In a book club and starting to plan your reads for next year? Check out our 2025 picks.

What readers think of My Sister's Keeper, plus links to write your own review.

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper

by Jodi Picoult
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Apr 1, 2004, 423 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Feb 2005, 448 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About This Book

Reviews

Page 1 of 8
There are currently 63 reader reviews for My Sister's Keeper
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Power Reviewer
Cloggie Downunder

A perfect ending twist
My Sister’s Keeper is Jodi Picoult’s 11th novel. It centres around Anna Fitzgerald who has retained lawyer Campbell Alexander to sue her parents for the right to her own body. Anna was conceived to provide (initially) cord blood for her older sister Kate who has leukaemia. As she has grown up and as Kate’s disease has progressed, more and more has been demanded of Anna’s body for her sister. The story of what happens is told in several voices: Anna’s, her mother Sara’s, her brother Jesse’s, her father Brian’s, her lawyer Campbell’s, and her guardian ad litem, Julia’s. this is a provocative novel that does not shy away from the issues: conceiving a child to save another; who has rights over a minor’s body; is it possible to love a child too much; is it possible to love all one’s children equally; teenage pyromania. As always, Picoult handles the court scenes with finesse, and the final twist makes for a perfect ending. A great read!
Stephanie

Another great title from Picoult
Jodi Picoult is by far my favorite author, and once again with My Sister’s Keeper she does not disappoint. In this story, Picoult deals with the issue of “savior siblings” and what happens when the created sibling no longer wants to be poked, prodded, and used for spare parts. It deals with the emotional stress that comes with being that “savior” as well as the strain on the family when they no longer want the job.
   I love her style of writing that allows the reader to see the story from every angle. We get into the head of the parents who desperately want their children to live long happy lives, the savior child, the dying child, and the healthy sibling that gets left out. It is amazing to see how the scene unfolds when it is taken in so many ways.
   True to Picoult style is an ending that one would never expect. In this heart-wrenching tale it is impossible to find a solution that would make every character happy, but we read on hoping against hope that it happens anyway. This ending is different than the movie ending made from it, but it leaves the reader with more to reflect upon. You will continue to ponder the intricately woven story long after the story is read and put away.
Rebecca

Becca
All I can say is wow. One of my all time favorites. This book touched my heart, I couldn't imagine a better perspective she could have chosen. You can honestly feel the tragedy of this book. It is so difficult to believe Jodi Picoult could have lived in a perfectly stable household all her life when she can reach so deep into the lives of those who haven't.
Melon S. Jeans

Great Book
The story is about a girl with struggles in her family. She wants out of the situation she was born to do; save her sister. It comes down between the mothers with representing herself and the daughter and her lawyer representing for her.

I recommend this book because it is a great read. Has a very controversial issue both with genetically engineered babies and also human rights of children. The main character of the book character of the book fights between herself with what is right and/or wrong. You be the judge once you read the book. I believe this book would be more represented by female readers. A lot of the ideas and theme's of the book stick more towards feminine views.
Joyce Yang

This book was amazing!
I loved this book a lot! I found it one day on my sister's desk and I decided to read it. I loved the way the perspective kept on changing; it let you know different characters' feelings and how they coped with challenges. This book was touching and really made me think about what I would have done if I were the main character, or Sara, mother to a dying child. It really tested my morals and Sara's descriptions of motherhood and having a child with leukemia were really strong and I cried. I'm 13 years old.
Parastoo Neyzari

A Gripping Novel
A stunning read you won't put down until the very end.
Ansley

Excellent Read! :
This book is for one awesome. It shows the fairness of how people should be treated and in the end what really matters. I would recommend this book for anyone to read!
ALLISON

My sisters keeper
Oh my gosh, this is a beautiful novel written about Anna, a 13 year old girl that decides she no longer wants to be the doner to her sister who has leukemia. She wants to sue her parents for right to her own body.

I recommend this book to all teens and adults who want a moving book. Remember the book is really different from the movie and I for one like the book much, much better.
I loved this book.

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Puzzle Box
    The Puzzle Box
    by Danielle Trussoni
    During the tumultuous last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a 17-year-old emperor known as Meiji ...
  • Book Jacket
    Something, Not Nothing
    by Sarah Leavitt
    In 2020, after a lifetime of struggling with increasingly ill health, Sarah Leavitt's partner, ...
  • Book Jacket
    A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens
    by Raul Palma
    Raul Palma's debut novel A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens introduces Hugo Contreras, who came to the ...
  • Book Jacket
    The MANIAC
    by Benjamin Labatut
    The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut is an ambitious work that falls squarely into the category of fiction...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

There is no worse robber than a bad book.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

H I O the G

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.