The Best and Hardest Thing

Gr 9-Up Fifteen-year-old Molly Biden is finished with being the good girl. Armed with a new look, she targets the mysterious, hot new guy, Grady Dillon. Fearful that she might be outmaneuvered by an older girl in the scramble for his affections, Molly makes a quick and fateful decision to have unprotected sex with him. Predictably (a clearly pregnant teen girl graces the book's cover), Molly becomes pregnant. She tells her story in verse, a format ripe for the emotional immediacy of an unplanned teen pregnancy. In this case, however, the format's potential is left untapped. Molly's voice does not ring true to a teen, and her words often feel forced into the verse. This clunkiness is heightened when free verse turns into specific poetic forms, which often feel incongruous with the subject at hand. Ultimately, Molly's story skims the surface, but never deeply immerses readers in the loneliness and depth of her current situation. For a deeper, raw glimpse into teen pregnancy and a fall from grace, steer readers to Ellen Hopkins"'s Crank" (S & S, 2004) or Linda Oatman High's "Planet Pregnancy" (Front St, 2008)."Jill Heritage Maza, Greenwich High School, CT" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.