I love how the title of this book, How to save a life (Little, Brown and Company, 2011) by Sara Zarr, applies to multiple situations and characters in this story. Told in two viewpoints from two teen girls from very different backgrounds we see the world through them in very different ways. I love how the author has made me sympathetic for both girls even though they have opposing needs.
Here’s a brief intro to the girls:
There’s Jill, who has lost her father, and whose mother is doing this crazy thing of taking in a girl to adopt the girl’s baby, like that will replace Dad.
And there’s Mandy, who is pregnant, hopefully because of the wonderful experience she had at the fair, and not something else, is looking for a home for a child and a place to stay while she waits for him to be born.
Throw in Jill’s boyfriend, who is bonding with Mandy, and the tension rises.
Don’t pass on this very good award winning book by the wonderful Sara Zarr. Her website has been re-designed, so if you haven’t been there for a while, check it out. You might also be interested in her blog where she’s been posting episodes of “This Creative Life.”