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Eva

3.34 of 5 stars 3.34 · rating details · 967 ratings · 142 reviews

THIRTEEN-YEAR OLD EVA wakes up in the hospital unable to remember anything since the picnic on the beach. Her mother leans over the bed and begins to explain. A traffic accident, a long coma . . .

But there is something, Eva senses, that she’s not being told. There is a price she must pay to be alive at all. What have they done, with their amazing medical techniques, to sav...more

Paperback, 219 pages

Published November 1990 by Laurel Leaf (first published 1988)

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Nov 06, 2012 Stacy Chrzastowski rated it 3 of 5 stars

Grade Level/Interest Level: 6-8th grade
Reading Level: 1030 Level 6th-8th
Main Characters: Eva
POV: Ominous third person narrator
Setting: In the future when the human population is large and the animal population is low and animals are typically in reserves/zoos

Eva is a book about a young girl who gest in a car accident and is put into a coma for a while. They discover that her body will no longer make it. Her father who is a scientist decides to make Eva his project and implants her brain into a...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Kaitlyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was thoroughly odd. Honestly, the setting was improbable and random, feeling rather forced to me. It was never clear how far in the future this book was supposed to be set, as it didn't seem to have much better technology, though everything had a different name.
I personally felt that the setting rather detracted from the story. I'm not sure what else could have been done for the story to work, but I didn't particularly like it's set-up and backstory. The book could have benefited from...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Alana rated it 5 of 5 stars

I first read this in middle school. I liked the version I read better than the one pictured here, as the one I read gave no hint as to what the catastrophic change in the title character's life was, and I am sure that if I had known ahead of time at that age, I never would have bothered with the book. (I disliked animal books SO much. Almost more than, egads, boy books.) I am glad I did because the story always stuck with me, and I was thrilled to find it again in adulthood.

I was not disappoint...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Jessie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Author- Peter Dickinson
Title- Eva
Genre- Science Fiction (sci-fi)
Eva is a 13 year old girl living a normal life, sometime in the future. The only thing that separates her from the average girl is that she has a close affinity with chimps. This has everything to do with the fact that her father works for the Pool, an area that chimps are kept and observed. As a result, the Reserve is like her second home. She has grown up with them, and understands their social code as well as a humans. This oddit...more Author- Peter Dickinson
Title- Eva
Genre- Science Fiction (sci-fi)
Eva is a 13 year old girl living a normal life, sometime in the future. The only thing that separates her from the average girl is that she has a close affinity with chimps. This has everything to do with the fact that her father works for the Pool, an area that chimps are kept and observed. As a result, the Reserve is like her second home. She has grown up with them, and understands their social code as well as a humans. This oddity helps her cope when she is involved in a horrendous car crash, and turned into a science experiment for neurone memory transplant. Her parents, desperate for her survival, agreed for her neurone memory to be transplanted into Kelly, a young chimp at the Reserve. Eva is now a chimp with a human’s judgement, memories and intelligence. This is a dangerous thing in a world where humans have driven all other species into extinction, and chimps look to be next. Eva must use both parts of her to do everything in her power to stop this from happening, even if it means hurting the ones she loves.
This book is a good book because it explores some very deep points, yet manages to do so in an interesting way that keeps the reader captivated. It comes very close to becoming an environmental lecture, but manages to avoid it. I think, however, that while it did explore many crucial points, it glossed over some important ones, such as what it means to be human and animal rights. Dickinson glosses over these questions, however, and focuses on introducing new skills to the chimps, which, while interesting, I don’t think it was interesting enough to warrant the detail given. I also don’t think Dickinson explored the horrifying concept of waking up in a body that was not your own thoroughly.
However, the book did hold my attention for the entire duration, and upon finishing it I had been made to explore theories I had never even thought of, such as will the human race really lose all motivation?, and are we really on the path to wiping out all other species? I was also forced to consider an opinion voiced during the novel. It presented the opinion that, when the human has truly destroyed the Earth, as they had in the novel, Mother Nature would deal with it. In the book humans have lost all motivation, and are content to sit at home on their couches all day. They have stopped sending rockets to the moon, simply because nobody cares anymore. It was said that, slowly, people would just lose the will to live, and die. It is a truly disturbing idea, but, nevertheless, it made me think, and I think that’s what a good book is supposed to do.
I would recommend this book to children and young adults, aged 13 to 20. However, this book would also be suitable for mature 12 year olds, however, I don’t think it’s suitable for younger children, as it presents a few disturbing issues. It is good for readers who enjoy science fiction. That doesn’t mean, however, that if you’re not into sci-fi then you won’t enjoy this book. Sci-fi is not my favourite style; however I still found it an entertaining read.
Overall, I think that while this book was entertaining, it only scratched the surface on some important issues, yet went into too much detail on others. Because of this, I think it fell short of what it could have become.
I do, however, think that it is a story that will stay in my head for the years to come because of its unique storyline.(less)

