Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
BOOK: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
SUMMARY: This book was such an emotional journey! It is about a high school senior named Mia. She is extremely close with her two parents and younger brother Teddy. Mia has a best friend named Kim and a boyfriend that she is head-over-heels in love with named Adam. The books begins with Mia hanging out with her family one morning and as the reader, you immediately get the impression of just how close and loving this family is. They are all talking, laughing, and discussing what they will be doing for the day as Mia and her brother had school cancelled because of a snow day. Their dad, being a teacher, also had school cancelled, so the mom decided she would take off, too, and spend the day with the family. They all pile into the car to head out and run some errands and then have dinner with the grandparents. In a sad and tragic moment, they get into a terrible car accident. Mia's parents and younger brother Teddy all die immediately. Mia is taken to the hospital where she is in a coma. Oddly enough, Mia is not physically in her body as she is awake in an almost dreamlike state. She can see her body laying in the hospital bed, she can walk down the hallway and see her extended family in the waiting room yet nobody can see her nor can she feel anything. She does not understand why she is in this state she is in. Throughout the story, it goes back and forth between the hospital and past memories in Mia and her family's life. Music is a major part of the story as Mia's father used to be a musician and both parents are still really into music. Mia may attend Juilliard in NYC after high school and Adam is in a rock band that is becoming more and more popular.
All along in the book, Mia is debating what she should do. Should she pass on and be with her family? Or should she stay and be with her best friend, boyfriend, and extended family? While figuring out what she wants to do, various people visit her and talk to her in her comatose state. Her grandfather tells her that it is OK if she wants to pass on and be with her parents and brother. Adam, Mia's boyfriend, gives her his plea towards the end of the story which seems to help Mia decide on what she should do. ***SPOILER: Adam, holding Mia's hand in his, begs Mia to stay. He explains that he can be there for her or if she needs time away from him and wants to start a new life, then he is completely OK with that. He just wants her to be able to live her life, go to Juilliard, have a family of her own, etc. After his heartfelt speech, his hand feels a tight grip...It's Mia.
CONNECTION TO YA LIT CRITERIA:
1. YA authors write from the viewpoint of young people: Mia, a high school senior, is the narrator of this story. Everything is told from her viewpoint.
2. YA lit gets rid of parents so the young person is free to take credit for his/her own accomplishments: While her parents are present in the beginning of the story and mentioned throughout the entire story, Mia's ultimate decision is made without her parents and solely by herself.
3. YA it is fast paced: I would say this story is very fast paced. The car accident happens right at the beginning of the book. Mia is contemplating what to do throughout the entire story which can make it seem slow at times yet it is such an emotional, tense-filled ride that I practically flew through the book as I wanted to find out the ending. Because it goes back and forth between the present time in the hospital and past memories, it seems to make the book a lot quicker.
4. YA lit includes a variety of genres and subjects: This book discusses a wide variety of subjects. The two most important ones are life and death. It also discusses family, music, love, memory, etc.
5. Successful YA novels deal with emotions that are important to young adults: This story deals with life/death/emotion/love/loss/friendship/family/romance/etc. It is definitely a relatable story as it covers numerous YA emotions.
LINK: http://www.gayleforman.com/ --> Here is a link to the author's site.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128800556 --> This is a link to an article of a review of the book.
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/10/21/dakota-fanning-if-i-stay/ --> I thought this was pretty cool. It is an article that talks about the movie adaptation of "If I Stay" and how Dakota Fanning might play Mia!
OPINION: I really liked this book. While it is extremely traumatic and deeply saddening, it is also uplifting and moving. It is a story like no other that I have ever read. I felt like it was such a unique story that really hits all of your emotions. It did remind me of a movie called "Just Like Heaven" starring Reese Witherspoon where she is in a coma yet not physically attached to her body. (It's a great romantic comedy for anyone that hasn't seen it!) While this book is riveting, I do not feel this book is appropriate for anyone younger than high school-aged children. I do think that "If I Stay" would be a great read for high school students. This whole idea of life and death is relatable to every single person which is why I feel it could be used in a classroom. Now it is quite sad, especially at the beginning, so it may be too much for students. It does seem like it could be useful though for students to read because it does raise a lot of questions to oneself if you were in Mia's position. Overall, it is such a touching story that really does open your eyes and defines what truly is important in life.
