A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age: How do you define family? Jenny Fitzgerald is an artist who never fit in with her sports-obsessed parents and siblings. Still, she loves her family-even if she doesn't relate to them. Even if, unlike her younger siblings, Jenny's father is Donor 142. She's always known the truth, but before now, it hasn't seemed to matter much. But this summer-her sixteenth-is different. Where does Jenny really belong? Her parents don't understand her artwork (and her boss at the studio isn't even convinced she has talent), her twin sisters are so close it hurts (and it's good at hurting Jenny), and she's not entirely sure why she has a crush on jock Tate Brodeur (not that he's noticed her . . . yet). To find her true self, Jenny begins to search for the one person who might really understand her-someone biologically connected. With Tate's help, Jenny consults the Donor Sibling Registry, and before she knows it, she has discovered a half sibling. Alexa is witty, impulsive, and desperate to meet. Jenny's convinced her genetic other half is the key to having a family, but when Alexa shows up unannounced, Jenny's world changes in ways she never could have predicted.
"Franklin offers readers an engaging protagonist whose humor and unusual situation highlight the lonely and displaced feelings common to many teens."
School Library Journal
"Poignant, funny, and heartfelt, The Other Half of Me is an inviting story about family, change, and finding the pieces that complete us. Emily Franklin paints a story so rich and textured, once you slip between the pages, you won't want to leave."
Alyson Noel, author of the Immortals series
"With perceptive detail, Franklin skillfully folds the intriguing topic of donor-bank siblings into a larger story about a teen's search for identity and love."