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Sep 14, 2011 Simone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eva, a book by author Peter Dickinson, was a horrifying book. Not horrifyingly bad, but the idea that the book was based off of was very frightening. Eva features a young girl named Eva as the main character. The book actually started off slow, and was mildly confusing. The setting and the time frame were not specific, but this seemed to be on purpose. The author did not want the book to be about the future and technology, and did want the book to be about the human race and what will be ethical...more Eva, a book by author Peter Dickinson, was a horrifying book. Not horrifyingly bad, but the idea that the book was based off of was very frightening. Eva features a young girl named Eva as the main character. The book actually started off slow, and was mildly confusing. The setting and the time frame were not specific, but this seemed to be on purpose. The author did not want the book to be about the future and technology, and did want the book to be about the human race and what will be ethical in the future that would not be so today. The language in Eva was brilliant; the author twisted words together so fluidly that it seemed that the book was written in a dream like state. Once a reader passes the midpoint of the book, the plot picks up. Since in the first half the main character is essentially on depressants, her thoughts, and therefore the book, are slow and dreary. Once she is set free, however, she begins too think more vividly, and the scenes in the book become more dramatic and thrilling. The book's spirit changes with Eva's, which is what makes it so interesting. As Eva, the book, progresses, the reader begins to empathize more with Eva, the girl. The reader shares her hardships, and feels her thoughts inside their heads. The reader becomes totally immersed in the two different worlds inside the book. As the book nears its end, it becomes depressing, and because the reader has been so intertwined with the book, they feel themselves experiencing the awful thoughts and events that Eva, the girl, must experience to finally make her true friends and herself happy. The reader realizes that Eva has known ever since her transformation at the beginning of the book what she must do, and finally someone puts it into words for her. This is fascinating for the reader to see, because they are rooting for Eva, the girl, throughout the entire book. The end of the book is definitely the best part. Although easily the saddest time in the entire book, it leaves the reader with a sense if fulfillment and hope for the future that Eva, the girl, has created selflessly for her true friends. (less)

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Aug 02, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: grades 7-9

Recommended to Sarah by: sh

Shelves: children-science-fiction, audio

This futuristic story is about an adolescent girl whose brain is put into a chimp's body in order to save her life after an accident destroys her own. This happens because her father works for a company that studies chimps, so she becomes part of the company's research.

I would have thought Eva would be more angry about having to live as a chimp for the rest of her life, but she seems to take it well--I think this is because she had spent a lot of time with her father and the chimps he studied. I...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Brigitte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ir-reading-books-rick-s-advisory

This book is about a girl who got in a car accident. They could not fix her body so they put her brain into a chimps body. Now Eva must live her life in a totally different body. But Eva doesn't mind. She has grown up with chimps all her life, her father is a scientist who studies chimps. But just because she don't care, doesn't mean her mother doesn't. Eva's mother is very disturbed that her daughter is so different. This book is about how Eva struggles to keep a normal life and keep her mothe...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Beatrice Gormley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books, fiction, science-fiction, a-favorite-author

A startlingly different coming-of-age story: Eva, a young girl, is almost killed in a terrible car accident. However, through a technological advance she is saved to live--as a young female chimpanzee. Eventually this twist of fate gives her the chance to develop her talent for leadership and preserve intelligent life, as the human species slides into extinction.
Peter Dickinson is one of my favorite fantasy writers, for adults as well as YA. He’s written dozens—maybe hundreds?—of novels, straig...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Amalie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction

I recently read several books set in future and they are always dystopian. Now that's something not to think of when 2013 is around the corner.

