Baby Blues - Softcover

Wurmfeld, Hope Herman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140348700 ISBN 13: 9780140348705

Publisher: Puffin, 1995

Synopsis

After her father's death, Annie is forced to make some hard choices about her life and her evolving relationship with her best friend Jimmy

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

In an afterword to this brief novel about teenagers who give up their babies for adoption, Wurmfeld tells how she was informed, at five, that she was adopted, her mother's uneasiness leaving her insecure and feeling ``different'' from other children. Here, she considers the experience of birth parents. The circumstances are plausible: after Dad's death, Annie lives with her older brothers; Frank takes responsibility for her but is away a lot, driving his 18-wheeler. Jimmy hangs out with a graffiti gang. They're fairly casual about sex but not promiscuous, and Annie's so innocent that she doesn't realize, or at least admit to herself, that she's pregnant until it's too late for an abortion. Annie's colloquial narration and the inarticulate dialogue of these blue-collar dropouts are the greatest strengths here. But though the model is realistic, it is also the stereotypical one among many. Compounding the problem is the characters' lack of depth. Annie's and Jimmy's speech and actions betray their immaturity and lack of ambition, but their inner lives--their value or potential, why they are as they are--remain unexplored. Still, a believable look at some of the circumstances and feelings that can be associated with this painful life event. (Fiction. 12-16) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8-12-- Jimmie loves Annie--Annie loves Jimmie--Annie and Jimmie love baby Emily enough to give her up for adoption. It's an old story given a fresh twist by exploring the birth parents' painful decision. In places the message is plainly stated; there's even a glossary at the end. Nevertheless, Annie is a fully realized and sympathetic character, and the other characters also give this story its strength. After Annie's widowed father dies of leukemia, and since her truck-driver brother is often away, she finds a second home with a gang of dropout graffiti artists. There she meets Jimmie, and becomes pregnant, naively believing that ``it can't happen to me.'' Both teens have supportive families, and the social workers do all the right things. In terms of tone and style, the book is reminiscent of Hinton's The Outsiders (Dell, 1968), colloqui al to a fault and even inarticulate, just like real speech. This jerky first-person style and the jumpiness of some plot turns take some getting used to, but the tone and language are consistent throughout and suit the characters perfectly. A touching story, overall, with the ring of reali ty. --Kathy Fritts, Jesuit High School, Portland, OR
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0140348700
• ISBN 13: 9780140348705
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96