Common Sense Media Review
Gripping, unsentimental look at teen in coma.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
Parents say that while some readers find the book engaging and suitable for older teens due to its thought-provoking themes and strong character development, others are concerned about its heavy content, including profanity and sexual scenes, making it potentially inappropriate for younger readers. Overall, opinions on its suitability for various age groups vary greatly, with some parents feeling it may be too intense for their children, while others believe it is fine for them to read.
- suitable age range
- heavy content concerns
- engaging narrative
- varied opinions
- thought-provoking themes
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 72 kid reviews
What's the Story?
Mia, a gifted cellist who may be heading to Julliard next year, barely survives a horrific car accident that kills her family. As her broken body is extracted from the wreck, rushed to the hospital, and worked on by doctors, Mia hovers between life and death in a coma. She finds herself out of body, able to walk invisibly through the hospital and listen in on family, friends, doctors, and nurses. Roaming the corridors and her memories, she realizes that she has a choice: Does she want to struggle through a life without a family and perhaps crippling injuries, or will she let go and perhaps rejoin the loved ones she has lost?
Is It Any Good?
Media about dying teens often plays out as mawkish melodramas; how satisfying, then, to find a book that's actually well-written, compelling, honest, and unsentimentally moving. Through Mia's disembodied thoughts and flashbacks we get to know not only her, but also her quirky, semi-punk parents, her sweetly energetic brother, her friends, and especially her boyfriend, Adam -- and all of them are appealing characters.
Despite the supernatural, out-of-body premise, author Gayle Forman keeps Mia's story grittily real, perhaps a bit excessively so in the accident scene (which demonstrates the power of metaphor and grim humor to unsettle the reader), but also in the characterizations, relationships, and hospital routines. She lets the situation play itself out matter-of-factly, relying on the power of the events to speak for themselves, rather than bringing in the literary equivalent of throbbing violins to wring sobs out of readers. This is moving and very thought-provoking, but never manipulative or melodramatic.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teen books and movies that deal with a young person's death. What other titles can you think of? Why is this a topic that resonates with teens? How does this book compare and contrast with other media?
This book's topic is intense -- as are the descriptions of the accident and some of the sexual material and language. Should a book ever be off limits to teens? Who should decide?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Family Life
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dutton Children's Books
- Publication date : April 1, 2009
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 201
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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