The View from a Kite by Maureen Hull

“Let go! Let go!” shrieked my mother from where she sat, sideways in the front passenger seat, feet on the ground, stocking rolled down and her dress lifted past her knees to let the air circulate. I let go, and the earth smacked me and the kite twisted out of sight.”
“Gone to heaven,” he said, before I could think about crying. “It’s taking all the bad luck away, Gwen. In China they have a special ceremony called Driving Away the Devil; they fly kites and then turn them loose so they carry away all the bad luck.” 

Set in the 1970′s, The View From a Kite follows tuberculosis-stricken seventeen-year-old Gwen, who is forced to stay in the sanatorium. Narrated by Gwen, an aspiring young writer, this book on a serious topic becomes entertaining and informative. Beyond her battle to overcome TB is her coming to terms with a family tragedy and her growing self-awareness. Gwen comments on her own life and the experiences of other TB patients, discovers shocking secrets about her past and fights her disease with incomparable spirit and spunk, making readers cheer for her through these tough times.