Zac y Mia

Brave and unconventional, it describes the strong attachment to life that arises when suffering from a serious illness.

While the cold, aseptic environment of a clinic is the last place a teenage couple would expect to start a meaningful relationship, sometimes chance surprises us with fortuitous encounters that mark our destiny.

Recovering from a bone marrow transplant, Zac has been alone and bored in the hospital for weeks when Mia, an impetuous girl his age, is admitted to the adjacent room. The initial taps on the wall are followed by the exchange of notes through the nurses and, finally, in the silence of the night, communication through Facebook. Gradually, a friendship born out of necessity gives way to a very special attraction that, however, will be put to a tough test when later on, everyday reality interposes some obstacles that Zac and Mia did not count on.

Narrated with a fresh sense of humor, authenticity, and delicacy, Zac and Mia is an exceptional story about two boys whose promising future crumbles beneath their feet. An intimate and moving novel that keeps the reader in suspense until the end.

Critics have said...
«The healing power of friendship, love, and family make this funny and philosophical tale about illness in adolescence outstanding.»
Kirkus Reviews

«With an elegant structure and a style and language devoid of any affectation, the characters in this novel are etched in the reader's memory and remain there for a long time.»
Ethel Turner Prize Jury

«Betts portrays cancer as something hard, scary, but that can be defeated - or, at least, endured - if one does not face it alone. Her protagonists, a boy who clings to life and a girl who realizes that she cannot prevent her life from changing, have enormous strength.»
Publishers Weekly

«Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down.»
The Hoopla