Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Baby
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY:
https://www.chickenhousebooks.com/authors/lisa-drakeford/ * http://blog.mugglenet.com/2016/10/book-review-the-baby-by-lisa-drakeford/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2016025271
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2016025271
HEADING: Drakeford, Lisa
000 00505nz a2200169n 450
001 10090690
005 20160225073522.0
008 160224n| azannaabn |n aaa c
010 __ |a no2016025271
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10400152
040 __ |a NJQ |b eng |e rda |c NJQ
100 1_ |a Drakeford, Lisa
370 __ |c Great Britain |2 naf
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Drakeford, Lisa. The baby, 2016: |b ecip galley title page (Lisa Drakeford) data view (author lives in the United Kingdom)
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and children’s tutor. Formerly, library assistant.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Lisa Drakeford lives in Leicestershire, England, and works as a children’s tutor. Formerly she was a library assistant, a job that inspired her to become a writer of novels for young adults. After taking several writing courses, she garnered a spot as part of the Writing East Midlands Mentoring Scheme. In 2014, her first book, The Baby, was shortlisted for the Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. The same year it was published in England, the French-language version of the book was published under the title Baby Bad Trip.
The story line of The Baby is told alternately by the characters, chapter by chapter. With her parents away, Olivia has planned a seventeenth birthday party. Complications arise when Olivia’s best friend, Nicola, disappears from the party, only to be discovered giving birth in an upstairs bathroom. Baby Eliza’s birth brings about a host of revelations about the various characters and puts in train many changes for sister Alicia, boyfriend Jonty, and gay friend Ben.
Lisa Hazlett, critic in Voice of Youth Advocates, called the book a “page-turner . . . with its convincing characters and their tangled relationship and friendship trials.” She commented that it “will appeal most to female readers.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly noted that these adolescents “struggles are universal” and that the author “handles them with considerable sensitivity.” She concluded by saying that the “ending feels like a hopeful new beginning.” Rebecca Kuss, in Booklist, gave The Baby a mixed review, pointing out that while the teens’ issues are “woven gracefully across the narratives,” the “conflicts are too neatly wrapped up.”
A reviewer in the London Guardian Online described the book as a “brilliant read” and found it a “totally and utterly” engaging novel. A blogger at MuggleNet.com pronounced the book “predictable,” the characters “shallow,” and the story line “soap opera–esque.” The contributor to Once Upon a Bookcase disagreed, finding that The Baby takes a “serious look at the changes a baby can bring.” The critic considered the third-person narrations “brilliant” but was disappointed by the open-ended conclusion and hoped for a sequel. The blogger at A Backpack Full of Adventures called out for praise, in particular, “how Nicola and the dad deal with new-found parenthood and how the dynamics change among their group of friends after the baby is born.” Even so, the critic found that in the end the “execution and the writing just didn’t work.”
The writer at the Serial Bibliophile Web site called attention to the fact that the story is told from various characters’ points of view and that each of their chapters describes “a month on that character’s life AFTER the initial event, which made the book flow nicely and feel well put together.” The critic praised the author for her success in”giving life to each character.” Online at Cuckoo Review, Jane Currie remarked that Drakeford delved into the “arguably over-done theme refreshingly well with a distinctive take.” She added that taking the perspectives of the four friends of the mother “added to the originality of the book.” She termed the book “entertaining, witty and often quite poignant.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 15, 2016, Rebecca Kuss, review of The Baby, p. 54.
Publishers Weekly, September 5, 2016, review of The Baby, p. 78.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2016, Lisa Hazlett, review of The Baby, p. 59.
ONLINE
A Backpack Full of Adventures, http://www.backpackfullofadventures.com (June 3, 2015), review of The Baby.
Cuckoo Review, http://review.cuckoowriters.com (June 26, 2015), Jane Currie, review of The Baby.
Guardian Online, https://www.theguardian.com (October 15, 2015), review of The Baby.
Muggle Net, http://blog.mugglenet.com (October 21, 2016), review of The Baby.
Once Upon a Bookcase, http://www.onceuponabookcase.co.uk (August 24, 2015), review of The Baby
Serial Bibliophile, https://serialbibliophile.wordpress.com (December 10, 2016), review of The Baby.
