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375 pp.
| Little
| March, 2019
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-51553-5$16.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-316-51550-4
(2)
4-6
Twelve-year-old heart transplant recipient Sunny is seeking a "New Life," including finding a better best friend (her old one outed her as bisexual) and a kissing partner. A girl named Quinn is willing to help--an endeavor that raises more questions than answers. Meanwhile, Sunny's long-absent mother is back in her life. Measured revelations of backstory and emotion-infused first-person narration balance major upheaval with private questions of identity.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2019
(3)
YA
Zera is an immortal, unwilling, and irreverent servant to the witch Nightsinger, who keeps Zera's heart in a jar. Offered the opportunity to win her freedom in exchange for stealing (literally) the heart of Prince Lucien, Zera discovers there's more to Lucien--and the political factions of the kingdom--than she realized. This wittily narrated fantasy, first in a series, ends with a cliffhanger.
(3)
4-6
When a donor heart becomes available for her younger brother, Alice must stay with her stern grandmother, Nell, in the English countryside. There she meets a mysterious girl who insists there are fairies in the woods--woods Nell is determined to cut down. Interspersing WWI-era letters between a brother and sister with Alice's present-day voice, Carroll weaves a powerful magical-realism tale of hope and healing.
(4)
4-6
Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body series.
Illustrated by
Venitia Dean.
These books introduce basic anatomy and the functions and dysfunctions of human body systems through text (in tiny font), illustrations, and schematics. Each volume concludes with a chronology illustrating historical beliefs and scientific discoveries as well as a spread of random facts. Scattered stick figures interacting with the medical illustrations provide the series' gimmick but little else. Ind. Review covers these Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body titles: Stickmen's Guide to Your Beating Heart, Stickmen's Guide to Your Brilliant Brain, Stickmen's Guide to Your Gurgling Guts, and Stickmen's Guide to Your Mighty Muscles and Bones.
(2)
YA
After learning that his heart-transplant donor was Neve's twin brother, Jonny contacts Neve to learn more about him. But Jonny is afraid to tell her who he really is, and as their friendship turns romantic, Neve suspects he's hiding something. These emotionally complex, vulnerable co-narrators manage to have a remarkably normal teenage relationship while helping each other face realities they never dreamed they'd see.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2017
40 pp.
| Feiwel
| December, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-250-16872-6$16.99
(4)
PS
"This book is about your heart. (The little bit inside of you that makes you, you!)." So begins the omniscient narrator of this agreeable (if overly rah-rah) book-length crash course in the power, for good or ill, of words: "The words that go into your ears... / can actually affect your heart!" Enacting the narrator's points are simply rendered but dynamic monochromatic line drawings of a child-and-cat duo.
310 pp.
| Abrams/Amulet
| September, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4197-2539-5$17.99
(3)
YA
Pregnant Dominican American teen Mari longs for her child to be born, seeking an unconditional love she's never known from her parents or abuela. But when she learns her unborn baby is seriously ill, she must make some difficult choices on her path toward a family. Mari's combination of vulnerability and strength offers a different, discussion-worthy take on the teen-pregnancy novel. Glos.
298 pp.
| Viking
| March, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-451-47034-8$16.99
(3)
4-6
Baseball-crazy, heart-transplant-survivor Jeremiah, twelve, moves with his adoptive single dad to tiny Hillcrest, Ohio, where he endeavors to resurrect the town's failing middle-school baseball team. There's a lot going on in this heartstrings-tugging novel (even before you figure in subplots involving steroid abuse, a friend's absent father, newborn eagles, and more), but Jeremiah's upbeat personality and pragmatic voice should win readers over.
32 pp.
| Lee
| May, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-62014-156-4$17.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Colin Bootman.
Hooks cogently sketches the life and medical contributions of Vivien Thomas, best known for his successful treatment of tetralogy of Fallot, or "blue baby syndrome." An African American, Thomas faced much prejudice in his career, a theme that is deftly balanced with the clear exposition of the surgical procedure Thomas invented. Watercolor illustrations are staid but competent.
(4)
YA
A ghostly voice leads three friends to an underground portal to a parallel world. Zak, believing the voice is his long-dead twin, follows it unquestioningly toward destruction. Khalid learns about "wild science," a.k.a. magic. Meanwhile, Moira is horribly mistreated by the world's hyper-misogynistic populace. This dystopia-meets-ghost-story has a few too many plot elements and not enough nuance to be entirely satisfying.
408 pp.
| Greenwillow
| September, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-240876-1$17.99
(4)
YA
Miguel, a teen living on a futuristic Earth ravaged by human consumption, is dying from a weakening heart. Chimera--a virtual reality game that offers basic necessities (clothes, food, etc.) as well as biomechanical body parts as prizes--is Miguel's only hope for obtaining a new one. A bit choppy, this virtual-reality thriller doesn't quite live up to its inventive dystopic premise.
