Me, Him, Them, and It
In order to get attention from the Ice Queen (her mother) and The Stranger (her father), Evelyn, a junior in high school, shrugs off her good-girl image for a bad-girl reputation—and ends up pregnant with Todd’s baby. Carter’s debut novel is effectively structured as a series of countdowns: first, the amount of time remaining for Evelyn to decide whether or not to abort; then, the months and days until she delivers. She’s sent to Chicago to live with her aunt Linda, along with her partner, Nora, and their two adopted girls, in a loud, caring, talkative home that’s so different from her own Silent House back in Jacksonville, Florida. Evelyn is bombarded with questions she can’t answer, and her confusion and refusal to face reality or make decisions—and hatred of the bean growing inside her—feels very honest. Carter delves into all sides of the issue and captures the isolation, guilt, and complex boyfriend/friend/family dynamics surrounding teen pregnancy in well-drawn Evelyn. The popular subject matter should resonate with, and interest, many YAs. Grades 9-12, --Ann Kelley