YA Books Central, http://www.yabookscentral.com (November 3, 2016), Jazmen Greene, review of The Baby.*
About Lisa Drakeford
Now a children’s tutor, Lisa Drakeford used to be a library assistant and became inspired to write by the brilliant young adult novels filling the shelves.
She started writing seriously four years ago, attending a number of writing courses and winning a place on the Writing East Midlands Mentoring Scheme. Her debut novel, The Baby, was shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2014. Her newest novel, The Crash, will publish in July 2017.
Drakeford, Lisa. The Baby
Lisa Hazlett
Voice of Youth Advocates.
39.5 (Dec. 2016): p59.
COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
3Q * 4P * M * J * S
Drakeford, Lisa. The Baby. Chicken House/ Scholastic, 2016. 256p. $17.99. 978-0-54594027-6.
Oliva has secretly planned her epic party to begin immediately after her parents' departure, but unexpected distractions keep her from being its
star attraction. Her exasperating, whiny sister, Alice, unexpectedly remains home and needs appeasement; she and her bullying boyfriend, Jonty,
have yet another fight, which means she must again defend him to disapproving Ben; and Nicola, her best friend, disappears in the riotous crowd.
These frustrations vanish when her parents return to plastered partiers downstairs, and Nicola delivering a baby upstairs in the bathroom. This
staggering event, unanticipated by even Nicola, will change this group in ways yet unforeseen.
Chapters alternate by character, with each relaying his or her messily interrelated and problematic pasts leading up to Olivias party, along with
favorable changes for all, both in behavior and circumstance, directly caused by baby Eliza, unsurprisingly fathered by Jonty. These changes are
essentially realistic, although Ben, Olivia, and Jonty's situations are more candid than Nicola's, whose drastically altered circumstances and future
are somewhat breezily relayed, or Alice's, whose quirkiness appears more serious than immaturity. The twist at the end suddenly reveals that Ben
is Eliza's father, which is perplexing, rather than exciting. As Ben is portrayed as a confident gay male throughout, his encounter with Nicola
seems unnecessary. Further, Nicola's concealing Eliza's parentage from Jonty, who strives to become a loving father, creates a momentarily
gratifying--rather than ethical--ending. This remains a page-turner, however, with its convincing characters and their tangled relationship and
friendship trials, and will appeal most to female readers.--Lisa Hazlett.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Hazlett, Lisa. "Drakeford, Lisa. The Baby." Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec. 2016, p. 59. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA474767920&it=r&asid=d67890ccc0fe9a72d786af2907e5f4f9. Accessed 15 May
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 2/11
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474767920
---
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 3/11
The Baby
Publishers Weekly.
263.36 (Sept. 5, 2016): p78.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Baby
Lisa Drakeford. Chicken House, $17.99 (256p)
ISBN 978-0-545-94027-6
The lives of Olivia, her best friend Nicola, younger sister Alice, boyfriend Jonty, and the girls' gay friend Ben are forever changed at Olivia's 17
th birthday party when Nicola unexpectedly gives birth to a baby girl. Set over five months with perspective shifting to each individual,
Drakeford's debut delves into the repercussions of that night as readers gain insight into the characters' backstories, insecurities, motivations, and
personalities. Drakeford weaves a tightly-knit character study as the plot unspools to include Olivia discovering the betrayal that led to Eliza's
conception, Nicola finding the strength to be a single parent, Alice gaining a friend, Jonty making amends and taking responsibility, and Ben
accepting big news. While the novel's language reflects its British origins and setting (nappies, newsagent, sixth form), the struggles are universal
(unplanned teen pregnancy, bullying/abusive behavior, discrimination), and Drakeford handles them with considerable sensitivity. Though
"nothing will ever be the same" for these characters, and questions still remain at the close of the story, the open (and surprise) ending feels like a
hopeful new beginning for all of them. Ages 14-up. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Baby." Publishers Weekly, 5 Sept. 2016, p. 78+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA463513637&it=r&asid=5898a10839e3ca5e827a09b91418b7e4. Accessed 15 May
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A463513637
---
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 4/11
Spotlight on first novels
Booklist.