Eva was quite different from the other young adult books I've read and if you read carefully, you'll begin to find a lot of layered analogies. Then more I read, I realized how generalized and unclear the genre is. Even if we consider it as a YA novel, I doubt anyone under 14 will like to read it and identify the simple and yet very complicated issues. I t...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Eva Leger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Eva by: library

Shelves: b-fiction, thriller, y-a

Eva is so far off the beaten path for me that I'm still surprised I read it. After a librarian aid handed it to me (without knowing my name is Eva) I decided to give it a try because of her thoughts on it.
I started liking the cover more and more as I read into the book. The trees and brush in the background play a solid part because of Eva's yearnings and I love the bit of black hair going down her face also - it makes you think once you're a ways into the book.
I'm not much for long flowery de...more Eva is so far off the beaten path for me that I'm still surprised I read it. After a librarian aid handed it to me (without knowing my name is Eva) I decided to give it a try because of her thoughts on it.
I started liking the cover more and more as I read into the book. The trees and brush in the background play a solid part because of Eva's yearnings and I love the bit of black hair going down her face also - it makes you think once you're a ways into the book.
I'm not much for long flowery descriptions but here it worked and was needed in a way. It didn't feel like "filler" which is usually what that sort of things feels like for me.
The premise of the story is surely unique, Eva gets in a car accident as a 13 year old girl and because of her parents work and affiliations they were able, while Eva's in a coma, to transplant her brain into a chimp body. No one knew what they could possibly expect and when Eva finally woke up there was a surprise - Eva was no longer just Eva in a chimp's body but Eva and Kelly, the chimp that had her body stolen.
Dickinson meshed the two beautifully in my opinion, it really hit home how it would be to live with two differing sides inside you. Two totally differing sides.
One part I didn't care for was the race distinction nearing the end. I don't have the book handy and I forget the exact wording but when talking about the difference between men and woman and chimps having babies something was said about "a white woman being carried off into the woods". Why the distinction? I know I'm especially sensitive to the subject but really, why? Why not leave it at woman? Is it a horror to have a white woman carried off but not a black woman? Is a black woman not worth mentioning? This really bothered me and I'd love to hear the reasoning behind that one sentence.
Besides this one thing I'm surprised I liked it as much as I did being that it's so different than anything I normally go for. If anyone knows of any books like this I'd love to get the recommendation. It/They would have to be very similiar. I'm looking for sci-fi but like this, realistic sci-fi that I can really get into. (less)

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May 17, 2011 Peacegal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humane-education

What a neat book. Eva will please fans of sci-fi, nature stories, animal ethics and intelligent YA fiction.

At some unnamed point in a dystopian future, Eva is a 13 year-old-girl who is severely injured in an accident. Only her mind remains intact. In a radical, experimental new procedure, Eva’s mind is transported to the brain and body of a chimpanzee. Caught between two worlds and relentlessly hounded by interests that hope to make a buck off her, Eva must struggle to find a place in a world i...more

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May 21, 2011 Erika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, fiction, young-adult

I was so worried this would turn into a environmentally conscious morality tale at the end, and it barely missed it. I really loved this story in spite of myself. The idea was fascinating: the consciousness of a 13 year old girl gets transplanted into the brain of a chimp. The idea that a person's consciousness is derived from how one's neurons are connected is a pretty unique idea for a story. The idea is that the girl has to learn to love her new identity and banish the ghost of her former sel...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Zombiepuppie rated it 3 of 5 stars

While it does take a degree of blind faith in the setting, as it is a bit outlandish, if you can extend that much there is a fair amount of satisfaction in this book.
The story itself is done without being too preachy on the subjects of how we play gods to the world around us and to each other without taking much responsibility for the results of those actions, but it does give a gentle nod to those themes.
There's also an underlying theme of how humanity is something that extends past human and a...more

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May 24, 2010 Alyssa Connors rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eva was about a 13 year old girl that got in an awful, almost fatal car accident, so her body was badly damaged. Her parents then decided that in order for her to live they could choose to replace her body with a chimps body, but put her own brain inside. She slowly starts to wake up from a coma and starts to be able to move her muscles which of course takes time. After she is well, she has to live in the world as a chimp which people don't really accept, so she likes being with the other chimps...more

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Teacherhuman 1. The book raises some significant issues on the topic of medical ethics. What are these issues?
2. As you consider those issues, which do you think y...more
updated May 25, 2010 04:39am

Alyssa Connors 1. Putting her brain inside a chimps body was an idea but they weren't even sure that it would have worked, it did but it was difficult for her to lea...more
May 27, 2010 08:15pm

May 02, 2010 Ab rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: realms-of-the-psychological, fantastically-fantastical, sci-fi-ness, pleasantly-strange

