Booktalking "How to Save a Life" by Sara Zarr

"Do you have a heart that needs a home? I have a home in need of a heart."  Robin posted this query on a random adoption web site in hopes of finding a baby to love. Mandy clicked on it.

Robin, who just lost her husband Mac, is making a belated attempt to carry out their dream of adopting a child. A successful, cheery, PhD-holding mom of a teenage girl, she hopes to fill the hole in her soul. 

Jill thinks that this is a terrible idea. Replacing her dead father with a new life seems destined to fail. In order to distract herself, she becomes immersed in her job at Margins book store, her relationship with boyfriend Dylan, and creating her future.

Mandy (aka Amanda) arrives and sucks in the nirvana of Robin's household. Compared to the accusatory and berating style of her mother, Robin's gentle words and manner seem celestial. The luxury of Robin's house exude comfort that Mandy is unaccustomed to. The intricately carved napkin rings, comfortable sofa and immaculate upper-class home make Mandy feel as though she has won the lottery... but only until the baby is born. Life after birth looms over her future.

An email agreement states that Mandy will turn over the baby to Robin upon his or her birth. 

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr, 2011