113.4 (Oct. 15, 2016): p54.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Older Readers
The Baby. By Lisa Drakeford. Oct. 2016.256p. Scholastic/Chicken House, 517.99 (97805459402761; e book, 517.99 (9780545942843). Gr. 9-12.
Olivia's seventeenth birthday party is everything she wanted it to be; her best friends Nicola and Ben dancing around her; her weird younger
sister, Alice, quietly confined to her bedroom; her boyfriend, Jonty, looming lovingly (if somewhat possessively) by her side. But when Olivia
discovers Nicola in the bathroom giving birth to a baby she didn't even know she was having--Jonty's baby--the celebration comes to a crashing
halt. Over the next few months, Olivia, Nicola, Jonty, Alice, and Ben adjust to life with Nicola's baby, Eliza. Olivia struggles to forgive her friend,
while Alice attempts to make a new one; Nicola takes to motherhood with relative ease, leaning on Ben for his support and constant
companionship; and Jonty initially resists his responsibilities as a father. While relevant issues like domestic violence and autism are woven
gracefully across the narratives, the resulting conflicts are too neatly wrapped up. Written in alternating third-person voices, Drakeford's debut
transforms the stark and grim realities of teen pregnancy into much fluffier fare, complete with a surprising, rom-com-worthy eleventh-hour
twist.--Rebecca Kuss
Everyone We've Been. By Sarah Everett. Oct. 2016.400p. Knopf, 517.99 (9780553538441); lib. ed" 520.99 (9780553538458); e-book, 517.99
(9780553538465). Gr. 9-12.
Before: Addison Sullivan is falling in love with Zach. After: Addison is in a bus accident and keeps seeing a mysterious guy from the crash
wherever she goes. Before: Addison's viola music fills the lonely place inside of her, making her feel whole again. After: her parents' divorce has
ruined the family, and home feels underwater. To finally solve all of her problems, Addison heads to the Overton Clinic for a memory treatment.
This delightfully confusing narrative will have readers thinking they understand it, before it yanks the rug from underneath them. (They'll enjoy
the tumble.) Everett gives readers sweet romance and solid friendships and then sprinkles on a pinch of sci-fi: a procedure that can erase painful
memories. The implications of this procedure will leave readers pondering the way the way their hearts break and how they remember the ones
they lost. Everett's story is an effective look at the kind of love you dream about and the kind you should never forget. --Karen Ginman
Flashfall. By Jenny Moyer. Nov. 2016.352p. Holt, 517.99 (9781627794817). Gr. 9-12.
Orion, 16, has a special ability to locate cirian, a valuable element that prevents radiation sickness--and in their postradioactive, flash-curtain
world, cirian is essential. Subpars (mine workers) like Orion and her fellow Outpost Five residents will spend--and likely lose--their lives mining
it. But if they can gather a total of 400 grams, subpars can escape to the protected city of Alara, though no one has ever lived long enough to do
so. Orion and her mining partner, Dram, however, are close to achieving this goal when Orion discovers the corrupt politics behind cirian and
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 5/11
realizes revolution is what's needed. Moyer has constructed a cinematic page-turner: there's gore, romance, daring rescues, political commentary,
and a strong message of social justice. Multiple small details of the rituals that sustain subpars in their grim life lend verisimilitude to the world
Moyer has created. Although character development takes a backseat to the nonstop action, the empowering element of a teen-led rebellion
creates its own energy and sweeps the reader along. --Debbie Carton
Frostblood. By Elly Blake. Jan. 2017.384p. Little, Brown, 517.99 (9780316273251); e-book, 59.99 (9780316273268). Gr. 9-12.