This book was very strange, in an interesting-strange kind of way. Eva is injured in a car accident, which leaves her body broken and comatose, she is somehow transplanted, as a mind, into the body of a chimpanzee (her father runs "The Pool" which is the last place chimps exist, none in the wild since the expansion of human population, and destruction of natural land areas; they exist as chimps, but also as bodies for science, so it can get some funding). Anyway, Eva wakes up in a chimp body, an...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Too Many Thoughts rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It was an OK book. Yet again I didn't actually finish it, LOL. It's so hard to find a decent book these days, or maybe it's just because my standard for 'good' is too high due to my obsessive reading in the past.
Notice how I said past, I don't read or write much on Goodreads now.
:(
Back to the point!!!!
SO, it's a book about this girl who's in some sort of accident and as a means of saving her life her parents decide to turn her into a chimp or ape or some sort of monkey-type creature.
The rest of...more

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Mar 15, 2009 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

I picked this up at the Friends of the Library book sale. The consciousness of a thirteen-year-old girl, an accident victim, is transmitted to the brain of a chimpanzee. It's set in a future when the earth has become severely overpopulated and chimps represent the future of humanity. My only complaint is that it's written to an exclusively juvenile audience, with thinly drawn, unrealistic adult characters and rather shallow treatment of such grownup issues as sexuality and religion. Still, it wa...more

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Jul 24, 2009 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't know what middle school or young high school readers would think of this. I thought it was boring. I didn't care too much about Eva, though I should have, not sure why I didn't. And I thought her parents would end up being more than flat characters.

The book perhaps has potential to provide a foundation for some thoughtful debate and (current events and dystopian) discussion...on media and celebrity...and identity...and chimps and animal rights...and new, science influenced life forms......more

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Sep 27, 2010 S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi

It would be difficult to tell too much about this story without giving too much away... That said, I enjoyed reading it, though it was a bit troubling at times. Well written and exploring questions about rights--who has them and who doesn't. Human and animal interactions. I'm not sure I agree that the main character would actually have made the decisions she made, even based on her experiences in youth. Leaves a lot of questions for which we still have not found answers. Or for which there are a...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Sarah Liggett added it

Shelves: 21-30

Is science cognoscente of people? Are there breakthroughs that intelligent design would permit, in order to save a race? Eva is the only successful integration of human and chimpanzee, initiated by a horrible accident, and a scientist's desire to save his daughter's life. after this apical moment, humanity begins to diminish, will humans bring chimps down with them? or will Eva be courageous enough to accept all of what she is, and lead the Chimps into survive? I still don't know if I liked this...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Roberta R. (Offbeat YA) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, edge-of-society, sci-fi, ethics

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Makes you think, and care for the main character. Raises awareness about our exploitation of the world and animal species.
Cons: Some tech-naiveness (that will be addressed in the review). Parts of the story feel a bit rushed.
Will appeal to: Anyone who cares for environment and animal population. Anyone who thinks that science can't make progress regardless of ethics.

Sort-of-disclaimer: I read the Italian translation of this book,...more Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Makes you think, and care for the main character. Raises awareness about our exploitation of the world and animal species.
Cons: Some tech-naiveness (that will be addressed in the review). Parts of the story feel a bit rushed.
Will appeal to: Anyone who cares for environment and animal population. Anyone who thinks that science can't make progress regardless of ethics.

Sort-of-disclaimer: I read the Italian translation of this book, so I can't really judge the writing style. Also, I don't know if any parts of this novel have been cut off in my version.
Talk about mixed reviews. Some people seem to hate this book with a passion, or at least are unimpressed. On the other hand, this story has captivated an equal number of readers. Though it was of course aimed at a younger audience, adults often seem to have more empathy with it. I read the book at an adult age myself, so I'm not really sure about the impact it could have on a teen. Anyway, I'd recommend this novel to both age groups.
I don't think that the injuried-girl-(or-boy-sometimes)-waking-up-after-a-coma-with-no-memory was routine back in 1988 (it sure is now)...but anyway, that's not really the case. Eva (whose surname is Adamson, by the way...not very subtle LOL) wakes up in an hospital with her memory almost intact - the only thing she doesn't seem to remember is the actual accident that put her there. But even before her awareness resurfaces, her mind is floating in a strange, inexplicable dream, full with a mysterious forest that doesn't even exist anymore. Anyway, Eva does remember who she is - only, while she was sleeping, the "is" turned into a "was" without her knowing. She went from a thirteen year old girl to a six year old chimpanzee (once named Kelly), her human brain virtually replicated into the ape's one. Her parents approved on the sperimental procedure because it was the only chance Eva had to survive (we'll have to suspend our disbelief on that of course...I'm not really buying that a parent could ever make such a choice, even if - like Eva's father - said parent had been working with chimps all his/her life). Problem is, Eva turns out to be not just a girl in a chimp's body; Kelly's memories - even the ancestral ones - are embedded in her replicated human mind. While Eva thinks she'll "only" have to adjust to her new body at first, it won't be long till she finds out that Kelly isn't letting go. [...]

