Forman, Gayle.
IF I STAY
New York : Dutton Books, 2009
IL YA
ISBN 0525421033

(2 booktalks)

Mia and her family go for a drive on a snowy morning and there’s a freak accident. Everything changes in an instant. At the accident scene Mia hovers above and sees the bodies of her mother and father but she can't find her younger brother, Teddy. Then she watches as her own injured body is taken by ambulance. Mia is in a kind of limbo where she can see and hear, but can't feel anything. In the hospital ICU she remembers her family, her music and her boyfriend. Before the accident Mia’s biggest decision was whether she should follow her love of music, and attend Juilliard in New York City, or stay in Oregon to be close to her boyfriend. Now after the accident, Mia has a much more monumental choice to make. Should she stay here, on Earth, and live her life, or should she let herself die to be with the family she loves so deeply? Mia’s past life and present situation are interwoven to tell this poignant, unforgettable story. (Patty McClune) (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2011)

Booktalk #2

Seventeen-year-old Mia has a lot going for her – her musician boyfriend Adam, a possible scholarship to Juilliard, and her quirky but close knit family. Her biggest worry is leaving friends and family behind after graduation to pursue her passion for the cello. On an unexpected snow day in February, Mia’s family decides to take a short day trip to visit relatives in a nearby town. Once in the car, they have their usual battle over choice of radio stations, ultimately deciding to take turns. Mom’s choice, NPR news, is first. After the news, it’s Mia’s turn, and she chooses the classical station. As she hears Beethoven’s Cello Sonata no.
3, a piece she is currently working on, Mia closes her eyes and imagines herself playing along on her cello. Suddenly, the horrifying impact of a four ton speeding pickup truck shatters the calming melody. The noises are deafening, and the car explodes like it was hit by a bomb. Suddenly, everything is quiet except for one sound: Beethoven’s Cello Sonata no. 3 continues to play on the radio. Mia can hear it, so she must still be alive. Looking around for her younger brother, she spies a hand sticking out of a nearby ditch. Reaching the outstretched arm, she realizes she is looking at her own bleeding, badly damaged body. As Mia’s life hangs in the balance, her life prior to the accident is told through a series of flashbacks. Mia knows her life is changed forever, and doesn’t know if she is strong enough to face a life of painful losses. Should she stay… or should she go? Read If I Stay by Gayle Forman to see what Mia decides.
Prepared by: Karen Tisdale for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011