Seventeen-year-old Ruby Ottera is orphaned after watching her mother be murdered by the people she had been protecting Ruby from all along,
called frostbloods. Ruby is thereby thrust into a life where friend and foe want to use her fire-wielding powers as a weapon--a fireblood in a
kingdom ruled by frost. Driven by a prophecy, rebel frostbloods save Ruby from certain death, hoping that she will help them break the curse on
their kingdom. Ruby is continuously torn between red-hot anger and a spark of fondness for her instructor, Arcus, a frostblood with a tragic past,
as he trains her to fight for her life and his kingdom. Ruby's thirst for revenge is seemingly thwarted when she's captured again and forced to fight
in an arena where a fireblood has never triumphed, while becoming an object of fascination for the king. This enchanting and fast-paced debut
lights up the page with magic, romance, and action, all of which is expertly interwoven throughout the text. Readers will be eagerly anticipating
the next book in the series. --Meghan Oppelt
Girls in the Moon. By Janet McNally. Nov. 2016.352p. HarperTeen, 517.99 (9780062436245). Gr. 9-12.
Meg and Kieran Ferris were young and famous in the heady music scene of the 1990s. But after an "accident" produced their daughter Luna, and
a "mistake" brought a second daughter, Phoebe, Meg abandoned her music career. Luna and Phoebe grew up far away from the limelight, fiercely
protected by their mother. Now 19 years old, Luna has moved to New York City and started a band. Phoebe decides to visit her sister during the
last bit of summer before senior year. She is curious about the untold story of her parents' fame, resorting to information gleaned from an old Spin
magazine. As Luna seems destined to follow in her mother's talented footsteps, Phoebe finds a soul mate who shares her love of song lyrics. This
is mostly Phoebe's story, with flashbacks from Meg's reluctant stardom. McNally's first novel shows an appreciation of poetic phrasing, as well as
plenty of musical references. Recommend this introspective novel to readers who enjoy stories about music and musicians.--Diane Colson
The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett. By Chelsea Sedoti. Jan. 2017.400p. Sourcebooks/Fire, 517.99 (9781492636083). Gr. 9-12.
When Lizzie Lovett goes missing, Hawthorn becomes obsessed--how could something bad happen to beautiful, popular Lizzie, who always
seemed immune to pain? Hawthorn, who's always coveted Lizzie's seemingly easy existence, goes to desperate, nearly crazy lengths to explain
her disappearance, and in the process of her investigation, she befriends Lizzie's 25-year-old boyfriend, Enzo, who indulges her bizarre quest
(more than he should) and makes Hawthorn feel like less of an outsider. But she becomes so caught up in her search that she finds herself even
more alienated, and when the truth finally comes out, Hawthorn is forced to examine her own choices. Sedoti's debut offers an enlightening look
at the dangers of relying on outward appearances to judge someone's character, and Hawthorn's first-person narrative, filled with obsessive
thoughts and, eventually, meaningful reflection, is a lively, engaging vehicle for the story. A rich cast of secondary characters, including
Hawthorn's family and a caravan of hippies camping in her backyard, adds depth. Fans of character-driven novels will appreciate this.--Sarah
Hunter
Kingdom of Ash and Briars. By Hannah West. 2016.368p. Holiday, $17.95 (97808234365141. Gr. 7-10.
Orphaned and raised as a serving girl, 16-year-old Bristal is stunned to learn that she is one of three elicromancers--immortal, magical beings--in
her kingdom. Bristal is quickly found by the other two elicromancers and trained in their ways. One, Tamarice, is hungry for power and soon
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 6/11
betrays them all, cursing the royal family and casting the kingdom into darkness. Over the course of the next 16 years, it falls to Bristal to stop
Tamarice's machinations. She uses her shape-shifting skills to secretly raise the cursed youngest princess of the kingdom while helping the hidden
oldest princess attend a ball and discover her heritage. At the same time, she disguises herself as a man to join a group of the king's soldiers and
prepares herself for the coming fight. The inclusion of multiple familiar stories--Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan--gives this plenty of heft,
and the scope of Bristal's adventures, the atmospheric magical elements, and the light touch of romance will enchant fairy-tale fans.--Maggie
Reagan
* Last Seen Leaving. By Caleb Roehrig. Oct. 2016.336p. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (9781250085634). Gr. 9-12.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
This truly hair-raising, standout mystery thriller from debut author Roehrig will keep readers guessing until the end. When sophomore Flynn
