Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life — and the realities of leaving innocence behind. (from bn.com)
vs.
Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there's only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.
And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible— she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon's unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption. (from bn.com)
7 comments:
After seems way more dramatic. I'm curious to see how it's possible to empathize with a character who left their baby for dead in the trash. My vote goes to After.
I have read both of these and After was so much better. I loved it and I didn't really like Jumping Off Swings so my vote goes to After. =]
I've read After and loved it. I can't imagine a more compelling story. But, I do have Jumping Off Swings on my bookshelf and am excited to read it. This is a tough one, I think. Great topic though. I wish that there were more YA novels about teen pregnancy. I have several teen parents in my classes and they (and non-parenting teens) really gravitate toward these novels.
Count my comment as a wash, b/c I can't make up my mind.
Jumping off Swings looks interesting, but I snagged up After as soon as it came out. Problem is ... from the cover and blurb alone, I'm not a big fan of After. Jumping off Swings looks more like something I'd grab, except it gets confusing near the end--why are there 4 prospectives? It's like they tossed in the names of 2 other people at the end of the blurb, and I have no incentive to learn more about them. Does that make any sense?
Jumping off Swings!
Jumping Off Swings sounds good (:
Yay, my suggestion :D
I've read both, and I'll have to go with AFTER, though I did enjoy JUMPING OFF SWINGS. I liked how JOS showed all sides of the story, but AFTER made my cry, so that's a win
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