Ways to Live Forever
Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl.
And because he has leukaemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers to the questions nobody will answer.
My name is Sam. I am eleven years old. I collect stories and fantastic facts. By the time you read this, I will probably be dead.
True Facts About Ways to Live Forever
1.
I really did run up down escalators when I was writing this book. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for ages and I thought, if Sam can do it, so can I. I did it in the same place Sam does – at the Cornmill Centre in Darlington.
2.
The chapter Visits is based on something my mother did after I was diagnosed with diabetes as a child. It was supposed to be a funny scene – but it didn’t turn out that way when I wrote it.
3.
I deleted over 20,000 words while writing this book (the finished novel is around 32,000 words long). Some of the scenes I deleted include a list of famous last words, a description of how a dead body decomposes and a scene where Sam and Felix try and break their world record by dropping water bombs on Sam’s dad.
4.
There are a few real names and places in this book. Auntie Nicola, Auntie Sarah and Auntie Carolyn are named after friends of mine, as is Raoul, the airship pilot. Stanley Rhode (the airship captain) gets his name from Stanley Road, the street I lived on at university. My friends and I always meant to put Stanley Rhode into one of our essays but never did, so I put him in the book instead. High Strawberry – on Sam’s list of favourite things – is also a real place. We used to stay there when I was a child.
5.
The first words I wrote when I began this book were:
List No. 1 – Five Important Facts About Me
1. My name is David Oliver Robinson.
2. I am eleven years, two months and seven days old.
3. I have one sister. Her name is Katherine Anne Robinson and she is nine years old.
4. I have acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
5. By the time you read this, I will already be dead.
Reviews of Ways to Live Forever
“impressed by Sally Nicholls’ sensitive handling of terminal illness in Ways to Live Forever”
“Sympathetic, touching, and surprisingly funny…”
“Sally Nicholls has precisely captured the contents of an 11-year-old boy’s head in all its humorous, list-making splendour.”
February 15, 2011 @ 4:06 pm
Hi Sally,
I really love this novel.
I come from Holland. This book is also in the Netherlands. (Als je dit leest, ben ik dood) I love your books!
Good luck with the third!
Love
January 10, 2011 @ 2:49 am
it is a must read it was sooo touching sad and sometimes funny i smiled laughed and cried i recomend it for everyone!
January 7, 2011 @ 5:44 pm
hi! i love this book is really emotional my favourite part is when they talk to the ghost, i love ghosts! i read the book in a day! i love the drawings and notes.
December 23, 2010 @ 8:32 am
hi everyone!
this book ‘ways to live forever’is great!
5 treu fact about me:
1. my name is lizayra
2. i’m dutch
3. i’m 9 years old
4. i make this letter by myself
5. the book go back to the library because it’s out
December 19, 2010 @ 8:02 pm
Here are five facts about me:
1. my name is Fiona
2. I am 14 years old
3. I like collecting interesting facts and stories.
4. I have excema, braces, red hair, dyslexia and ADHD
5. My goal: is to do everything on Sam’s list by the end of 2011.
6. i’ve already done one. go up the down elevators.
December 15, 2010 @ 9:45 am
Acabo de leer el libro. Me ha encantado. Enhorabuena, has conseguido emocionarme con esta historia. En España, el título se ha traducido por “Esto no es justo” (This is not fair). Espero que los próximos libros sean aun mejores que este!!
December 13, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
hey…
i’m from india.ways to live forever is a book gifted to me from my school principal.i dont knw why, but i didnt read this book for 4 months. but when i started reading,i liked it so much that now, after 2 months of finishing it , i still feel the impact this book gave me.
Just wanna tell you that- this is one of my favourite books.just loved reading it.
December 2, 2010 @ 7:45 pm
Hi…
I am from Austria.I am 13 years old. The book “Ways to live forever” is the best book i have ever read. Sally, you are a fantastic author!! I hope you write some more…..
November 18, 2010 @ 3:40 pm
i am from india its the best book i ever read but from the title it appears to b a boring one
November 5, 2010 @ 7:01 pm
i love the book ways to live forever;!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!