Doherty comes home to find police vehicles parked outside his house, he finds himself facing plenty of questions about his missing girlfriend,
January. The last time Flynn saw January, she was emotional and desperate to be intimate. When Flynn refused, the two parted on unsteady terms
and January all but accused Flynn of being gay, a truth he has been avoiding for years. With the police hesitant to trust Flynn, he takes matters
into his hands and launches his own investigation with January's coworker, friendly and sexy Kaz. More than just fully realized, Roehrig's
characters feel real. And if Flynn's circumstances are a bit sensational, his struggles with identity and relationships certainly aren't. Though this is
not a typical problem novel, Roehrig gives equal deference to the mystery of January's disappearance and Flynn's coming out and subsequent
burgeoning romance with Kaz. Deftly weaving fast-paced mystery with vivid, affecting flashbacks, Roehrig coaxes readers along at just the right
pace and pulls the rug out from under them in the best way possible with a knockout ending.--Caitlin Kling
* A List of Cages. By Robin Roe. Jan. 2017.320p. Hyperion, $17.99 (9781484763803). Gr. 9-12.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Fourteen-year-old Julian is a damaged boy, taciturn and withdrawn, painfully shy and still bereft from the death of his parents when he was a
child. A poor student with illegible handwriting, he is often the subject of teachers' scorn and classmates' teasing. As a result, he regularly skips
classes to hide in a secret room he has found. His home life is even worse: he is the ward of his uncle by marriage, a cold, distant, dangerous man
who often punishes Julian cruelly, whipping him with a switch and lacerating the skin on his torso. Things begin to gradually change when he
encounters Adam, a teenager who had once been Julian's foster brother before the uncle took custody. Adam, who had ADHD as a child, is still a
restless but exuberant, happy presence, beloved by fellow students and teachers alike. When he unofficially adopts Julian, he brings light into the
boy's hitherto dark existence, though danger still lurks. The two boys tell their respective, affecting stories in first-person voices that perfectly
reflect their characters and rive the story's compelling action. Roe's debut may lack subdety, but it makes up for it with memorable characters and
high drama. A page-turner with a lot of compassion. --Michael Cart
Of Fire and Stars. By Audrey Coulthurst. Nov. 2016.400p. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $17.99 (9780062433251). Gr. 8-11.
Princess Dennaleia has always been destined to marry the prince of nearby Mynaria. She knows that it will mean hiding some parts of herself:
Denna has a magical Affinity for fire, and in Mynaria, magic is feared and forbidden. But she doesn't count on being taught to ride the formidable
Mynarian warhorses by Princess Amaranthine (aka Mare), the barbed, very unprincesslike sister of Denna's betrothed. Mare wants nothing to do
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 7/11
with Denna, preferring to train horses instead of princesses, but when a sudden assassination throws the kingdom into chaos and fingers are
pointed at a rebel group of the magically gifted, the two are thrown together as they search for the truth, and their antipathy turns to friendship
and then something more. High-fantasy novels with TGBT love stories at their center are few and far between, and this is done in a lovely
fashion; Mare and Denna's relationship blossoms naturally against a high-stakes backdrop and a fully realized world. A worthy debut that
succeeds as both an adventure and a romance. --Maggie Reagan
Saving Hamlet. By Molly Booth. Nov. 2016.352p. Hyperion, $17.99 (9781484752746). Gr. 8-11.
Sophomore Emma, recently introduced to theater, is excited to learn more as the drama club's assistant stage manager for a production of Hamlet.
Her theater-maven best friend Lulu is gunning for the role of Hamlet--so what if she's a girl?--and Emma has a serious crush on student director
Brandon. But then Emma suddenly finds herself running the whole show, she and Lulu have a massive fight, and Brandon actually starts to seem
like a piece of work. Worse, the show is a disaster: brevity may be the soul of wit, but Brandon's version is five hours long. Then Emma falls
through a trapdoor into seventeenth-century London, behind the scenes of the original Hamlet. As she travels back and forth in time between the
two productions, she learns more than she ever thought possible about theater and being herself. Emma is an easy-to-root-for heroine whose
struggles will resonate with teens, drama geeks or otherwise, and her forays into Shakespeare's London add insight into gender identity in the
theater. A fun, imaginative debut. --Maggie Reagan
Snow Summer. By Kit Peel. Oct. 2016. 200p. Groundwood, $16.95 (9781554983575). Gr. 6-9.
