January 1, 2009
Gr 10 Up-Julia Riley and her friend Ruth are stifled by their ultraconservative Christian upbringing. Ruth is a preacher's daughter whose parents have a "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" doorbell, while Julia's mom closes her lunch notes "In God's love." Everything changes when Ruth has sex at a party and becomes pregnant at the same time as Julia's stepmother. The teen decides to learn everything she can from Miki's midwife, Maria, so that she can conceal her pregnancy and later abandon the newborn at her father's church. In the end, Ruth keeps the baby, and her parents disown her. Julia learns to accept the change in plans while learning that one cannot always plan for every situation. Julia's love of classic literature is explored through famous first lines and some plot analysis. Harvey's novel is weighed down by her overuse of negative stereotypes in the narrow Christian world she paints, a slew of underdeveloped characters, and a disjointed, shallow plot."Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ"
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