The Soup Movement by Ben Davis

To aid his recovery from a life-threatening illness, Jordan and his family move out of the city for a healthy new start. Jordan's getting enough funny looks as the new boy at school as it is, without his Mum giving him homemade soup every day for lunch! But when Ethan meets a homeless man called Harry, and gives him the soup, it is the start of an unlikely friendship.

---

What an amazing read.  On the surface it's pretty simple - trying to move past a life changing illness, Jordan finds himself the unwilling figurehead for a charity movement - but there's all kinds of other things going on under the surface.  Each family member reacts in their own way to Jordan's illness, and the diary of his time in hospital, interspersed with his adventures with the Soup Movement, provide a poignant look back.

Although I kind of guessed, in general, where Rio's storyline was going, it still made me tear up a few times. It's perfectly written, and the ending is wonderful and sad and perfect, all at the same time.

I'm hoping that this book will start a few mitzvahs among its readers. I'll be watching out for mine.