Synopses & Reviews
«“Readers . . . will always feel like they are in the experienced hands of a master storyteller.” —
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Nobody gets away with telling sixteen-year-old Eleanor Crowe what to do. But as a pregnant teen, her options are limited: move to Kenya with her missionary parents or marry the babys father and work at his familys summer camp for overweight kids. She chooses marriage. A camp tragedy prompts a series of events that overwhelms Elly with difficult choices. Somehow, she must leverage her usual stubbornness to ensure a future for herself and her baby. A fascinating character study.
Review
“Provides a plethora of objective and valuable information about sex, pregnancy, and birth control.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“A sure-fire draw for teens and preteens. Buy multiple copies.” School Library Journal
Review
“Good discussion material for teenage girls at risk.” KLIATT
Review
"Nolan presents a sensitive look at the difficulties of teen pregnancy. . .Drawing in both reluctant and avid readers, this novel is an uplifting page-turner with a great deal of heart."--
School Library Journal, starred review "Readers will love Eleanor's openness and admire her strength in dealing with hard choices and unexpected disasters."--
Publishers Weekly "As revealed in her first-person narration, Elly is passionate, smart-mouthed, rebellious and completely endearing. Secondary characters are similarly well-crafted, refusing to fit into stereotypes. Readers may feel like laughing, crying and grinding their teeth in frustration, but they will always feel like they are in the experienced hands of a master storyteller."--
Kirkus Reviews, starred review "National Book Award finalist Nolan has written a multilayered character study of Elly, a young woman angry at the adults in her life but enormously resourceful and capable of love. The issues she faces—teen pregnancy, immature boyfriends, bewildered and angry parents, whether to keep the baby, and even the problems of overweight campers—all have their origins in grief and control. How Elly plows through this complex morass both before and after the baby arrives makes for not only a strong story but a subtle object lesson as well."--
Booklist "The combination of camp story and problem novel give the book high appeal, and the characters are complex and sympathetic, particularly Elly as she works through her issues and grapples believably with the forced onset of adulthood."-Bulletin
Synopsis
From the author of "Go Ask Alice" and "It Happened to Nancy" comes this gripping narrative about a pregnant teenager who chronicles her experience in her diary. Fourteen years old and pregnant, Annie confides all her doubts and fears in her diary, revealing her deepest feelings from the time she learns she is pregnant until the time she must face the agonizing decision of whether to keep her baby or give the newborn up for adoption.
Synopsis
When Annie discovers she's pregnant by her boyfriend, she's devastated. She has never felt so alone. With no one she can talk to, she pours her heart out to her diary, confiding her feelings of panic, self-doubt, and the desperate hope that some day she can turn her life around. She decides she wants to keep her baby and dreams of loving and caring for this little person. But after the baby is born, it's in her diary that she faces the agonizing question: Can she really raise this child on her own?
Synopsis
National Book Award-winning author Han Nolan portrays a tough and defiant pregnant teen who discovers her strength and compassion—and courageous plan for her future—while working at a camp for overweight children.
About the Author
Beatrice Sparks is a family and adolescent therapist who edited the diary that formed the basis for Go Ask Alice, and has since edited many diaries on topics such as gangs, AIDS, and teen pregnancy in the 1988 Annie's Baby. She lives in Provo, UT.