Orphan Wyn currently lives with a kindly pastor and his family in a small English village, but she's acutely aware of not fitting in. Climate change
has created a winter without end, which means that Wyn needs to hide the fact that she is never cold, as well as try to ignore her untested
telekinetic powers and strange memories of things that should be impossible, like flying. When otherworldly creatures appear, sparking Wyn's
hidden memories, she realizes her true identity and her responsibility to end winter and save the world. Peel blends current realities like climate
change with a mystical natural world, in which nature's forces are strong enough to fight human destruction. Readers' initial confusion over the
various magical creatures should settle fairly quickly, while Peel's richly detailed descriptions of the landscapes and the creatures that rise from
them create a magic of their own. Though clearly British in origin, the concerns are global. It may not be subtle, but Peel's debut has the
satisfyingly predictable appeal of a fairy tale. --Debbie Carton
Timekeeper. By Tara Sim. Nov. 2016. 368p. Skyhorse/Sky Pony, $17.99 (9781510706187). Gr. 9-12.
Danny, a 17-year-old clock mechanic living in an alternate 1875 London, narrowly escapes death when a clock tower in which he's working is
bombed. It takes some time to regain his nerve, and he is distracted by an impossible romance, his mechanic father's entrapment behind an
impenetrable time-wall, and ongoing attacks on clock towers all over the English countryside. First-time author Sim has constructed a mild
combination mystery, LGBTQ romance, and supernatural tale of clock spirits and sabotage that explores how far people might go for those they
love. Its strongest elements are the time-related mythology and the supernatural gay romance; the mystery is inconsistently developed, and its
resolution seems rushed. There is a hint-dropped and quickly gone--that this is the first of more books to do with young Danny and his friends.
An author's note indicates changes to real historical London of 1875 and addresses technology and inventions, the role of women, and
homosexuality. Try this with A. J. Hartley's Steeplejack (2016) for the unusual occupation angle.--Cindy Welch
Under Rose-Tainted Skies. By Louise Gornall. Jan. 2017.336p. Clarion, $17.99 (9780544736511). Gr. 8-11.
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 8/11
Imagine this: your groceries have been delivered to your home, because you don't go shopping. Inconveniently, they have been left just outside
against the house, where they sit in the sun. If you are Norah, this is a catastrophe, since venturing out of the house alone is terrifying. Luckily,
however, she gets unexpected help from Luke, the new guy next door. Normally, she wouldn't be welcoming, but Luke is interesting. When her
mother ends up in the hospital, leaving her temporarily in charge of battling her demons on her own, Norah and Luke, who has his own issues,
take realistic baby steps toward each other. Debut author Gornall, who based Norah's illness on her own experiences, allows readers open access
to Norah's tormented mind. Describing anxiety, Norah observes, "It's the brassy bitch at school that I don't like, but being her BFF makes me
popular. ... I don't know how to be safe without it." Pair this with John Corey Whaley's Highly Illogical Behavior (2016) for a complementary
story about a teen boy experiencing agoraphobia.--Diane Colson
Middle Readers
The Crystal Ribbon. By Celeste Lim. Jan. 2017. 352p. Scholastic, $17.99 (9780545767033): e-book, $ 17.99 (9780545767057). Gr. 4-7.
Eleven-year-old Li Jing adores her baba, but she doesn't understand why he sacrifices precious crops to the Great Golden Huli Jing, the village's
tutelary fox spirit, or why he doesn't prevent her from being sold to the Guo family as a tongyang xi (nursemaid-wife) for their three-year-old son.
Although Jing attempts to be a dutiful daughter-in-law, the Guos and their bratty daughters treat her as a servant. One evening, a spider jing asks
for help rescuing her egg sac from Jing's sister-in-law's bedroom. As a token of gratitude, the spider weaves a crystal-like ribbon that can be
burned as a call for help. And Jing desperately needs help after the Guos sell her to a chinglou, or courtesan house. Jing is a compassionate
character who shows spirit in resisting unjust treatment. As often happens with child narrators, she seems a bit too articulate for her age. This
minor criticism aside, this is a delightful debut featuring lovely prose and a refreshingly unique setting of China during the Song dynasty.--
Michelle Young
The Friendship Experiment. By Erin Teagan. Nov. 2016. 256p. HMH, $16.99 (9780544636224). Gr. 4-7.