Whole review here. (less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Kaila rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, dystopia, young-adult

As seen on Stumptown Books.

This was a reread for me, having originally read this middle-grade novel in middle school, at precisely the age it was meant for. I remembered it recently and wanted to give it another shot, having not yet learned the lesson that some things from our childhood are better left to memory.

The opening is the strongest and creepiest part. We discover early on that Eva has had her brain moved from her prepubescent body into that of a young chimp. The sequence of her learning...more As seen on Stumptown Books.

This was a reread for me, having originally read this middle-grade novel in middle school, at precisely the age it was meant for. I remembered it recently and wanted to give it another shot, having not yet learned the lesson that some things from our childhood are better left to memory.

The opening is the strongest and creepiest part. We discover early on that Eva has had her brain moved from her prepubescent body into that of a young chimp. The sequence of her learning what has happened, and how she deals with it, was shudder inducing. Eva was so strong and able to cope with this horrifying event in her life; I remembered why, in middle school, I thought she was such a strong character. I was able to identify her as an, albeit very strange, heroine. Unfortunately, reading this book through an adult's eyes, I am able to see that Eva was suspiciously accepting of her situation. She reacted maturely to everything that was thrown at her, which made it obvious that an adult male was trying to write a 13 year old girl, and barely succeeding. Her thoughts on politics were too cohesive and she is entirely too adult like, instead of being the angsty teenager we would all be in this situation. Seriously, what happened to her is thoroughly horrifying, she deserved to have some screams and cry alone in the corner time.

Soon we leave the hospital and learn about the state of the world, and although it is a much more depressing view of the near future than I cherish close to my heart, it was also disturbingly accurate in some ways. It was interesting that TV was the medium that had completely taken over society, as there was no internet really.

The middle of the book lost its way, and I was actually growing bored, even though the book is so short. I didn't like it all the way up until the very end, when the last page was actually quite a good pay off.

The bottom line is, if you are interested in young adult dystopias, this would probably prove an interesting read for you. Having been published in the late 80s, as opposed to the last decade, proves that our fear of where we are headed has changed drastically.(less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Kita rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: forced-myself-to-finish, ya-teen

At the start, Eva was very interesting. I was drawn in by the first chapter. The description is good and I was very interested in how Eva adjusts to her chimp body.

Eva starts when the protagonist, Eva, nearly dies in an accident and her mind is transferred into a chimp's body. The way the author addresses this idea is great. He includes the reactions of Eva's scientist father, concerned mother, Eva's friends, and society. The book also discusses the positive and negative aspects of sacrificing...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had completely forgotten about this book until it was brought up in the What's The Name of That Book??? group, and as soon as the title was given, I shouted "I REMEMBER THAT BOOK!" All I remember, aside from the general description, though, is that it really creeped me out. Not the way a scary book creeps you out, but in an ooky, "Can that really happen? Oh my God, what if that happened *to me*?" way. It's a haunting book.

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Dec 02, 2010 Ruby Hollyberry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s, fantasy-sci-fi

A dark future - almost post-apocalyptic. Pretty disturbing for YA. A beautiful girl, daughter of a primate researcher, is killed in an accident - except that her brain was intact and they decided to switch it with the brain of a chimp. Eva lives the rest of her life in a chimp body and has disturbing experiences including being dressed up in cute clothes to appear on a television talk show (she rips them off on camera). In the end she becomes a matriarch of a tribe of chimps struggling to surviv...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Thirteen year old Eva wakes up completely immobile. The only thing she can do is blink. Her mother’s face hovers over her and that is how she finds out that there was an accident coming back from a picnic with her family and their monkeys. Eva is in a hospital. Later she discovers the depth of what has happened. Eva was in an irreversible coma so when there was an option to try neuron memory her parents took that option. Eva wakes up in the body of one of the monkeys her parents had raised. Now...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Camille rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dr-crovitz-class

Prior to seeing it as a choice on our reading list for my English class, I had never heard of this book. I read the description of the story on the Internet and decided that it sounded very interesting, albeit outlandish. It seemed like something different than anything I had ever read before. It also appeared to deal with themes in which I am very interested, such as animal medical experiments and animal rights. Therefore, I chose to read it.

