Some of the Parts

Gr 7 Up—High schooler Tallie McGovern is struggling to deal with the death of her older brother, Nate, who was killed in a car accident. She finds it difficult to even utter his name and goes to great lengths to attempt to keep his spirit alive—even participating in a séance. One day, two words arrive in the mail and change the way she feels about his death: organ donor. Her parents never told her that her brother's organs were donated. Posing as one of her parents, she attempts to contact LifeChoice—an organ donation service located in Connecticut. Her friend Chase also has connections through his dad and attempts to find the organ recipients. Sad at times, the novel will resonate with teens, who will feel Tallie's desperation and want her to seek more help for her grief than she does. Her risky attempt seems like something that will never work, but she does make progress, even though her choices are not the best. While Tallie's character development is a long time coming, the plot moves along quickly and is easy to follow. Any teen who has been affected by the death of a loved one will be touched by this story.