Stevenson, Robin. Hummingbird Heart.

Stevenson, Robin.  Hummingbird Heart.     Orca  272p  $12.95  978-1-55469-390-0  hs VG    Realistic fiction

Dylan is a 16-year-old who has always been told that her father, Mark, was not interested in her. She learns otherwise in this YA novel about family relationships, trust, and truth, when Mark contacts her with an urgent medical problem that, perhaps, only Dylan can address.  Wrapped around this is a mother that still smokes weed, has tattoos, and for all intents and purposes, appears to be totally self-absorbed.  Once again, Orca has published a very valuable book due to the author’s honesty in portraying teen dynamics with friends and families – the relationships between Dylan and her mother and “sister”, between Dylan and her best friend Toni (and others), and finally between Dylan and her father Mark and his family.  The irony in this story is that Mark is the person who brings all the truths to the forefront when it is learned that Dylan might be a donor match with her half-sister Casey.  While the ending is somewhat “happily ever after”, the book is none-the-less a satisfying read.  This book is highly recommendeded for inclusion in any high-school or public-library collection.  It would also be a good choice as a high interest/low level book.

Families-Fiction, Illness-Fiction                                 -- Lynn Fisher