The first part of the book progressed very quickly,...more Prior to seeing it as a choice on our reading list for my English class, I had never heard of this book. I read the description of the story on the Internet and decided that it sounded very interesting, albeit outlandish. It seemed like something different than anything I had ever read before. It also appeared to deal with themes in which I am very interested, such as animal medical experiments and animal rights. Therefore, I chose to read it.

The first part of the book progressed very quickly, as I enjoyed discovering just how the experiment had been done. After the first chapter, the book gets very detailed, which makes for a slower progression. Nonetheless, the ideas and themes are worth wading through the details.

The book raises the controversial issue of conducting medical experiments on animals, which I think is a very important and relevant theme in today’s society. Humans frequently mistreat animals in the name of “helping” other humans. I think it is important for us to consider whether the suffering we inflict is justified. We also need to ask ourselves why we think our lives are more valuable than the lives of those animals. A rat’s life is just as important to him as mine is to me.

The book also deals with issues of parent/child relationships. Such issues are relevant to high school students. Both students and parents deal with making decisions that will disappoint or sadden people who are important to them. They have to consider the effects of the decisions on themselves and on the other people involved. This book demonstrates the competing interests of a teen’s freedom and independence versus the parents’ desire to control and protect.

Although it is a very small part of the book, I also like the reference to how people become so apathetic that they don’t think it is worth the effort to keep living. Our society may not be in immediate danger of this happening, but it is something to consider. If we suddenly had to hunt or grow our own food and build our own shelters, would we find that worth the effort? If we could not spend our evenings watching television and eating nice dinners largely prepared by someone else, if we had to spend most of our time focused solely on survival, I think many of us would refuse to expend the effort to stay alive. As a society, we are becoming more and more mentally wired to depend on efforts of others to stay alive- and to spend our own time doing things we consider to be fun. It is important to consider how such mental wiring can be dangerous.

Because of the fascinating issues and potential for intriguing discussions, I would use this book in a classroom of high school students. I might teach it in conjunction with other books that consider the relationship of human beings with other animals, such as The Call of the Wild, or I might teach it in conjunction with books that consider the future of the human race (of which there are far too many to list here), or with books dealing with parent/child relationships.

3Q 3P
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Jun 04, 2009 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Alex by: Genevieve

My favorite thing about Eva echoes that of a book I treasure above just about all others: Speaker for the Dead—that thing being an alien society that really feels alien. In the case of Speaker those aliens were the Pequeninos, the only other sentient species known in the universe. In the case of Eva, the aliens are much closer to home: chimpanzees. And yet Peter Dickinson makes them come alive in a way that feels strange and exhilarating. Their culture, communication, and personalities are ever...more

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Nov 10, 2007 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: RACHEL!!!!!!!! ...and other fans (esp YAs) of our apely relations

Shelves: wee-ones-and-bored-teenagers, people-turn-to-creatures

This book is INSANE!

It is a CHILDREN'S book about a LITTLE GIRL with a SCIENTIST FATHER and the girl has a TERRIBLE ACCIDENT and so her BRAIN is TRANSPLANTED into the BODY of a GORILLA!!!

A GORILLA!!!!!

BUT THAT HAPPENS AT THE VERY BEGINNING! Eva the gorilla girl has a special little keypad-with-voice which she uses to communicate. Things are okay for awhile, but guess what???? THE GORILLA NATURE IS STRONG!

I'm not going to tell you what happens at the end, even though it's the only part of this bo...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction

I remember reading this ages ago (I think it was assigned in school) and not liking it. I picked it up at a book sale, and nope... still don't like it. There are many books that do this subject very well, but for me (view spoiler) Sorry, middle school english teacher - I do appreciate that we were given such an interesting book to read!

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What's The Name o...: YA book about a girl in a gorilla's body [s]	4	136	Jan 04, 2013 12:29pm

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About Peter Dickinson

Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (born 16 December 1927) is a prolific English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories.

Peter Dickinson lives in Hampshire with his second wife, author Robin McKinley. He has written more than fifty novels for adults and young readers. He has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award twice, and his novel...more

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