Skip to main content

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Book name and author
My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
"It tells the story of 13-year-old Anna, who litigates her parents for medical emancipation when she is expected to donate a kidney to her sister Kate, who is dying from leukemia." From Wikipedia

Why I chose this book
My sister recommended it

My personal opinion (the review)
Full of teenage angst and "no one understands me" drama, but also an incredibly compelling story. No one is shallow, no one is easy to hate, everyone's normal- and messed up. It's a great book, until the end. The end was such a disappointment that I almost don't recommend it. Tell you what, stop right after the court case closes and it'll be a great book. Keep reading if you need a good, cleansing cry.

Warnings (language, violence, "adult" situations, death, etc.)
Language: scattered, some of it strong, but it's rare enough that it doesn't stick out in my mind
Violence: none
Adult situations: two of the main characters have a sexual past that they reflect on; some sexual situations, but they quickly "fade to the next morning"
Death: cannot respond, might (or might not) involve a spoiler (see the synopsis)

Movie rating equivalent
PG-16 (not "R" material, but I wouldn't let a 13-year old read it)

Protagonist description
Anna is healthy, Kate is very sick. Anna is supposed to be the younger sibling, but is forced into being more like the older one.

Point of view of story
Flips between the 2 girls, their parents, the lawyer, and the guardian ad litem. Tough to keep straight who's narrating- I had to check constantly.

Book length
Long. There were so many flashbacks and side stories and so much backstory, that it could easily have been 500 pages. It wasn't, but it could have.

Story flow
No part of it dragged, but the story line was often quiet and calm

Grammar and spelling issues
None

Character connection (no spoilers)
Campbell had me chuckling constantly. I'd read a prequel about him, if there were one.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

Summary: Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree asks you to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. (Amazon) Attention Span/reading level: Perfect for my three year old. I would say that ages 2-10 would really enjoy something like this. It really keeps kids engaged and makes them feel like part of the story. There is one word to one sentence per page. Good uses for book in teaching: Interaction, that the reader takes part in making the story, what a tree can do (leaves, blossoms, fruit) Favorite part:      Child: The fact that ...

Improbable Libraries Alex Johnson

Concept: " A visual journey to the world's most unusual libraries." Author : Alex Johnson, a journalist and consultant . Both parents were librarians.  Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining): 8 - Overall I found this book quite interesting. I loved seeing all the ways that people were working to bring books into the community and how many were trying to create a sense of community through books. The pictures did a great job of helping to visualize how these libraries are being used.  Difficulty level: 3- Not very hard. Each of the seven sections (Libraries on the Move, Animal Libraries,Tiny Libraries, Big Libraries, Home Libraries, Mobile Libraries, and Not Libraries) starts with a short introduction and then gives a picture (or three) of the library described.  What I Learned/Review:  I really found this to be an enlightening and uplifting book. Having been a librarian and having a love for books in general it warms my heart to see all the ways that ...

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Vin relies on her fighting skills, and a little extra "luck" to survive in the thief's world. Then comes Kelsier, a master thief and planner, showing her that what she calls luck is really much more. Kelsier and his crew plan to use a variety of special powers to free an entire population of slaves, including themselves, from tyranny. But, as always, there's far more to the story. Category Science Fiction or Fantasy Why I chose this book Rated highly on the library site My personal opinion (the review) Definitely the best story I've read in the past year. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. Special abilities, fighting, romance, social justice - this has it all. And not a single bad word or uncomfortable situation. Warnings Language: None Violence: frequent, some mildly graphic "Adult" situations: None Death: Some, and of major characters Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagon...