Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. In her fifteen years of life, she’s had more doctor’s appointments, X-rays...
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Jan 27, 2012
Brooke
rated it: 
Cold Hands, Warm Heart is such a hard book to rate. I had moments where I thought, 'oh, this is mediocre, come on, pick up' and then on the other hand I had those 'whoa, this is intense and emotional' - it's not a book that you read to be entertained by so much as to learn from. I've decided to stick with a rating somewhere in between and give it a 3.75.
I liked Dani, she was a cool kid. She was genuine, I could sympathise with and for her, and the thing I loved was that she was neve More...
I liked Dani, she was a cool kid. She was genuine, I could sympathise with and for her, and the thing I loved was that she was neve More...
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May 11, 2009
Cheyenne
rated it: 
Exceptionally Written
Cold Hands, Warm Heart
By Jill Wolfson
Pub. Date:
4 out of 5 stars
PG-13 Profanity and Sexual References
Recommended
Dani needs a heart…soon. Amanda has one.
Dani was born with a weak heart on the wrong side of her body. She has gone through surgery after surgery, hospital after hospital, and pills after pills. Yet nothing has helped. Now at the age of 15, her life is coming to an end. She has never gone to a danc More...
Cold Hands, Warm Heart
By Jill Wolfson
Pub. Date:
4 out of 5 stars
PG-13 Profanity and Sexual References
Recommended
Dani needs a heart…soon. Amanda has one.
Dani was born with a weak heart on the wrong side of her body. She has gone through surgery after surgery, hospital after hospital, and pills after pills. Yet nothing has helped. Now at the age of 15, her life is coming to an end. She has never gone to a danc More...
Jul 28, 2010
Kricket
rated it:
found an old ARC of this in the house...obviously it's been published at this point, but what i read was the galley.
dani needs a heart transplant, but the only way to get one is for another person to die. enter amanda, who falls during a gymnastics competition and is declared brain-dead, leaving her family to agonize about organ donation. ultimately, amanda's organs give several people a new chance at a healthy life.
wolfson does a great job educating her readers on everyt More...
dani needs a heart transplant, but the only way to get one is for another person to die. enter amanda, who falls during a gymnastics competition and is declared brain-dead, leaving her family to agonize about organ donation. ultimately, amanda's organs give several people a new chance at a healthy life.
wolfson does a great job educating her readers on everyt More...
Jan 19, 2010
Pamela
rated it:
Right from the very first scene when Tyler's sister dies, this book tugged at my heart strings. I could feel the pain and heartache of Tyler and his family, the frustration and worry of Dani and hers. I learned a lot about what life might be like waiting for a transplant, and the pain and joy of connecting with a loved one who is already dead. The book is not about a interpersonal relationship between Dani and Tyler, but rather about how two opposite experiences -- one that inflicts long-lasting
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Nov 09, 2009
Gina
rated it: 
Holy smokes. My favorite book of the summer! This book is the story of Tyler's little sister, Amanda, the perfect and smart gymnast whose name means "worthy of being loved," who suffered brain death after a subdural hematoma during a gymnastics meet.
Meet 15-year-old Dani, who just wants to pierce her ears and cut classes and eat junk food like other girls her age, but who was born with a weak heart on the wrong side of her body and it's just about given up. She is now at th More...
Meet 15-year-old Dani, who just wants to pierce her ears and cut classes and eat junk food like other girls her age, but who was born with a weak heart on the wrong side of her body and it's just about given up. She is now at th More...
Dec 06, 2011
Kwoomac
rated it:
I have always been a little freaked out about the whole idea of organ transplants. Urban legends abound with tales of the donor's personality traits showing up in the recipient. One of the teens who is waiting for a transplant talks about a movie she saw where a pianist loses his hnads in an accident, and his peplacement hab=nds re from a murderer. The pianist then goes on to become a murderer as well. This has always been my fear. This novel, aside from the one anecdote, is not about anything c
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Apr 11, 2009
Yan
rated it: 
Cold Hands, Warm Heart was a tolerable read but straining itself from the “I am about to trash it” side. While the idea is innovative, it lacks the finer details.
There was so much going on. It had about 5 different points of views, 3 side stories, and a romance, a funeral, a revelation, and a whole bunch of other stuff thrown in. There was no definite cohesion and nothing but a thin thread connecting all the stories together. At points the author gets overly descriptive for some of t More...
There was so much going on. It had about 5 different points of views, 3 side stories, and a romance, a funeral, a revelation, and a whole bunch of other stuff thrown in. There was no definite cohesion and nothing but a thin thread connecting all the stories together. At points the author gets overly descriptive for some of t More...
Apr 09, 2009
Ann
rated it:
Ages 11+ (except for those pesky three pages where the hospital-bound teens play a game of "fucked or foolish")
14 year old gymnast Amanda is dead after a freak accident on the uneven bars. 15 year old Dani is barely clinging to life, victim of a heart that has been malformed since birth. 16 year old Tyler, Amanda's brother, isn't sure how to cope with the suddenness of his sister's death. Milo is on the wait list for a second liver transplant, after he screwed up the first More...
