The Fault in Our Stars

 

    Most people will say they know the movie, so they don't need to read the book.  I'll be honest, I saw the movie before I read the book, which is not normally how I operate.  Hazel has been living with cancer that started as thyroid cancer, but then spread to her lungs causing her to need an oxygen tank at all times of the day.  She goes to a support group where she meets Augustus who has been in remission after losing his leg years ago.  Hazel is reluctant to act on romantic feelings for him because her cancer could kill her.  She shares with him a book that she considers to be a favorite and Augustus develops a plan to travel to Amsterdam to meet the author.  The plan comes to light, but they discover the author is rude and drunk.  A surprise at the end of their trip comes to Hazel when Augustus shares that his cancer has come back and is much worse.  They return home where Hazel remains with Augustus until his death.  

    I do like how the author provided a small plot twist when Augustus passed away before Hazel.  When most readers hear a summary like this, they would have expected Hazel to fall in love and then be forced to make him let go due to her impending death.  

    I would definitely use this book as a way to compare the movie to the book. It would also be a fun project for secondary students to choose other books that have been made into movies and compare and contrast them to the books.  

Green, J. (2013). The fault in our stars. Penguin Books.