beauty of this book is that it’s about two boys on an adventure who form an unlikely alliance and “never give up.” I really liked this book , it was funny and heartwarming and while I occasionally found it a little unrealistic I don’t think this caused any huge issues.

Probably my favourite thing about this book though was the fact it was set in Scotland and done really really well. I have never read a book with such realistic representation of what it is like to live here , the culture , the language, the people , the description of the places they go. Much of the dialogue is written in a Scottish accent and there is loads of slang and Gaelic. I really really loved this , I thought it was done really well. I wish there were more books like this that in set in Scotland and accurate to what it is like to live here. If you are not from Scotland I think some of the slang would be hard to get and the Gaelic obviously but you can easily judge by context what they are saying. The John Toal Show Interview with John Young - "John Young talks about the Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist"Despite their former rivalry, Connor and Skeates form an alliance and set out on a road trip (of sorts) to see Connor’s dad in prison with a little money and without Connor’s seven medications he takes twice a daily to keep his cancer at bay.

But Connor’s left two things behind — the medication he needs to keep him alive, and the girl who makes living bearable. I enjoyed the writing a lot. I also loved the unique voice the main character has. His life is very tragic but he's just so inspiring. I can't wait to hold the physical copy in my hands.' Some of the Scottish slang was unclear (mostly because I don't hail from Scotland), but I was able to figure it out with context clues. Don't let the Scottish slang or occasional Gaelic phrases deter you from reading this book (although, it might help American readers if there were occasional footnotes). When you’re at death’s door, life’s not expected to be much fun, even – or especially – when it’s the door to Room 9, the one with the smiley. But then you don’t know Connor. He’s fifteen and he’s got terminal cancer. Well, we’re all terminal, because as Connor keeps saying, ‘nadie deja este mundo vivo’ which means no one leaves this world alive.When Connor comes home to his neighbor, Mrs. MacDonald because his mother had to stay in Inverness overnight for work: Review of the Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist by Lisa Talks About.. - "Lisa Talks About... Review" Adele Geras Authors Autism/Asperger Syndrome Awards Blogs Books Bookshops Caroline Lawrence Christmas Crime Ebook Education Fairy tales Film Harry Potter History Horror Humour Interview Jacqueline Wilson Languages Meg Rosoff Michael Morpurgo Philip Pullman Picture book Poetry Reading Reference Review Romance Science Fiction Short story Siobhan Dowd Television Theatre Thriller Translation Travel War Writing I did initially think it was a little unrealistic that Connors sister died AND his dad was in prison AND his mum was having a nervous breakdown AND he had cancer . This is completely made up for by the ending though which was unexpected and ties Connor and Skeates together in a really interesting way . I thought it was amazing .

The greatest writing hurdle was to find humour in pain whilst retaining emotion so that anyone experiencing similar feelings might find solace. Creativity helped me but the journey was not without agonies. Writing brings escape but it also exposes emotions and when someone reads any narrative it becomes their own and they’ll never understand it the way you do. That’s the beauty of script and the beast. If I could've held my eyes open for 20 more minutes, I would've finished this book in one sitting. It is really that good! I particularly enjoy books with quirky characters that make me laugh, and this one certainly does not disappoint. Unfortunately Connor escapes Stornoway without his medicines, and he’s not sure he can trust Skeates. It’s a good thing he’s feeling adventurous and positive towards most of the often illegal suggestions Skeates makes. This isn’t the only thing that Connor has going on with his life. His father is in prison and no one will tell him why. His mum works all the hours of the day and his younger sister was killed when he was younger. Basically, his family life is in a mess. After a particularly painful bout of bullying in physics lab, Connor and Skeates both end up in the hospital. Connor’s mom is out of the picture, and without anyone to care for him, he ends up in Dachaigh House – an institution for violent youths – with Skeates. Dun, dun, dun!ScotLitFest Virtual Book Festival - "Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist - A Chat with John Young" Review of the Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist by Books Over Humans - "Books Over Humans Review" I normally dislike books about dying teens, but this one had me feeling all the feels. I laughed (often), my heart raced during the get-aways, and yes, I even cried. Real tears!'

Forming an unlikely friendship with fellow juvenile delinquent Skeates, the pair stage a break out and set off on a crazy tour across Scotland — dodging the police, joy riding and extreme partying — to find Connor’s dad, an inmate at Shotts prison. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments John Young is a writer who is originally from Belfast and lives in Edinburgh. A former lawyer, he helped to found The Teapot Trust, a children's art therapy charity, with his wife Laura. He was a Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award winner in 2013. Press Articles

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I love Skeates and Connors friendship and I also love Skeates character development , under the surface he’s very kind and caring and just really really nice. Some of the Scottish slang was unclear (mostly because I don’t hail from Scotland), but I was able to figure it out with context clues. Don’t let the Scottish slang or occasional Gaelic phrases deter you from reading this book. At least the adult reader sits there knowing this will not, cannot, end well. But what kind of not well will it be? How soon might Connor die? Or will Skeates or the Glaswegian football supporters kill him before the cancer does? Or maybe the skiing in Aviemore, wearing unsuitable clothes? The joyriding? Which is very true. I don’t like ‘cancer books’ and I hate bullies and irresponsible behaviour. But while Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist has all this, it also has a lot of charm and fun and happiness to offer the reader. And before anyone says ‘well that’s easy for the author to write,’ the very sad fact is that John Young wrote the book as his own child was dying. I can’t even begin to understand where he got his strength from.