Ever since Maddie's scientist grandfather died, she's been carrying on his traditional approach to problem-solving: there's a standard operating
procedure (SOP) for everything. Maddie writes down her step-by-step solutions in her trusty science notebook, and they're for everything from
"How to Survive a Needle" (she and her sister, Brooke, have a hereditary blood disease that requires plenty of trips to the doctor) to "How to Be
Friendly" (Maddie's best friend switched schools, leaving Maddie alone at lunch). But these days, the SOPs aren't doing their job. Brooke isn't
taking their illness seriously, and Maddie doesn't know how to convince her. Then there's Riley, the new science-obsessed girl who just moved to
town and is trying to be Maddie's friend--if only she weren't so annoying. Practical Maddie has a lot to learn about other people, and her journey
will be an eye-opening one for many. Science-minded readers will cheer to meet their match in Maddie as she conquers her demons and learns
what exactly it means to have--and be--a friend.--Maggie Reagan
* The Infinity Year of Avalon James. By Dana Middleton. Oct. 2016. 224p. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99 (9781250085696). Gr. 4-6.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Now that they're 10 years old, hot-tempered Avalon and even-keeled Atticus believe that, as longtime best friends entering their "Infinity Year,"
each will be granted a special power for a time. Avalon, whose father was incarcerated last year, is hoping for a skill that will help her deal with
Elena, a dagger-tongued bully at school. Fifth grade doesn't start well, but for every negative (enduring a messy, upsetting Halloween prank),
there's a positive (earning a place at the regional spelling bee), and Avalon can always count on Atticus, who helps maintain a delicate emotional
balance. When she inadvertently hurts him and he withdraws, though, Avalon feels wretched and knows that she can't count on magic to put
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 9/11
things right. Revealing her negative traits as well as more admirable qualities, Avalon's first-person narrative is forthright and engaging. Easy for
readers to forget but always a background factor, her thoughts about her father and their relationship resurface to the fore from time to time. This
offers a number of realistically drawn characters, both kids and adults, portrayed as complex people who interact and cope with their troubles in
individual ways. A well-knit first novel with an involving, affecting story.--Carolyn Phelan
Kyle Finds Her Way. By Susie Salem. Oct. 2016. 256p. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, $16.99 (9780545852661); e-book, $16.99
(9780545852685). Gr. 5-8.
Navigating middle school on day one is daunting for any incoming sixth-grader, but Kyle Constantini is off to a particularly terrible start. She is
in a different section than her two best friends; gets lost and is almost late for her first class; punches a class bully for nearly stepping on her new
friend Marcy's hearing aids; is assigned by the principal to participate in the school's NAVS (Negotiating Actions and Values for Solutions) team;
and rides Marcy's bus rather than her own. Of course, she gets in trouble with her parents for these faux pas, and as new dilemmas crop up, she
can't seem to explain her way out of them--no matter how honorable or naive her intentions have been. Resolutions are reached, and with each,
Kyle matures. Sixth-grade female angst rings true in this debut novel. Salom has Kyle tell the story and uses fantastic dialogue to let this comingof-age
tale shine. Middle-grade readers will relate to Kyle's missteps and the frequently overwhelming environment of middle school.--J. B. Petty
Like Magic. By Elaine Vickers. Oct. 2016. 272p. Harper, $16.99 (9780062414311). Gr. 3-5.
Right from the start of this endearing debut, readers will feel the heartache and the exhilaration of what it means to be 10. Shy poet Grace is
dreading starting fifth grade without her best friend. Outspoken painter Jada, meanwhile, uprooted from New York City, is trying her best to make
a new home in Utah with her dad, while secretly searching for the mother who abandoned her. And sensitive musician Malia anxiously awaits the
arrival of her new sister, worried that the baby will take her place in her mother's heart. When the girls discover a treasure box at the local library
and anonymously begin to share treasures of their own, they also begin to find comfort and friendship. Told in alternating chapters, Vickers gives
each girl a unique and engaging voice, allowing each character's artistic passions to play a key role in overcoming her personal struggles. The Salt
Lake City setting and gracefully embedded ethnic differences add freshness to a story with a message that will stand the test of time: friendship is
like magic. --Rebecca Kuss
Midnight without a Moon. By Linda Williams Jackson. Jan. 2017.320p. HMH, $16.99 (9780544785106). Gr. 5-8.
