How to Save a Life

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More About This Book

Overview

Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or as difficult--as it seems.

Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about the many roads that can lead us home.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Seventeen-year-old Jill was dealt a shattering blow when her father died unexpectedly. Since then, Jill and her mother have been distant, like “twin planets orbiting the same universe of grief but never quite making contact.” Now her mother plans to fill the void by adopting a baby. As far as Jill is concerned, the plan is “lunatic,” but Mandy, the pregnant teen giving up her child, is relieved. She thinks she’s finally found a way to escape her emotionally abusive mother and her mother’s sexually abusive boyfriend by coming to live with Jill and her mother during the final weeks of her pregnancy. Alternating between the perspectives of Jill and Mandy, National Book Award– finalist Zarr (Story of a Girl) crafts intimate and authentic portraits of two vulnerable teens struggling to cope with uncertain futures. Independent and aggressive, Jill has little in common with Mandy, who’s sheltered yet very observant, but they form a sisterly bond as they face personal crises. Their slow, cautious efforts to build trust and better understand the meaning of family are expressed with the deepest compassion and kindness. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)
VOYA
Just stay out of Jill's way. She is hurting and furious since the sudden death of her father, and now, unbelievably, the arrival of a pregnant teenage girl in her home—a girl named Mandy who is absurdly passive, a girl invited by Jill's mother, who plans to adopt Mandy's baby. While Mom is convinced that it is an excellent choice to replace a death with a life, Jill knows that it is disastrous. Why can't she keep her mom to herself? Will she now lose another parent? But Mandy has lived a far more parentless existence than Jill could even imagine. Mandy is touched by all the small signs of family in Jill's home: a warm cup of tea, a soft blanket, the kindness of Jill's mother. In alternating chapters, each girl tells her story. Zarr masterfully gives each girl a distinctive voice, allowing the reader to empathize with both Jill's self-destructive rage and Mandy's delusional fantasies. Readers will likely identify Jill-types (scary, angry loners) and Mandy-types (naive, dreamy loners) among their peers. Zarr's nonjudgmental immersion into the mind of each girl gives readers sympathetic insight into each. As with Zarr's previous books (Once was Lost [Little, Brown, 2009/VOYA February 2010] and Story of a Girl [Little, Brown, 2007/VOYA February 2007]), the imperfection of the characters and the uniqueness of their situations come together in a compulsively readable novel. Zarr has established herself as an author who must not be missed in teen library collections. Reviewer: Diane Colson
More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews
VOYA
How to Save a Life is an emotional page-turner that will really speak to readers. Most readers have not traveled out of state to stay with their not-yet-born daughter's adoptive family, nor have they stressed over the fact that a strange, pregnant girl is living with them. But they will feel like they know how it feels as they read this book. It does not have many surprises, but it will still have readers glued to the pages. 4Q, 4P. Reviewer: Katherine Flinn, Teen Reviewer
Kirkus Reviews
Still reeling from the death of her father, 17-year-old Jill resents her mother's plan to adopt a new baby. When soon-to-be birth mother Mandy arrives, she brings with her more than any of them imagined. Struggling with the loss of her like-minded father, guilt over her failings as a daughter and her heart, which she fears is permanently sealed, Jill is determined to dislike Mandy. Her resentment, fueled by inconsistencies in the young mother's story, drives her to find an investigator. When a startling phone call exposes Mandy's darkest secrets, Jill finds herself more confused than ever. Mandy, who knows firsthand what it is like to grow up unwanted and unloved, is determined to find a better life for her baby. But what if, in the meantime, she can find a better life for herself? Told from the perspectives of both Jill and Mandy in alternating chapters, this moving story explores love, loss and whether a family can be more than the sum of its parts. Jill's cynicism is the perfect counterpart to Mandy's hopeful naiveté. Likewise, Mandy's vulnerability highlights Jill's tough independence. Woven together from two simple threads, the resulting tapestry is as beautiful as it is real. A story that will resonate beyond its final page. (Fiction. 12 & up)
School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up—High school senior Jill is grieving the death of her beloved father. She's distanced herself from her friends and long-term boyfriend, and her relationship with her mother, Robin, is strained at best. Things get even more complicated when Robin announces that she plans to adopt a baby, and that the baby's teenage mother, Mandy, is going to live with them until the delivery. Jill can't understand why her mother would make this choice, especially when Mandy turns out to be secretive, amazingly naive, and, in Jill's mind, suspicious. Told from alternating perspectives, the teens' compelling stories unfold with heart-wrenching angst. Jill is terribly unkind to Mandy, whose obvious reluctance to talk about her past doesn't help matters. Mandy guards not one secret, but many, all of which may jeopardize her relationship with Robin and therefore the future of her child. As Jill comes to terms with the abrupt and shocking changes her family has undergone, and Mandy grapples with shifting emotions toward the baby she's carrying, the girls somehow find an intersection at which they can begin to understand the other's experience. Another heavy-hitting page-turner from Zarr, this book will appeal to middle and high school girls across the board. For fans of Jacqueline Woodson's The Dear One (Delacorte, 1991) and Jessica Warman's Where the Truth Lies (Walker, 2010), it's a must-read.—Nora G. Murphy, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, La Canada-Flintridge, CA

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780316036061
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • Publication date: 10/18/2011
  • Pages: 352
  • Sales rank: 14,594
  • Age range: 12 - 17 Years
  • Lexile: HL710L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 8.48 (w) x 5.82 (h) x 1.18 (d)

Meet the Author

Sara Zarr
Sara Zarr

Sara Zarr was raised in San Francisco, went to high school in Pacifica, and now lives with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah. Story of a Girl is her first novel.

