The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Pages: 265

Intended Audience: Teens and mature tweens

Genre: Science fiction, mystery

Notes for Parents: Some mature content

The Back Cover

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma—so she’s been told—and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She’s been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won’t anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a trilogy.

What’s good?

Jenna’s memories unfold before her as she realizes she’s not the girl she was before the accident. Her journey of discovery brings up questions about medical ethics, nepotism, rich vs. poor, her parents’ choices, and her own humanity. As the mysteries are solved, there’s an underlying sense of suspense as the threat of her discovery lingers. The characters are likeable and interesting. The light romance between Jenna and Ethan doesn’t overshadow the seriousness of the main plot. The chapters are short and dotted with poetry, making this a fairly simple read.

Best Part: The premise.

What isn’t good?

The pace was slow. The story itself lacks any significant amounts of action or humour, and only a touch of romance, so it’s a fairly somber read as well. While I was fascinated with Jenna’s journey, I was annoyed by how self-centered she was, never really understanding the depth of her parents’ love and how much they risked to save her.

Worst part: The end brings all the debates to an abrupt conclusion. Had the author left it open-ended, it would have been much more powerful.

Recommendation þþþþo

This was a good book. It’s not quite on par with my other 4 checkmark books – this is more of a 3 and a half – but the premise, the plot, and the slowly unfolding mystery, precipitated many interesting debates in my mind and I felt quite satisfied by the end. I was surprised to hear this was a trilogy, because it really felt like the story was over. I haven’t read the other two, but I do recommend this one.

Pearson, Mary E. The Adoration of Jenna Fox. New York: Square Fish, 2007.