''Searching for David's Heart'' is a 1998 young-adult novel by Cherie Bennett. The author is a screenwriter, novelist, playwright, and columnist for the ''

San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' and other Copley newspapers.

Plot summary

Darcy Deeton is a twelve-year-old girl who loves her older brother, David. After becoming jealous when he falls in love with Jayne Evans, Darcy inadvertently leads David to his death in a car accident. The Deetons decide to donate David's most important organ, his heart. Darcy is so guilt-ridden about his death that she is determined to find the person who has his heart so she can find some closure. Darcy embarks on a wild adventure with her best friend, Sam. She goes on a journey with Sam and finds the recipient of David's heart, Winston Pawling.

Film adaptation

''Searching for David's Heart'' was made into a made-for-TV movie that premiered on

ABC Family The American cable television, cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and s ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. It is about a teenage girl, Darcy Deeton (played by

Danielle Panabaker Danielle Nicole Panabaker (born September 19, 1987) is an American actress. She began acting as a teenager and came to prominence for her roles in the Disney films '' Stuck in the Suburbs'' (2004), '' Sky High'' (2005) and ''Read It and Weep'' ( ...

), who is dealing with the death of her brother, David. She goes on a journey with her best friend Sam (played by

Ricky Ullman Raviv Chanan "Ricky" Ullman ( he, רביב אולמן; born 24 January 1986) is an Israeli-American actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Phil Diffy, the main character in the Disney Channel series ''Phil of the Future''. ...

) to find the person who received David's heart. In the movie, Darcy's brother is killed after he is hit by a car on his sister Darcy's birthday. Darcy's mother and father decide to donate his heart to a transplant organization. She and her best friend Sam find out David and the one who received his heart are nothing alike, which becomes very devastating to Darcy. However, the experience helps bring the shattered family back together and start to heal. For her critically acclaimed performance, Panabaker won a

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Leading Young Actress. The film was directed by

Paul Hoen Paul Hoen (born December 28, 1961) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for his directorial work with Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, especially his direction of List of Disney Channel original films, Disney Channel Origin ...

References

*Cherie Bennett. ''Searching for David's Heart.'' (1998)

External links

* ABC Family original films American novels adapted into films Films based on American novels Films based on children's books American young adult novels 2004 television films 2004 films 2000s English-language films Films directed by Paul Hoen {{US-tv-film-stub