Hummingbird Heart

Gr 9 Up—Dylan, 16, has tried to reach out to the father she never met for eight years-or so she thought. When he reaches out to her for a serious favor, her life as she knew it falls into a tailspin. She discovers that her mother never sent annual photos to him as she believed, causing Dylan to question what else her mother has lied about, and her father reveals she has a four-year-old half sister who is dying of cancer. At the same time, Dylan is forced to reevaluate her relationship with her best friend, Toni, who may be pregnant, and decide how far she'll go with Jax, an attractive boy with a shady reputation. The drama in environmentally conscious Dylan's life is paralleled to global disaster. Vividly descriptive language enriches the story—air "full of the thick sour smell of unsaid things" and "corrosive fear." A raw and honest tone runs through the novel; when deciding whether or not to get tested as a bone-marrow match for her ailing half sister, Dylan pauses to wonder if she'd get to see her father more if Casey did die. The book can be described as a blending of Leslie Connor's Waiting for Normal (HarperCollins, 2008) and Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper (Atria, 2004). Teens will relate to the themes of family, love, trust, and moral obligation. Discussion of abortion, sex, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, underage drinking, and smoking marijuana are included, and under the surface this page-turner invites readers to reflect on decision-making and appreciate the fact that actions have deep consequences—Nicole Knott, Watertown High School, CT