Overview
Sophie has dreams. A college-bound honors student, she has aspirations to be a poet. But an unplanned pregnancy changes everything.
In the third trimester of her pregnancy, Florida high school senior Sophie tries to discover the identity of the father she has never known, while adamantly refusing to disclose the name of her own baby's father.
Synopsis
In the third trimester of her pregnancy, Florida high school senior Sophie tries to discover the identity of the father she has never known, while adamantly refusing to ...
Publishers Weekly
Sophie, a high school senior who "breathe[s] poems," is determined to go to college even though she's in the third trimester of her pregnancy. Treated badly at school, she walks an equally uneasy line at home with her single mom: not only does Sophie refuse to reveal who the baby's father is, her mom won't tell her about her own dad. Threatening notes begin to arrive, almost at the same time that she starts having bizarre dreams about whales-and experiencing the inexplicable (e.g., "A minute ago I was in Fort Lauderdale and a bus was going to hit me.... Now... I'm in the water at Biscayne Bay in Miami, miles from where my brain thinks I should be"). Sweeney (Free Fall) crams a lot of plot lines into this novel, and some are more fleshed out then others. For example, the identity of Sophie's stalker is obvious, and that whole strand seems tacked on. The whales, on the other hand, add magical imagery in line with not only Sophie's pregnancy but also her poetic nature ("The other whales sing wildly, crazily. I urge my baby with my heart-Launch! Launch!"). In the end, readers will admire Sophie's courage and humor and her adamant refusal to accept how "doomed I'm supposed to be"; her narration keeps this story afloat. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Sophie, a high school senior who "breathe[s] poems," is determined to go to college even though she's in the third trimester of her pregnancy. Treated badly at school, she walks an equally uneasy line at home with her single mom: not only does Sophie refuse to reveal who the baby's father is, her mom won't tell her about her own dad. Threatening notes begin to arrive, almost at the same time that she starts having bizarre dreams about whales-and experiencing the inexplicable (e.g., "A minute ago I was in Fort Lauderdale and a bus was going to hit me.... Now... I'm in the water at Biscayne Bay in Miami, miles from where my brain thinks I should be"). Sweeney (Free Fall) crams a lot of plot lines into this novel, and some are more fleshed out then others. For example, the identity of Sophie's stalker is obvious, and that whole strand seems tacked on. The whales, on the other hand, add magical imagery in line with not only Sophie's pregnancy but also her poetic nature ("The other whales sing wildly, crazily. I urge my baby with my heart-Launch! Launch!"). In the end, readers will admire Sophie's courage and humor and her adamant refusal to accept how "doomed I'm supposed to be"; her narration keeps this story afloat. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
Sophie is a high school senior whose unplanned pregnancy disrupts her plans to go to college and become a poet. Fights with her mother about the identity of the child's father and threatening letters from an anonymous sender compound Sophie's difficulties. It is no wonder that she is plagued by unsettling dreams, but Sophie's sensitive, poetic mind senses a deeper meaning to them than ordinary stress. Although the novel has a thriller aspect that seems excessive in light of all the other complications in Sophie's life, the author, Joyce Sweeney, builds an intriguing story about the power of secrets: Sophie will not disclose the name of the boy who impregnated her because her mother will not tell Sophie about her own father. But even as different relationships become strained by silence, Sweeney's writing is subtle enough to balance the importance of communication with the desire to withhold information in order to protect others. The story emphasizes the connection between heritage and identity; how it is important to know where you come from to know who you are. The book provides a compassionate look at a pregnant teenager's struggle for independence even as she desires support. 2003, Marshall Cavendish, Ages 13 to 16.— Rihoko Ueno
VOYA
Pregnant at eighteen, aspiring writer Sophie Cooper refuses to reveal the identity of her baby's father to anyone, including her hostile classmates, her obsessive mother, and even her best friend, Josh, whom everyone else suspects is the father. Although Sophie is not telling, her unborn baby, June, is, sending Sophie unsettling visions of the whales that gather off the story's Floridian waters. As Sophie's pregnancy comes to term, she tries to uncover the mysteries of the whales, her mother's antagonism toward her African American friends, and a stalker at school. In the process, she develops her own identity. Sadly Sweeney's many plot threads obfuscate the book's true strength—the skillful portrayal of Sophie's interactions and persona. Sophie sees the world with a direct humor, and her pragmatic optimism makes her an appealing narrator for teens. Of one of her poems, she comments, "I'm eighteen and pregnant, so what am I supposed to write about, bunnies and daffodils?" While Sweeney attempts to sow the seeds foreshadowing the final denouement of the whale visions, the stalker, and the identity of the baby's father, these story lines seem unsubstantiated and superfluous to Sophie's character development. Although flawed, the book sports some excellent passages, high teen appeal, and a dollop of fantasy for those willing to suspend disbelief. Try this one with fans of Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade series and with high school girls who like realistic fiction with a twist. It is a quick read and overall a satisfying one. VOYA Codes: 3Q 3P S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Marshall Cavendish, 144p.,Ages 15 to 18.—Caitlin Augusta