Customer Reviews
Average Rating 4.5
( 17 )

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  • Posted December 9, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Gorgeous Alternating Viewpoints of Two Scared Teenage Girls Whose Lives Collide

    This is one of the best YA novels, or novels, period, that I've ever read. Sara Zarr does a masterful job of alternating viewpoints of two scared teenagers, Mandy, because she's pregnant and embarking on a new life, and Jill, because her father has died ten months ago and she's still very unmoored from losing him. When Jill's mother, Robin, decides that she should adopt a baby and finds Mandy online, their lives collide, and this book, told in alternating chapters, lets us in on their present lives as well as what has come before. Neither dominates the story, but instead these two very different girls, Mandy having grown up in a broken home, mostly a longer, Jill, who has creature comforts and had friends (before she pushed them away) and a boyfriend, as they grudgingly learn about one another. The writing here is gorgeous, and I don't want to say too much more about the plot, other that it unfolds perfectly, with just the right amount of information, some of it shocking, some of it sad, some of it humorous. I cried multiple times and while the ending is wonderful, I'd love to see another book with these characters; I didn't want to let them go. I highly encourage you to read this. It deals with sensitive topics, among them teen pregnancy, not as "issues" per se but as very human stories, and Zarr makes the reader sympathize with most every character we meet, not just Mandy and Jill.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 26, 2012

    VERY GOOD!

    DEFINITELY A MUST-READ! :D

    2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 17, 2011

    Highly Recommended!

    I loved this story. It's told by two very authentic characters with distinct voices. It's a grief story with depth and heart.

    Highly recommended for fans of YA contemporary!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 11, 2011

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    Review from Blkosiner's Book Blog

    How to Save a Life is an emotional, character driven novel, that I found myself very much enjoying.
    The two main characters, Jill and Mandy are very different, from their backgrounds, their views on life, and their attitudes toward life. This book smashes them together under the weirdest of circumstances, and I slowly learned more about them and why they act the way they do. Ms. Zarr did a wonderful job making their voices distinct, and unlike some books with dual perspective, I had no problems switching from one to another and keeping the characters individual.
    I could identify pieces of myself in both characters, but I didn't fully relate with one or the other. Meaning that I didn't understand some of their trains of thought like I might if I just fully connected/related with one character. (Reading this it sounds like a negative thing, but its not... none of it is in the writing or characterization, I think that Ms. Zarr did a terrific job, I'm just trying to convey that I'm different from the characters--hope that makes sense.) I admire the strength in Mandy, and the self-realization and the courage in Jill--even if it's a very hard road for her and those around her as she comes back into herself.
    This is a very neat take on teen pregnancy, adoption, and even has an interesting love triangle twist. I was very surprised at how some things turned out, happy at others, even if I did expect it, and left wanting to know more about the characters and what happens next even after the last page... And I say that in a good way, I was attached to them, and did not want to let them go! I think that the plot lines were well tied up and I was satisfied with the ending, I just wanted to know more if that makes sense.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 1, 2012

    Sounds great!

    I have not actually read the book yet but I did read the sample and the book looks great! I wish the sample was longer and I cant wait to get the book

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  • Posted January 18, 2012

    Realistic Teen Fiction

    Sara Zarr writes lovely and realistic YA. The two main characters are two very different teenagers, yet both voices ring true and while we might not share their particulars loves and tragedies, we easily identify their pain and hope in ourselves and others we know.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 12, 2012

    Spoilers - can anyone answer this question?

    A good book that left me with a lot of unanswered questions.
    Why would Mandy name the baby Lola? It makes me question everything about her as a narrator - and I was already wary and felt I could not really trust her. I am referring to the very famous classic novel Lolita, where a stepfather has an affair with his very young stepdaughter, whom he calls Lola. There's no way the author doesn't know about the book Lolita. By naming the baby Lola, I think it makes some disturbing suggestions about Mandy and Kent.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 6, 2012

    A recommended read!

    I recently got this book for Christmas. I was so excited to learn about the girls' stories. After finishing the book I was already wanting to read it again. This is a GREAT story about two different girls trying to find their path in life and how those paths cross later on.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 1, 2012

    Ahhhhhhhhh

    Omg i love this book i cant put it down!!!!! I have all ready read it 2 times and this is my 3rd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 27, 2011

    Highly recommended

    I just finished this book and honestly it was a truly amazing book! Its really interesting and a truly moving story! Totally recommended for reading!

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  • Posted December 15, 2011

    Highly recommended

    Really liked this book of relationships: mother & daughter grieving loss of husband/father and moving forward; daughter's grief screwing up her peer relationships; unwed teen-age mother escaping her homelife. Makes you think about your own relationships, value family & friends, and encourages you to reach out to others. Great read for young adults and book clubs.

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  • Posted October 18, 2011

    Live To Read

    The two main characters, Jill and Mandy, could not be any more different. Jill is slightly too analytical while Mandy can be a bit of an airhead. Jill has a loving mother and stable home while Mandy is traveling from place to place with no stable home or loving mother. Jill has lost her father recently and still mourns while Mandy is about to give birth to new life.


    This book has a character for everyone. Between Ravi, Dylan, Mandy, and Jill the reader should be able to identify with at least one character. Their feelings are raw and exposed, this book is full of them and they are very pronounced. The reader is likely to get annoyed with all of the characters at some point in the story, but it takes a good writer to evoke any sort of reaction from the reader. The events in this book range from fast-paced to everyday scenes lapsing into quiet reflections. This book would be great for young adult/teen readers.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 26, 2011

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    Posted October 22, 2011

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    Posted January 7, 2012

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    Posted January 7, 2012

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    Posted November 24, 2011

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