Cover Image

The baby

by Drakeford, Lisa,

Format: Print Book 2016
Availability: Available at 1 Library 1 of 1 copy

Available (1)
Location Collection Call #
Green Tree Public Library Young Adult Fiction YA DRA
Location  Green Tree Public Library
 
Collection  Young Adult Fiction
 
Call Number  YA DRA
 
 

Summary
Five friends, one life-changing party. When Olivia opens the bathroom door, the last thing she expects to see is her best friend, Nicola, giving birth on the floor. And to say that Nicola is shocked is an understatement. She's not ready to be a mother, and she needs Olivia's help. But Olivia has her own problems--specifically her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, and having to keep an eye on her younger sister, Alice. And then there's Nicola's friend Ben, who's struggling with secrets of his own... The Baby explores one cataclysmic event from five sides to create a brilliant, engaging, bittersweet drama about friendship and family that's perfect for fans of Jesse Andrews and Jandy Nelson.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Olivia's seventeenth birthday party is everything she wanted it to be: her best friends Nicola and Ben dancing around her; her weird younger sister, Alice, quietly confined to her bedroom; her boyfriend, Jonty, looming lovingly (if somewhat possessively) by her side. But when Olivia discovers Nicola in the bathroom giving birth to a baby she didn't even know she was having Jonty's baby the celebration comes to a crashing halt. Over the next few months, Olivia, Nicola, Jonty, Alice, and Ben adjust to life with Nicola's baby, Eliza. Olivia struggles to forgive her friend, while Alice attempts to make a new one; Nicola takes to motherhood with relative ease, leaning on Ben for his support and constant companionship; and Jonty initially resists his responsibilities as a father. While relevant issues like domestic violence and autism are woven gracefully across the narratives, the resulting conflicts are too neatly wrapped up. Written in alternating third-person voices, Drakeford's debut transforms the stark and grim realities of teen pregnancy into much fluffier fare, complete with a surprising, rom-com-worthy eleventh-hour twist.--Kuss, Rebecca Copyright 2016 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "The lives of Olivia, her best friend Nicola, younger sister Alice, boyfriend Jonty, and the girls' gay friend Ben are forever changed at Olivia's 17th birthday party when Nicola unexpectedly gives birth to a baby girl. Set over five months with perspective shifting to each individual, Drakeford's debut delves into the repercussions of that night as readers gain insight into the characters' backstories, insecurities, motivations, and personalities. Drakeford weaves a tightly-knit character study as the plot unspools to include Olivia discovering the betrayal that led to Eliza's conception, Nicola finding the strength to be a single parent, Alice gaining a friend, Jonty making amends and taking responsibility, and Ben accepting big news. While the novel's language reflects its British origins and setting (nappies, newsagent, sixth form), the struggles are universal (unplanned teen pregnancy, bullying/abusive behavior, discrimination), and Drakeford handles them with considerable sensitivity. Though "nothing will ever be the same" for these characters, and questions still remain at the close of the story, the open (and surprise) ending feels like a hopeful new beginning for all of them. Ages 14-up. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects Infants -- Fiction.
Best friends -- Fiction.
Sisters -- Fiction.
Interpersonal relations -- Fiction.
Teenage mothers -- Fiction.
Teenage fathers -- Fiction.
Gay teenagers -- Fiction.
Young adult fiction.
Publisher New York :Chicken House/Scholastic Inc.,2016
Edition First edition.
Language English
Notes "First published in the United Kingdom in 2015 by Chicken House."
Description 240 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN 9780545940276
0545940273
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