The subject matter of Episode 249 is HEAVY because it mirrors the equally heavy subject matter of Lurlene McDaniel’s long career in YA “sick lit.” More specifically, Alli and her guest chat about Six Months to Live, the 1985 novel that began the Dawn Rochelle series. In it, seventh grader Dawn is diagnosed with cancer and forced to completely reorder her life accordingly. They discuss the draw of books like this for kids, the formula Lurlene McDaniel devised, tropes about grief and dying, evolution in tragic YA, representation, and more.

Kelly Loy Gilbert is the author of Conviction, Picture Us in the Light, When We Were Infinite, and Everyone Wants to Know. Follow her on Instagram (@kellyloygilbert) and Twitter (@KellyLoyGilbert).