Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Steven’s dad initially struggles to come to terms with Jeffrey’s leukemia. He deals with his emotions by becoming increasingly silent at home and working long hours at the office. As an accountant and the sole provider for the family after his wife leaves her job, he also feels the burden of their financial troubles particularly acutely. After Steven accuses his father of being “irresponsible” because of how he has handled Jeffrey’s illness, his dad begins to realize that his family needs him to be more emotionally present at home and starts to work harder to spend more time with his wife and sons. 

Steven’s mom is an English teacher who takes a leave of absence from her job after Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia so that she can care for him full time. For most of the time that Jeffrey is sick, she serves as his primary caretaker and oversees his doctors’ visits and frequent trips to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. Steven sometimes feels neglected by his mother because she is so focused on his younger brother, but he eventually starts to appreciate all she has done for Jeffrey and realizes that she would have done the same for him. 

Jeffrey, also called “Jeffy,” is Steven’s five-year-old brother who is diagnosed with leukemia. Jeffrey is very talkative, amusing, and precocious. Steven describes him as an extremely adorable child with “little blond ringlets like the ones on the angels you see on the posters in art class” (4). Throughout his chemo treatments, Jeffrey remains cheerful and resilient, even when he is feeling very sick. Above all, Jeffrey idolizes his older brother and would do anything to be like him. 

Annette is Steven’s friend and a talented pianist. She is the only other eighth-grader in the All-City Jazz Band besides Steven and plans to audition for an intensive program for high school students at Juilliard School of Music. At the beginning of their eighth-grade year, it is apparent that Annette has a crush on Steven, but he does not realize the extent of her feelings for him. Annette is an exceptionally empathetic and discerning person and immediately notices when Steven starts to act differently after Jeffrey’s diagnosis. When she breaks her arm and can no longer play in All-City Band, Annette turns her misfortune into an opportunity to transform the concert into a benefit performance for the Alper family. Over the course of the year, Steven learns to value her resilience, good humor, and compassion. By their eighth-grade graduation, Annette is Steven’s girlfriend. 

Renee is the “hottest girl in school.” Steven has been in love with her since third grade. Renee is very popular, has a high school boyfriend, and rarely pays attention to Steven, even though they live near each other and have known each other since elementary school. Over the course of their eighth-grade year, Renee develops newfound respect for Steven after seeing how he handles his brother’s battle with cancer, and the two of them become friends.

Samantha is a cancer patient at the Children’s Hospital who Steven befriends when he accompanies Jeffrey to Philadelphia. Like Jeffrey, Sam has ALL. Her cancer has returned twice in the last four years, and she now has to spend most of her time in the hospital. Sam has an older sister in college who rarely makes time to visit her in the hospital. When Steven returns to the hospital with Jeffrey in April, he learns that Sam has passed away without her sister by her side. 

Mrs. Galley is Steven’s school counselor. Steven initially does not want to confide in Mrs. Galley, but once he finally breaks down and tells his teachers about Jeffrey’s leukemia, she becomes an important source of support and advice. 

Miss Palma is Steven’s English teacher. Miss Palma cares about her students a great deal and is very concerned about Steven when she learns about his brother’s illness. One example of the way that Miss Palma shows her respect for her students is by giving them the opportunity to fold over the page of their daily journal entries if they write something that they do not want her to read. 

Mr. Watras, often called “Mr. W.” by his students, is Steven’s band teacher and the director of the All-City Jazz Band. Mr. Watras let Steven join the high school jazz band after recognizing Steven’s musical talent and often coaches him individually to encourage his playing. 

Mr. Stoll is the drum teacher from whom Steven has been taking private lessons for over five years. Mr. Stoll is very supportive of Steven’s musical ambitions and attends all his school concerts.