If I Stay

“Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.”

If I Stay
by Gayle Forman
201 p. Dutton. 2009
Gr 9 Up

When snow cancels school, 17-year-old Mia and her family decide to take a drive, but the trip takes a turn for the worse when they are hit by an oncoming driver, killing her parents and gravely injuring her and her younger brother.  As she is separated from her body, she becomes a spirit-like observer forced to decide if she should stay or go.  Over 24 hours, Mia narrates the care given to her by her medical team, friends, extended family, and boyfriend and reminisces on her past, revealing the details and complexities of her relationships.  Mia is torn not only between pursuing her love of music at Julliard and a future with her boyfriend in Oregon, but also the decision to fight to survive and giving in to the resulting sadness and despair over the accident.  Beautifully written, this is a thought-provoking story that will stay with teens long after the final page.

The Feels

I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind or what, but I, honestly, was not a huge fan of this book.  That is to say, I did not weep one bit, and from the description, I really thought I would be an emotional mess.  The story is beautifully written, however, seamlessly weaving the past and present narratives together to create an affecting story about tragedy and grieving.  Teens will easily identify with Mia’s honest portrayal of her insecurities and doubts.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe

From the bestselling author of Catching Jordan, comes a brand new book in Miranda Kenneally’s Hundred Oaks series: Breathe, Annie, Breathe.  This one takes place post-high school, so it could be considered “New Adult,” which is sort of a sub-genre of Young Adult, just with “slightly older” characters. I, personally, am really excited about the New Adult (NA) genre, because it deals with a lot of issues that I can relate to, i.e. the difficulties of post-adolescent life: first love, starting college, getting a job, etc. Bookshelvers Anonymous gives a really persuasive argument for NA literature, that really resonates with my feelings about the genre.  I could go on and on about New Adult, but I won’t bore you. If you’re interested in learning more about this hot topic, I suggest checking out some of the following posts, “New Adult 2012 Edition,” “New Adult: It’s not about the sex (but don’t be afraid of the sex either),” “Some Thoughts on ‘New Adult’ and Also ‘Cross-Unders,’” “The New Adult Category: Thoughts and Questions.”

 Breathe, Annie, Breathe
by Miranda Kenneally
306 p. Sourcebooks Fire. July 2014.
Gr 9 Up.

Feeling partially responsible for the death of her boyfriend, Kyle, Annie is training to complete Nashville’s Music City Marathon, the race her track boyfriend had been working towards all of the last year.  But Annie hates running. In fact, the first time she begins training, she ties on her sneakers, heads to the high school track ready to log some huge distances, but is only able to make it around the track twice before her lungs begin burning and her shins throbbing.  Determined to not give up, Annie joins an intense 6 month training group so she can finish running more than half a mile.  Training is gruesome for Annie: she’s slow, her knees aren’t made for long distance running, and her stomach is incredibly sensitive, and there may even be some chafing. Though the support of her running friends and coach keep Annie running.  But everything is complicated when Annie unexpectedly connects with her coach’s brother, Jeremiah, an adrenaline junkie.  Struggling with her guilt surrounding Kyle’s death, Annie is hesitant to start a relationship, especially with someone who is frequently taking risks that land him in the hospital.  Thoughtful, heartfelt, and hopeful, this story will prove to be an inspiration and motivation to readers to push past tragedy and “feel again.”

The Feels

I’m not sure how I’ve never read a Miranda Kenneally book until now.   I really like Kenneally’s portrayal of healthy and active characters, emotionally and physically.  Annie’s grieving and growth are realistic, and the novel takes a good look at the process of healing. Moreover, readers may also gain some useful running tips from the book; I especially like that Kenneally gave an accurate and hard protract of struggles of pushing your body to its physical limits.  It just makes Annie’s determination all the more admirable.  In truth, I might have been a little inspired lace up my running shoes after finishing the book! I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to run a marathon though, but we’ll see.

The book isn’t all about romance; in fact, Jeremiah is supportive, kind, flirty, and patient enough to be the friend Annie needs until she’s ready for something more.

Annie is super likable: she’s thoughtful, determined, and a little sassy. I really enjoyed the book, but I wasn’t overwhelmed with feels.  However, it’s a light, inspiring book that I think is definitely worth a read; it really makes you think about living in the now.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Technically, King’s books are classified as magical realism, a genre that walks the line between a number of genres and expectations (think Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel), but it is contemporary with realistic elements. Also, A.S. King is amazing.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz
by A.S. King
326 p. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. October 2010.
Gr 9 Up

High school senior Vera Dietz knows more about the night her best friend, Charlie, died then she lets on.  Tormented by Charlie’s betrayal and the disintegration of their lifelong friendship, Vera’s not ready to face the truth about that night.  Yet she’s haunted by thousands of Charlies that she can see, hear, and feel—ghosts that seemingly steal the air out of her lungs.  The story unfolds from the varying perspectives of Vera, Charlie, Vera’s father, and the town’s landmark Pagoda thereby capturing a more complete picture of Vera’s plight.  This haunting, tragic, and ultimately redemptive book deserves a place among any YA collection.

The Feels

This is a gripping story, but it’s a hard one.  There’s a lot of bad things that have happened to Vera—a former stripper mother who left them, an emotionally absent, recovering alcoholic of a father, a neighbor who beats his wife, and let’s not forget the dead best friend—and initially Vera turns to alcohol to “cope.”  Watching the beautiful friendship of Charlie and Vera unravel through flashbacks tore at my heart, almost as much as the chapters from “the dead kid.”  But after I moved past the tears, I found Vera’s redemption powerful, leaving me feeling hopeful.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz won a Printz honor, which it rightly deserved; it’s a perfect combination of literary merit and teen appeal. I look forward to reading some of King’s other novels in the future.