If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay is on my list of books to read partly because it's being made into a movie. I don't watch very many movies, so it's probably not even one that I'll watch. However, when my students see books being made into movies that means they will want to read the books, so I want to be able to say that I've read the book already. Hence, the list.

There's no secret to this story line. Mia and her family are in a tragic car accident. Both of Mia's parents die at the scene. Her younger brother survives for a day or so and then also dies. Mia is in a coma, in critical condition, telling the story - as she watches it in one of those "out of body" experiences.

Throughout the story we learn all about Mia's life, family and friends. She is a girl with a musical gift for playing the cello, although she was raised around rock music.

The story is told beautifully, and I admit that there were several times where I wiped away the tears in my eyes. Overall, though, the book is a quick read that, although not overly dramatic, pulls the reader and keeps your attention until the very last page.

I especially enjoyed reading the author's notes at the end of the book, where Gayle Forman explains where she got the idea for the book, her references for the music, and provides an author Q and A.

There are a lot of great book trailers on If I Stay, and of course there's the official movie trailer, but instead I thought I'd share this interview with Gayle Forman. Enjoy!