One

Grace and Tippi are sixteen-year-old conjoined twins navigating the challenges of attending public school for the first time. Their family faces mounting financial pressure, forcing them to leave their comfortable homeschooling routine and enter a world where their unique physical connection draws constant attention. Written entirely in free verse poetry, this young adult novel follows the sisters as they build new friendships, experience first love, and grapple with medical complications. The story centers on their deep bond as sisters while they each struggle to establish their own identity. Through Grace's perspective, the narrative explores the complex realities of being physically joined to another person while yearning for independence. This Carnegie Medal-winning book examines themes of sisterhood, sacrifice, and what it means to be an individual when you've never been truly alone.

Readers connect emotionally with the relationship between conjoined twins Grace and Tippi, praising Crossan's verse novel format for making the complex subject matter accessible and impactful. Many note finishing the book in one sitting due to the quick-moving verse style. Liked: - Authentic teenage voice and dialogue - Poetic structure enhances emotional moments - Handles sensitive subject matter with care - Character development of both sisters Disliked: - Some found the verse format distracting - Secondary characters lack depth - Plot becomes predictable - Several readers wanted more medical/practical details about conjoined life Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (30,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (300+ ratings) BookTrust: 4/5 "The format perfectly mirrors the story - two separate elements working as one," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. Multiple readers cited crying during the final chapters. Some critics on Amazon noted the story follows "expected tragic paths" for books about this subject.

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🔹 Sarah Crossan has served as Ireland's Children's Literature Laureate (Laureate na nÓg) from 2018-2020, making her the fifth person to hold this prestigious position. 🔹 The oldest recorded case of conjoined twins dates back to 945 in Armenia, with the twins living into their 30s despite being connected at the torso. 🔹 "One" won the Carnegie Medal in 2016, making Crossan the first author to win this prestigious award with a verse novel. 🔹 Only about 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 200,000 births result in conjoined twins, and approximately 40-60% are stillborn. 🔹 The verse novel format used in "One" consists of roughly 400 poems, with each one functioning as a chapter to tell the complete story.