Always Smile

Written by Alice Kuipers

Not long ago, seventeen-year-old Carley Allison had it all. She was on the edge of fame as a singer and composer. She was reaching for the highest levels as a competitive skater. She had a brand-new boyfriend and a golden future waiting after graduation. Her world came crashing down when she was diagnosed with a rare kind of cancer in her trachea. Her case, doctors said, was one in 3.5 billion.

Faced with an uncertain new future, Carley did what she always did: she rose to the challenge. Cancer treatment tested her, but Carley was fearless and strong. Told she might never sing again, Carley beat the odds and performed on television for an audience of millions. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said, introducing her, “The voice you’re about to hear is a miracle …”

Carley died before her twenty-first birthday, but her memory lives on in the countless people she touched with her courage. Bestselling author Alice Kuipers (Me & Me, Life on the Refrigerator Door) weaves their stories with the blog Carley kept in the final months of her life. These many voices — plus plenty of Carley’s texts and photos — show her transformation from ordinary to extraordinary, and convey her personal rules for living well in the worst of times.

Some readers will know Carley already, whether from videos she shared on YouTube, from her heroic public performances, or from the internationally-acclaimed movie Kiss and Cry inspired by Carley’s story and starring her real-life friend Sarah Fisher (Degrassi) This tribute to her life and legacy will appeal to her admirers and inspire those who are meeting Carley for the first time. Always Smile a book that will linger and resonate in a reader’s heart.