360 pp.
| Hyperion
| June, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4847-0683-1$17.99
(4)
YA
Stella's recent heart transplant saved her life--so why has she been plagued by bizarre side effects since her surgery? The only person who eases her anxieties is Levi, a mysterious new boy at her Seattle prep school. But why does he want to get so close to Stella? A predictable plot nevertheless offers some genuine heart-pounding moments in this supernatural thriller.
307 pp.
| Delacorte
| May, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-385-74443-0$17.99
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-375-99166-0$20.99
(3)
YA
An elite swimmer with dreams of qualifying for the Olympics, Abby won't be slowed down by a heart condition--even if it kills her. A growing attraction to a teammate, however, helps her realize there's more to life than swimming. Abby is a fiercely determined protagonist, and her frustration when she can't be the best will be resonate with readers who are equally competitive.
294 pp.
| HarperTeen
| April, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-229943-7$17.99
(3)
YA
In an effort to hold on to some small part of her boyfriend, who died in a car accident, Quinn reaches out to the five recipients of his major organs. The only person she can't reach, Colton, received his heart; Quinn sets off to track him down, and a tender romance blossoms. A sure hit for fans of Sarah Dessen.
128 pp.
| Clarion
| December, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-547-82183-2$18.99
(1)
4-6
Murphy tells the story of the medical team in the 1940s that solved the problem of "Blue baby syndrome"--Dr. Alfred Blalock; pediatrician Helen Taussig (a woman in a male-dominated field); and Vivien Thomas, Blalock's African American lab assistant, who developed and refined the surgical procedure. The synthesis of their stories is illuminating, serving also as social commentary on the times. Numerous black-and-white photographs are included. Bib., ind.
Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2015
293 pp.
| HarperTeen
| October, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-223192-5$17.99
(4)
YA
Anthem Fleet must hide the abilities of her chimeric (part-hummingbird, part-human) heart, which was transplanted into her in The Brokenhearted. When the Invisible, a vigilante group, begins attacking the wealthy, Anthem must decide between keeping Bedlam City safe and being a normal teenager. Kahaney continues to employ comic-book tropes in this sequel, which is as exciting--and implausible--as its predecessor.
32 pp.
| ABDO
| January, 2013
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-61783-612-1$18.95
(3)
K-3
Super Simple Body series.
Halvorson provides brief, accurate explanations of how human organs work. Clear diagrams, color photographs, and friendly illustrations contribute to an attractive look; open-ended questions lead readers to consider their own bodies and experiences. Clever, accessible hands-on activities using everyday materials aid understanding: simulate vocal cords with a balloon, explore hearing with a tin can phone, and so on. Glos. Review covers these Super Simple Body titles: Inside the Ears, Inside the Eyes, Inside the Heart, and Inside the Lungs.
329 pp.
| Sourcebooks/Fire
| November, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-4022-8545-5$16.99
(4)
YA
Scarlet knows that Long QT Syndrome, which causes her heart to beat abnormally, will kill her--and soon. Still, she convinces her stepmother to let her attend high school; her first week brings bullies, friends, and a life-changing revelation. Lyons's high school stereotypes--like the football-playing meatheads--make the novel less credible, but otherwise, it's a thoroughly suspenseful medical thriller.
48 pp.
| Enslow/Elementary
| September, 2013
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-7660-4140-0$23.93
(4)
4-6
Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas series.
This series offers biographical sketches plus information about groundbreaking inventions and innovations in various disciplines. Each inventor is depicted as having genius along with curiosity, patience, dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance. "Real fact" inserts and archival photographs accompany the readable texts; the design suffers from garish graphics and borders. Generic suggestions to encourage young inventors are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas titles: The Man Who Invented the Ferris Wheel, The African-American Heart Surgery Pioneer, The Man Who Invented Television, The Man Who Invented the Electric Guitar, The Man Who Invented the Laser, and The Woman Who Invented the Thread that Stops Bullets.
24 pp.
| Enslow/Elementary
| April, 2012
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-7660-3963-6$21.26
(4)
K-3
I Like Inventors! series.
These introductions to the people who came up with innovations we take for granted provide very basic information about their lives, such as their upbringing and motivations, as well as their inventions; there's little about processes, giving readers no sense of the magnitude of their achievements. Photos, many archival, are included in every spread. A related activity ends each title. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Inventors! titles: Who Invented Home Video Games?, Who Invented Television?, Who Was the Hair-Care Millionaire?, Who Fixed Babies' Hearts?, and Who Invented the Ferris Wheel?.