Bibliography: 

Forman, G. (2010). if i stay: What would you do if you had to choose?. New York, NY. Penguin Group (USA) LLC. 

Plot Summary: 

Mia is a seventeen year old girl that lives in the state of Oregon with her two parents and young brother (Teddy). She has a normal teenage life until a car accident takes the lives of both parents and her brother. She is critically injured, has an out-of-body experience and is watching everything and everyone around her and is contemplating whether she should die or live. 

Critical Analysis: 

This title is a contemporary realistic fiction novel. It has many characteristics of this genre. The plot can be considered to happen in real life, while the characters are fictitious. Although the reader is able to experience Mia’s journey through an out-of-body experience, this is possible because many people have told their out-of-body experience in the real world.  The setting and the scenery that is described in the novel is also believable because the state of Oregon is an actual State. This novel could be considered under the subtopic of love, loss and friendship. The love part happens when Mia goes through finding love with Adam. The reader gets an insight of what teenage courting looks like. The beginning of the courtship and through their love experiences (first kiss, first sexual encounter). The loss occurs when the car accident happened in the novel. Mia lost her entire family in the accident. The author is able to describe Mia’s feelings of loss while she is in the out-of-body experience. The author also is able to describe the loss by describing many of Mia’s flashbacks to her childhood. The friendship topic occurs when the author describes the friendship between Mia, Adam and Kim. 

Strengths: The novel has an excellent introduction to the characters. The plot is well described and the reader is able to visualize what the main character is feeling and going through. 

Weaknesses: The novel was well written and no weaknesses were found.

Connections: This novel reminds me of the title The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. There is also a sequel to If I stay. The sequel is Where She Went by Gayle Forman. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

Review by Lauren Adams (07/01/2009)

https://www.hbook.com/story/review-stay