Jack's life changes dramatically from the moment the friendly new boy, Tony Thornton, sits next to him in class. Jack and his single mother are still grieving for his sister Jodie, who died in an accident. 'Thorns' soon has Jack involved in daring deeds such as challenging the school bullies, taking a day off school, climbing on the school roof instead of completing the cross-country...Jack agrees because Thorns has a list of things to do before he dies, and he could die at any time from an untreatable heart condition. As he tries to be a good mate for Thorns, Jack starts a list of his own and starts to draw again for the first time since Jodie died. There is no magical cure for Thorns, but in the end the two boys are going for a holiday with their parents where they hope to swim with dolphins, another item on Thorns' list.The characters and situations are easy for teenage readers to relate to; the plot has both continuity and enough incidents to keep the pages turning; and the novel is entertaining in spite of addressing the serious topics of death and grief.