My summer favourite.

My sister's keeper by Jodi Picoult

Well this has to be my favourite from this summer, in fact as I book talked it this week, I thought I might just read that again - and soon. This was a great, complex and thought provoking book.


Here's what I told students about it. --- The story starts off with the youngest daughter Anna seeking out a lawyer, the reason she is doing this is that she wants to gain the rights to control of her body. You see, Anna has been giving of herself from the day she was born. Anna's sister Kate was born with a rare form of cancer. Basically Anna was created to be the perfect genetic match for Kate - so Anna from that first day and her life following has been that of giving -first her umbilical cord, then countless blood/platelets donations, and bone marrow, now they want a kidney. But this is not only Anna's story, this is also the story of Anna's family.
In the novel each member of the family tells a chapter through their eyes or voice (the omniscient). Because your given each persons perspective, you can examine and empathize with each member of the family - what mother wouldn't want to save her child?, what father wouldn't want to make the members of that family happy and peaceful?, what brother wouldn't act out from being shut out of important events and decisions? and what will sisters do for each other (taken to the most extreme measures)?

There's a delicious twist at the end of this book and I didn't tell the students and I'm not gonna spill it here either.


As I talked with the students about the book, we had all kinds of great discussion - I can't wait to hear what they have to say after they've read it.


This is not a young adult novel, but it is a book that I couldn't put down and I've witnessed that it can create interesting, lively discussion. I loved the interview with Jodi Picoult and the reader discussion guide at the end of the book.

I hope some of you will pick it up, it's sooo! worth it.
Read on...