14 year old gymnast Amanda is dead after a freak accident on the uneven bars. 15 year old Dani is barely clinging to life, victim of a heart that has been malformed since birth. 16 year old Tyler, Amanda's brother, isn't sure how to cope with the suddenness of his sister's death. Milo is on the wait list for a second liver transplant, after he screwed up the first More...
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Nov 24, 2010
Ashlyn Rae
rated it:
Cold Hands, Warm Heart was really deep! I haven’t heard about Jill Wolfson until her book was recommended by my library. I’m really glad that I took this recommendation because I would have missed out on a lot. Jill Wolfson can really make you feel her characters, like you’ve been best friends with Dani since the first grade. She’s not one of those authors who crams a complicated story in less than 300 pages because you’ll understand Cold Hands, Warm Heart from start to finish and it’ll leave yo
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Sep 23, 2009
Sharon
rated it:
What happens to someone when they are born with their heart on the wrong side of their body? What happens to a teen who now needs a second transplant because of his bad choices? What happens to the family of a promising gymnast whose life is cut short? What happens on the transplant ward as the patients struggle and wait? This read delves into the physical, social, and emotional dynamics between patients whose survival depends on organ transplantation, and the mourning families who make the
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Mar 31, 2010
Cathy
rated it:
Wolfson seemed to have done a lot of research about transplants for writing this book. When Amanda dies suddenly during a gymnastics meet, her parents decide to donate her organs. Two of teens waiting for organs receive organs from Amanda, including Dani a 15 year old with a congenital heart defect. There is also an 8-year-old bratty but lovable girl who receives a liver transplant and a teen boy who awaits a second liver transplant because he didn't follow the rigid protocol with his first t
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Nov 08, 2011
Beth
rated it: 
Not my favourite book in the world by quite a bit. It was way too into the meaning of life and then in the next paragraph BOYS LOVE SEX and then HEART DEATH LIFE WHY? WHEN? it's a lot to take in one quick jump. I have no experience with the organ donation world but I have to say it sounds beyond shite. I've been very ill, (scarlet fever, glandular fever and tonsilitus = no breathing= not healthy) and this did help me understand more how hospitol is like another world, whilst you are there all yo
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Dec 29, 2009
Jill
rated it:
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body and now it is threatening to give out altogether. Amanda is a fantastic gymnast with a super-athletic body and her whole life ahead of her. One day their world's collide and Amanda's death is a gift of life for Dani and several other people. And then everything Dani has always known and believed about herself is changed forever. She must come to terms with the new life she has been given, with a little help from the boy in the room next
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Sep 29, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
4.0 stars. This book gets points just for the topic it covers. Dani is a 15-year-old girl who is on the waiting list for a heart transplant. The situation has turned critical. Amanda is a competitive 14-year-old gymnast who is the envy of the gymnastic community because of her perfect routines. The two girls don't know each other and will never meet but their lives are about to collide. The story alternates between Amanda's family and Dani and her hospital friend, Milo. Milo needs a liver
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Nov 09, 2010
Andrea
rated it:
i think it is veary cool because it is about this girl
who was born with her heart in the wrong side of her
body. she needs a transplant but there was a waiting
line but every day eight people of the list die.and
she only got two mor weeks to live. in the book it
says two lives two hearts but only one works.
would she get her heart on time.............
it turns out that she really got her heart and the
surgery was a succses whiel she is at the hospi More...
who was born with her heart in the wrong side of her
body. she needs a transplant but there was a waiting
line but every day eight people of the list die.and
she only got two mor weeks to live. in the book it
says two lives two hearts but only one works.
would she get her heart on time.............
it turns out that she really got her heart and the
surgery was a succses whiel she is at the hospi More...
Jul 04, 2009
Iris
rated it:
Great young adult fiction about organ donation. Funny and quirky yet very heartwarming. I picked it up based purely on the cover and wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into, but I really liked it. I generally read young adult because there have been some great series come out of this area in the past that might have been overlooked if you were told it was young adult. And also so that I can tell my friend if her kid can read certain books. This is one of those books, they can both
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Apr 04, 2010
Tasha
rated it:
Dani has had fifteen years of surgeries, x-rays, docotor’s appointments, and her favorite hospital class jello, all because she was born with her heart on the wrong side of her chest. She is more than ready to live the life of a normal teenager, but it will never happen until she has a new heart, but getting one isn’t easy at all.
Amanda has been a gymnast for almost her whole fourteen years. She’s one of the best with her sleek muscular very healthy body. On the biggest day of her c More...
Amanda has been a gymnast for almost her whole fourteen years. She’s one of the best with her sleek muscular very healthy body. On the biggest day of her c More...
