by Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Walker (5 April 2010)
ISBN: 978-1-4063-2031-6
• Amanda Donovan review

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a fast paced and thought provoking thriller set in the scientific future.  Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just woken up from a year long coma after a tragic accident.  She does not remember her family, the accident or even herself.
One day she could not walk and the next she could.

Mary E. Pearson is a skilful writer who places intriguing clues in every chapter to keep the reader guessing.  She slowly unravels the mystery of Jenna Fox.  As I read, many questions formed in my mind.  Why did Jenna seem so empty in the opening pages?  Why had her family moved to a remote cottage after her coma?  Why did she desperately need friends?  What had happened to the two friends she knew before her coma?  Why did her hands not fit together? I had to keep reading.

Jenna is a typical rebellious teenager who wants to leave her stark bedroom; she wants to go outside to taste freedom. The garden birds that feed from her neighbour’s hand fascinate her, but they will not feed from Jenna’s hand.   Even though she seems empty and robotic I had an immediate empathy with her character.  Her greatest need is to make friends.

Mary E. Pearson brings many ethical and moral questions to light.  Jenna finds out that she has survived after a car crash.  Her Father is a scientist who rebuilds her using futuristic technology.  However, Jenna questions if she really is alive and wonders where her soul is now.  This was such a poignant part of the book. How far should you go to save a life of a child?  Did Jenna’s parents go too far in their adoration of Jenna Fox?  This book is set in the not too distant future, and it is a scary thought that this could happen in our lifetime.

© Amanda Donovan 2010 - Amanda is writing her first childrens novel about a Pirate and Parrot and has gained her Masters in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University.