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It is a sad fact
of life that young people become sexually active before they
are emotionally ready to cope with the demands of parenthood
and possible disease.The books recommended on this page all either
feature the pregnancy as its main subject or have pregnancy of
a minor character which is part of the arc of the novel. One
or two do a great job of examining the fall-out of a teen pregnancy
from the teenage father's point-of-view. None of the books glorify
the issue and none are preachy. All are thoughtful.
| Bechard, Margaret |
Hanging on to Max
I really liked this book. Seventeen-year-old
Sam tells the story of how his life changed when he first held
his infant son. Sam is an unwed father who gains custody of his
son when his ex-girlfriend decides to give their baby up for
adoption. Sam enrolls in an alternative high school for his senior
year, gives up his friends, his basketball team and sleep to
take responsibility for his son. The story is sad and Sam has
some really tough choices to make. He takes great care of his
son, but at great personal cost. |
| Dessen, Sarah |
Someone Like You
Scarlett calls her best friend
Halley at the camp she does not want to be at to tell her that
Scarlett's summer boyfriend has just been killed in a motorcycle
accident. Scarlett asks Halley to come home and she does; because
that is what best friends are for. Together, they attend Michael's
funeral and Halley meets Macon, Michael's good buddy. When Scarlett
discovers that she is pregnant, after only one time, using failed
protection, Halley needs to be there for Scarlett as she sorts
through life-changing choices.
An eighth grade student loaned this book to me on Wednesday and
I finished it by Friday. Not only is it a good story, but it
is well written with a "true" voice. It sends a message
without being preachy. The parents are real people, not clueless
stereotypes. Halley falls head-over-heels for Michael but listens
to her little voice of doubt from time to time. |
| Frost, Helen |
Keesha's House
Keesha's house is owned by
Joe and its door is painted an inviting blue and is always open
to teenagers who need a place to stay and think, or just stay.
Seven teenagers find themselves needing the refuge of Keesha's
house, including a young girl with loving parents who finds herself
pregnant and is terrified of facing them, a young man who was
kicked out of his house when he came out to his parents, a young
man who was born in prison and just tired of abusive foster care
homes., among others. There is an poem for each teen, introducing
the character and then at least two more to complete their interludes
at Keesha's house. Very affecting book. |
| Johnson, Angela |
The First Part Last
Here is another book that looks
at the male side of teen pregnancy. Just as in the story Hanging
on to Max, (see annotation above) this book tells the story
of Bobby,who learns on his sixteenth birthday that his girlfriend
is pregnant. The chapters flip back and forth in time from "Then"
to "Now" as he tries to cope with his life being turned
upside down. |
| Wolf, Virginia Euwer |
Make Lemonade
There are two books so far in this series. They are written in
very readable blank verse and are about LaVaughn, a 14 year-old
girl who lives in an un-named ghetto with her mother who is strict
about most things. I happened to read the second book, True
Believer, first, not realizing that it was a sequel. I like
the second book better than the first but I liked both books.
LaVaughn inhabits a different world than most of us in Bergen
County. |
| Zeises, Lara |
Contents Under Pressure
I love so much about this book
from its title and cool cover to its characters. I also love
that the family in this story is loving, functional and intact.
Lucy is the middle child, sandwiched in between a much older
brother, whom she adores and a much younger brother, who grosses
her out. She is a freshman, hasn't been kissed yet and finds
herself left behind in the boyfriend department by all but one
of her circle of friends.
All this changes quite abruptly when she
is quite literally swept off her feet by Tobin, a hot junior
and her brother suddenly quits music school to return home with
his girlfriend, Hannah whom Lucy instantly dislikes and treats
poorly. Lucy is hurt by the distant way her brother is treating
her and resists Hannah's attempts at being friends until her
brother leaves to play some gigs with their father and Hannah
comes up with the perfect costume for Lucy to wear to Tobin's
annual Halloween bash.
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