Jul 28, 2011
An interesting take on organ donation. This book isn't straight-up YA, more like a book about teens that even adults would enjoy. Compared to other YA books about teens with major illness (Lurlane *gagme* MCDanial) this is a step forward, but there is still something about the topic that feels spacey. Perhaps because there are so many players and because the narrator is oddly omnipotent, you never feel close to any of them. An acceptable and intriguing offering, but nothing to write home abo
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Feb 17, 2010
Ricki
rated it:
This is a great book written from many different points of views, showing the power of organ donation. It shows how one family's choice to donate a family member's organs can change so many lives. Just in the beginning scene, the transplant center enters the possible donor into the database, and the screen shows an instant match for all of the lives that can be transformed. I loved how the book employed a variety of genres and points of view.
Dec 30, 2009
Abby
rated it:
Amanda is a star gymnast. Dani struggles to walk across a room. They've never met. But they're about to become more intimate than most people can even imagine.
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. It's a failing heart, a broken heart, and there's only one option if she's going to see her sixteenth birthday: a heart transplant. When Amanda breaks her neck in a gymnastics accident, Dani receives the ultimate gift: a donor heart.
In Cold Hands, Warm Hear More...
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. It's a failing heart, a broken heart, and there's only one option if she's going to see her sixteenth birthday: a heart transplant. When Amanda breaks her neck in a gymnastics accident, Dani receives the ultimate gift: a donor heart.
In Cold Hands, Warm Hear More...
May 20, 2011
Kate
rated it:
This is a book for a more mature reader. Ths subject matter is quite serious, although the author does a very effective job of adding appropriate "teen humor" throughout. It is a page turner, but I do believe it is aimed more for middle school, not upper elementary, which is where it is listed in our city. Not sure why.
Parents would do well to read it as well. It is very thought provoking and eye-opening.
Parents would do well to read it as well. It is very thought provoking and eye-opening.
Mar 08, 2011
Jean
rated it:
Another Golden Sower nominee that seems too old for my clientele. I was interested in the story, but the language and themes were a little intense for middle school. Since we have a friend who recently had a kidney transplant after waiting for several years, and having to do dialysis daily, I felt I knew a little about the subject. After I read this book, I realized I didn't.
Dec 18, 2011
Demi
rated it:
When i saw the title i was ready to see what this book was about. Well Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. She is 15 and has lived way longer than the doctors ever expected her to. I love this book, but it does have like 3 different points of views, that's what confused me. But after you keep reading you actually get used to it, and it makes you feel like you're right in the middle of the action. I really recommend this book if you like science-fiction so go ahead and rea
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Jul 08, 2010
Brandi
rated it:
This was a book about organ donation. It gave a glimpse into the donor's life before she died, the recipient of the heart, as well as the donor's brother. I liked this book, as I am a fan of this type of books. I love Lurlene McDaniel, and books about sickness and dying, so this was up my alley. I took away some points because it gets medically technical, and descriptive at a few points in the book, but it is easy to skim over those parts. There is also a bit of romance going on, which always is
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May 03, 2011
Linda
rated it:
I wasn't attracted to the book because the cover and title aren't very enticing, but it is a very good read. It is about organ transplants and how everyone involved is affected. If you know someone who has had or needs a transplant, this book would help you know how to relate to them and see what they are going through.
Jun 30, 2009
MJ
rated it:
YA fiction
The cover and title tells it all—the picture on the cover is of an anatomically correct heart, not a cutsie pink one. This is the first novel I’ve read on the challenges of organ transplantation from both the donor’s family and the recipient and her family. Pretty engrossing with a bit of the gross.
The cover and title tells it all—the picture on the cover is of an anatomically correct heart, not a cutsie pink one. This is the first novel I’ve read on the challenges of organ transplantation from both the donor’s family and the recipient and her family. Pretty engrossing with a bit of the gross.
Jul 04, 2011
SharonJH
rated it:
A peek inside the world of organ transplants, where the lives of 2 teenagers intersect. Told from the point of view of the teenagers as well as family members, the story is especially touching with letters from organ recipients describing the precious ordinary things they are now able to do.
Jul 01, 2009
Mary
rated it:
Last night I spent some wonderful hours reading this YA novel. Reader beware - it's a tearjerker. A tragic death of a young gymnast results in numerous organ transplants. Characterization is excellent and the story is realistic. A giant step above the Lurlene McDaniel's novels.
Jul 08, 2009
Emily
rated it:
I went back and forth between liking this novel and thinking of it more as a pamphlet on organ donation. (I also think it would make a pretty good Lifetime movie.) There were some really nice/humorous/thoughtful moments, but also others that just didn't seem to fit or work right (the changes in point of view, for example). It didn't fully work for me, but I'm sure many other people, especially teens craving a tearjerker, will appreciate it.
Jan 22, 2010
Ashley FL
rated it:
I chose this based on title alone: it is a phrase I often use to describe myself. For some reason I thought it was a mystery.
It is, in fact, a YA (surprisingly sophisticated) novel about organ transplants. I really loved it -- 4.5 stars.
It is, in fact, a YA (surprisingly sophisticated) novel about organ transplants. I really loved it -- 4.5 stars.
