Ways to Live Forever facts for kids
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| Author | Sally Nicholls |
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| Illustrator | Sarah J. Coleman |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's |
| Publisher | Marion Lloyd Books |
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Publication date
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7 January 2008 |
| Pages | 215 pp |
| ISBN | 978-1-4071-0499-7 |
| OCLC | 173499434 |
Ways to Live Forever is a special children's novel written by Sally Nicholls. It was first published in 2008. This was Sally Nicholls' very first novel, and she wrote it when she was 23 years old. The book tells a touching story about a young boy's journey.
The book has won several awards. It received the 2008 Waterstones Children's Book Prize, which is a big award for children's books. It also won the 2008 Glen Dimplex (Irish) New Writers Award and the 2008 German Luchs des Jahres. In 2009, it won the Bristol-based Concorde Children's Book Award and was a finalist for the 2009 Manchester Book Award.
About the Story: Sam's Journey
The main character in Ways to Live Forever is an 11-year-old boy named Sam Oliver McQueen. Sam has cancer. The story begins when his best friend, Felix, passes away. Sam feels confused and sad. He writes in his book that people should have been happy and telling jokes at Felix's funeral. He also wishes Felix had worn his favorite shirt. Sam then decides he wants his own funeral to be different.
A few weeks later, doctors realize Sam's medicine isn't working well anymore. Sam decides to stop taking all his medication. He was tired of treatments that didn't help him feel better. Sam has a list of "Things to do" that he wants to finish. About a month later, he has a dream about his family. He sees his dad, mum, and sister Ella all sleeping together. When he wakes up, his dad is there and tells him, "I love you." Sam then drifts back to sleep.
Sam passes away peacefully in his sleep, without any pain. Before he died, he gave his parents a special form to fill out about his death. This way, he could finish his book even after he was gone. His father adds the last comment to Sam's book, explaining that Sam died quietly and was not in pain.
The Book Around the World
Ways to Live Forever has been translated into many different languages. When it first came out, it was translated into Dutch. The Dutch title, Als je dit leest, ben ik dood, means "When you read this, I'll be dead." This title comes from one of the first lines in the book.
The book has also been translated into Portuguese for both Brazil and Portugal. The Portuguese title is O Menino que Sonhava Chegar à Lua, meaning "The Boy who Dreamed of Reaching the Moon." In Brazil, it's called Como Viver Eternamente, which means "How to Live Forever." The Indonesian title is Setelah Aku Pergi ("After I'm Gone"), and the French title is Quand vous lirez ce livre... ("When you read this book ..."). The Italian version is "Volevo vivere per sempre" ("I wanted to live forever"), and the German title is Wie man unsterblich wird ("How to become immortal").
From Book to Screen and Sound
The story of Ways to Live Forever was made into a film. The movie was directed by Gustavo Ron and came out in theaters worldwide on October 23, 2012. It stars actors like Robbie Kay, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, and Emilia Fox. Many critics gave the film good reviews.
The book was also turned into a German radio drama. A radio drama is like a play you listen to, with voices and sound effects. This version was directed by Angeli Backhausen and made by the WDR radio station. The main voice actors were Kai Hogenacker and Patrick Mölleken. They were very young when they won the Deutscher Hörbuchpreis 2010 (German Audio Book Award 2010) for their amazing work.
The jury for the award said that a "special book was made into a wonderful radio drama." They praised the voice actors and the gentle direction. They felt it was a "serious, unpathetic masterpiece" that was light but also made listeners sad while giving them hope.
The radio drama also received many other honors. It was ranked first on the hr2-Hörbuchbestenliste (hr2 Radio Drama Leaderboard). It won the Kinder- und Jugendhörspielpreis (Children and Youth Radio Drama Award) from the MDR Radio Council. It was named "CD of the Month" by a special institute and received the Auditorix Hörbuch-Siegel 2009 (Auditorix Radio Drama Seal 2009). It was also recognized on the März-Bestenliste (March Leaderboard) and won a Vierteljahrespreis (Quarterly Critics' Choice) from the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics' Award). It was even nominated for the Jahrespreis (Annual Award).
