If I Stay

* Bibliographic information
Forman, G. If I Stay. Penguin Group, 2009. ISBN: 9780525421030


* Plot Summary
This is a book about the love of family, friends, and music. When Mia and her family are in a horrible car accident, she sees her parents dead bodies and goes looking for her brother only to find her only body lying by the road. She then wonders if she is dead. Her and her bother are taken to the hospital where she sees herself lying in a hotel bed; they say she is in a coma. While in this state she remembers the past and watches as her family members come to visit her in the hospital. The struggles with the important decision of staying or going. She goes back and forth, thinking about the past and her current state; she thinks about the relationships with her friends and boyfriend but also about the parents that she just lost, and she wonders if it is worth it to stay and live or let go and die.


* Critical Evaluation
A beautifully written story about love and relationships. Mia is forced to decide if she wants to hold on and keep living which would mean staying; or let go of what she has left. That would be a horrible choice for anyone to make but especially for a teen; who has barely lived at all. Mature teens will love the severity and depth that the author went to in order to create such an important story. By showing all the important people in Mia’s life going to visit her it shows how well liked she is; it is sad to read about people losing someone they love but Forman does it in a good way with some light humor so readers do not end up sobbing all over their books. This is a brilliantly done story of love and death and the relationships we make and cherish in our lives.


* Reader’s Annotation
What do you do when your whole life has changed and you are staring down at your body, do you stay and live, or go and die?


* Information about the author
Forman likes to write for young adults because she thinks they are the ones who care about serious topics and she also likes to write stories about young people. She is married and has a baby. To find out more about her and her books check out http://www.gayleforman.com/.


* Genre
Teen Fiction; Issues, Death


* Curriculum Ties, if any
I do not feel this book can be placed into a curriculum but I do feel it is a good book for parents and teens to read at home because it teaches about the power of love and what relationships truly mean when you reach the end of your life.


* Booktalking Ideas
1) If you had to make the same decision as Mia, what would you decide?
2) Talk about the character of Adam and how important he is in Mia’s decision.
3) What does Mia’s decision say about her and what type of person she is?


* Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 9 and Up / 14-18 year olds


* Challenge Issues and Defense
N/A


* Why did you include this book in your titles you selected?
I included this in my selection when I saw it on the website of the director Catherine Hardwicke; she is developing a movie adaptation of it. I thought it must be an interesting book for her to pick it. Once I found out more about it I knew it was a good one to read. The decision Mia has to make is so monumental. Most teens would not be able to handle a situation like that, but of course they would have to; they would mature real fast. I like that the author had so many people come in and tell Mia to stay; it was a heart wrenching book but it was so amazing I had to continue to the end.