Rules for 50/50 Chances
Risk of disease is fresh twist in romance/medical tale.
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Rules for 50/50 Chances is a coming-of-age romance with a healthy dose of medical drama. High school senior Rose's mother has Huntington's disease, and Rose has a 50/50 chance of carrying the genetic mutation that can cause it. Older teens in a serious relationship kiss, make out, and have sex. Using a condom's mentioned, although the sex isn't directly narrated. Adults and teens use strong language occasionally, including "f--k," "s--t," and variations of "ass." Love-interest Caleb is a strong African-American role model, patiently helping Rose navigate her uncertainty and supporting his own family through their medical crises. It may get kids thinking about coping with illness, racial equality, dealing with uncertainty, train travel, and more.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
High school senior Rose Levenson's mother has Huntington's disease, and Rose knows there's a 50/50 chance she's inherited the genetic mutation that can cause it. As she watches illness steadily eat away at the person who once was her mom, she feels like she's watching her own future in a crystal ball. With those odds hanging over her, Rose feels like she can't make any plans for her future, such as where to go to college or whether to pursue ballet, unless she knows whether she'll get Huntington's herself one day. So against conventional wisdom and her parents, Rose decides that as soon as she turns 18 in a few months, she'll take the blood test that will tell her if she carries the mutation. Enter Caleb, the handsome, smart guy whose own family battles sickle-cell anemia. What do the RULES OF 50/50 CHANCES say about falling in love?
Is It Any Good?
Debut-novelist Kate McGovern adds an extra twist to the now-standard, terminal-illness twist on this mixed romance and coming-of-age story: This time it's the mom who's ill. Teens will relate to Rose's struggles to make decisions about her future, and there's food for thought about issues of race, coping with a loved one's illness, love, and uncertainty. But as even love-interest Caleb says, Rose is exhausting. It's occasionally frustrating and tiresome watching her constant hand-wringing, which keeps her from being an entirely likable narrator.
The romance itself is fresh and feels realistic, and the illnesses are nicely handled: serious and refreshingly honest without being overwrought. It may not be the next Fault in Our Stars, but teens who like their romance with plenty of medical drama on the side will enjoy following Rose as she learns to enjoy what life has to offer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why medical issues, especially terminal illnesses, are often a big part of the books and movies we love. What do medical issues add to, or take away from, the story? What would Rose be like if her mother didn't have Huntington's disease?
How much did you know about genetic disorders before reading Rules for 50/50 Chances? Did anything about them, or about the characters coping with them, surprise you?
How realistic is Rose's decision? What do you think will happen to her and Caleb at the end of the summer? What about five or 10 years from now?
Book Details
- Author: Kate McGovern
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Arts and Dance, Friendship, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date: November 24, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 18
- Number of pages: 352
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
Our Editors Recommend
-
If I Stay
Gripping, unsentimental look at teen in coma.
-
Before I Fall
From suicide to bullying, every tough teen topic is present.
-
Kissing in America
Sweet, funny coming-of-age story about all kinds of love.
For kids who love romance and coming-of-age stories
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate