Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she?

Reviews

Gr 9 Up-Mary Pearson's novel (Holt, 2008) provides a thought-provoking and intriguing examination of what really makes us human and where to draw the line with fast developing technological and medical advances. Jenna Fox wakes from a coma more than a year after having an "accident." With no memory, she slowly learns to function physically, but she can't seem to connect emotionally. Written in a beautiful symphony of revealed memories, Jenna slowly begins to recognize that a secret is being kept from her and something complex and dangerous is going on. As she realizes that she essentially died in the infamous "accident" and was reborn through her father's controversial discovery. Jenna begins to question biomedical ethics and human nature. Narrator Jenna Lamia excels at evoking the haunting, yet detached way that Jenna begins to connect the events in her life. Combining science fiction, medical mystery, and teen relationships into an excellent package that is satisfying from beginning to end, this is a must-have for all collections.-Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Sometime in the near future, Jenna Fox, 17, awakens from an 18-month-long coma following a devastating accident, her memory nearly blank. She attempts reorientation by watching videos of her childhood, "recorded beyond reason" by worshipful parents, but mysteries proliferate. Jenna can recite passages from Thoreau yet can't remember having any friends. As memories return, however, Jenna starts picking at the explanation her parents have spun until it unravels. Pearson (A Room on Lorelei Street) uses each revelation to steadily build tension until the true horror comes into focus. Even then Pearson does not stop; she raises the ante in unexpected ways until the very last page. Clues are supplied by the supporting cast: Jenna's father, who made his fortune in biotechnology; a classmate whose loss of limbs has turned her into a crusader for medical ethics; Jenna's Catholic grandmother, who is hostile to her. A few lapses in logic-- if Jenna's father is world-famous and the family in hiding, why does she enroll in school under her real name?--can be forgiven in favor of expert plotting and the complex questions raised about ethics and the nature of the soul. Ages 14-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

* "Raises the ante in unexpected ways until the very last page."--"Publishers Weekly", starred review
* "This is a beautiful blend of science fiction, medical thriller, and teen-relationship novel that melds into a seamless whole that will please fans of all three genres."--"School Library Journal", starred review
* "Outstanding examination of identity, science and ethics."--"Kirkus Reviews", starred review
"Readers will respond eagerly to this provocative novel."--"Kirkus Reviews", Sci-Fi/Fantasy Special
"What will hold readers most are the moral issues of betrayal, loyalty, sacrifice, and survival."--"Booklist"
"Fascinating and thought provoking."--"Kliatt"
"This novel is truly unlike any other I have ever read and is a breath of fresh air in the often predictable world of teen literature."--"ELLEgirl"
"This is an amazingly powerful, thought-provoking, just brilliant novel."--"Teen Book Review"
"An extraordinarily fine novel."--"VOYA"
"Gut-punch plot twists."--"The Seattle Times"