- 2016 Winner, Notable Books for a Global Society
- Horn Book Fanfare List: Best Books of 2015
- Booklist Best Young Adult Books of 2015
- 2016 CCBC Choices–Historical People, Places, and Events
- Booklist 2016 Top 10 Books for Youth, Biographies
- Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2015, Informational Books for Older Readers
- Junior Literary Guild Selection
“Murphy’s dramatic nonfiction narrative recounting of one of the first open heart surgeries ever performed is not to be missed…”
—School Library Journal, STARRED review
“Murphy assembles a complicated set of facts, strip away the inessentials, and tells a memorable, moving story.”
—Booklist, STARRED review
“Illuminating.”
—Horn Book, STARRED review
“Murphy masterfully interweaves discussions of discrimination, the controversy over animal testing, and the background of each protagonist into the main narrative, building tension as he leads up to the surgery itself.”
—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“A gripping look at a major medical breakthrough.”
—Kirkus
“[T]he book’s clear and concise account offers a compelling picture of all that goes into medical — and societal — advances.”
—Washington Post