SUMMARY: This book was such an emotional journey! It is about a high school senior named Mia. She is extremely close with her two parents and younger brother Teddy. Mia has a best friend named Kim and a boyfriend that she is head-over-heels in love with named Adam. The books begins with Mia hanging out with her family one morning and as the reader, you immediately get the impression of just how close and loving this family is. They are all talking, laughing, and discussing what they will be doing for the day as Mia and her brother had school cancelled because of a snow day. Their dad, being a teacher, also had school cancelled, so the mom decided she would take off, too, and spend the day with the family. They all pile into the car to head out and run some errands and then have dinner with the grandparents. In a sad and tragic moment, they get into a terrible car accident. Mia's parents and younger brother Teddy all die immediately. Mia is taken to the hospital where she is in a coma. Oddly enough, Mia is not physically in her body as she is awake in an almost dreamlike state. She can see her body laying in the hospital bed, she can walk down the hallway and see her extended family in the waiting room yet nobody can see her nor can she feel anything. She does not understand why she is in this state she is in. Throughout the story, it goes back and forth between the hospital and past memories in Mia and her family's life. Music is a major part of the story as Mia's father used to be a musician and both parents are still really into music. Mia may attend Juilliard in NYC after high school and Adam is in a rock band that is becoming more and more popular.
All along in the book, Mia is debating what she should do. Should she pass on and be with her family? Or should she stay and be with her best friend, boyfriend, and extended family? While figuring out what she wants to do, various people visit her and talk to her in her comatose state. Her grandfather tells her that it is OK if she wants to pass on and be with her parents and brother. Adam, Mia's boyfriend, gives her his plea towards the end of the story which seems to help Mia decide on what she should do. ***SPOILER: Adam, holding Mia's hand in his, begs Mia to stay. He explains that he can be there for her or if she needs time away from him and wants to start a new life, then he is completely OK with that. He just wants her to be able to live her life, go to Juilliard, have a family of her own, etc. After his heartfelt speech, his hand feels a tight grip...It's Mia.
CONNECTION TO YA LIT CRITERIA:
1. YA authors write from the viewpoint of young people: Mia, a high school senior, is the narrator of this story. Everything is told from her viewpoint.
2. YA lit gets rid of parents so the young person is free to take credit for his/her own accomplishments: While her parents are present in the beginning of the story and mentioned throughout the entire story, Mia's ultimate decision is made without her parents and solely by herself.
3. YA it is fast paced: I would say this story is very fast paced. The car accident happens right at the beginning of the book. Mia is contemplating what to do throughout the entire story which can make it seem slow at times yet it is such an emotional, tense-filled ride that I practically flew through the book as I wanted to find out the ending. Because it goes back and forth between the present time in the hospital and past memories, it seems to make the book a lot quicker.
4. YA lit includes a variety of genres and subjects: This book discusses a wide variety of subjects. The two most important ones are life and death. It also discusses family, music, love, memory, etc.
5. Successful YA novels deal with emotions that are important to young adults: This story deals with life/death/emotion/love/loss/friendship/family/romance/etc. It is definitely a relatable story as it covers numerous YA emotions.
LINK: http://www.gayleforman.com/ --> Here is a link to the author's site.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128800556 --> This is a link to an article of a review of the book.
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/10/21/dakota-fanning-if-i-stay/ --> I thought this was pretty cool. It is an article that talks about the movie adaptation of "If I Stay" and how Dakota Fanning might play Mia!
OPINION: I really liked this book. While it is extremely traumatic and deeply saddening, it is also uplifting and moving. It is a story like no other that I have ever read. I felt like it was such a unique story that really hits all of your emotions. It did remind me of a movie called "Just Like Heaven" starring Reese Witherspoon where she is in a coma yet not physically attached to her body. (It's a great romantic comedy for anyone that hasn't seen it!) While this book is riveting, I do not feel this book is appropriate for anyone younger than high school-aged children. I do think that "If I Stay" would be a great read for high school students. This whole idea of life and death is relatable to every single person which is why I feel it could be used in a classroom. Now it is quite sad, especially at the beginning, so it may be too much for students. It does seem like it could be useful though for students to read because it does raise a lot of questions to oneself if you were in Mia's position. Overall, it is such a touching story that really does open your eyes and defines what truly is important in life.
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