It's 1955 in Mississippi, and 13-year-old Rose has a dream: to leave the cotton fields, follow her mama to Chicago, go to an integrated school, and
then head to college to become a teacher or doctor--thereby having the means to take care of her family. But then her harridan of a grandmother
decrees that Rose won't be going back to school, even though she's only finished seventh grade. So much, it would seem, for her dream.
Meanwhile, the larger world intrudes when a young neighbor is murdered for registering to vote and then a 14-year-old boy visiting from
Chicago, named Emmett Till, is also murdered. Will the deaths be meaningless or will they presage change, both for Mississippi and for Rose?
Jackson's debut does an excellent job dramatizing the injustice that was epidemic in the pre-civil rights South and capturing the sounds and
sensibilities of that time and place. Her sympathetic characters and their stories will make this thoughtful book especially good for classroom use.
--Michael Cart
Rebel Genius. By Michael Dante DiMartino. Oct. 2016.384p. illus. Roaring Brook, $16.99 (9781626723368). Gr. 5-8.
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 10/11
Giacomo is a 12-year-old orphan who lives in the sewers of Renaissance-inspired Virenzia. His prized possession is a sketchbook, though
drawing is risky as the Supreme Creator, or dictator, has outlawed art. When his personal Genius--a birdlike creature that enhances artistic
abilities--finds him, he is dangerously marked as an artist. Shortly thereafter, a trio of other artistic children find him and take him to a safe house
where they are allowed to flourish. There they are taught sacred geometry and how to use their creative energies as weapons. When an evil artist
begins hunting for the three Sacred Tools of the Creator, with the intent of destroying the empire, Giacomo is called upon to lead his new
compatriots on a quest to stop him. This debut novel, by the cocreator of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, is the first in a planned
fantasy series. While some of the combined magic and geometry falls flat, there is action and adventure galore, including narrow escapes,
surprising twists, and stunning turns.--Jeanne Fredriksen
Ryan Quinn and the Rebel's Escape. By Ron McGee. Oct. 2016.368p. Harper, $16.99 (9780062421647). Gr. 5-8.
Ryan Quinn's life in New York is interrupted when his father is reported missing and his mother is kidnapped. Left with one message--his father
must deliver Myat Kaw or else his mother dies--Ryan is left to trust Tasha, an associate of his parents, and his friends Danny and Kasey to rescue
them. Turns out Ryan's parents have been working for an emergency rescue organization, and they have secretly been training Ryan his whole
life. McGee s debut has many hallmarks of the middle-grade espionage thriller genre--a fake international location, a young boy who suddenly
can do extraordinary things, the friend who can hack into anything, and so on--and it is a solid volume for readers looking for a fast-paced,
nonstop adventure of derring-do. Ryan is a likable character, Danny is hilarious, Kasey is more than the dumb blonde everyone assumes she is,
and his bully turns out to be a pretty decent guy with a soft spot. While many loose ends are neatly tied up, this bound-to-be-popular volume
leaves plenty of room for a sequel.--Lindsey Tomsu
The Secrets of Hexbridge Castle. By Gabrielle Kent. Oct. 2016.336p. Scholastic, $16.99 (9780545869294); e-book, $16.99 (9780545881807).
Gr. 4-7.
Alfie Bloom is more than a little puzzled to learn that he's inherited a castle. For one thing, he's never heard of Orin Hopcraft, the druid who left
him Hexbridge Casde. The biggest surprise, however, is the castle itself, full of hidden rooms and other wondrous magic. Alfie and his twin
cousins have great fun exploring, but danger comes with a two-headed dragon terrorizing the village and a pair of horrendous headmistresses at
Alfie's new school. Kent's debut has undeniable shades of that other magical boy who finds himself unexpectedly in a magical castle--Alfie
receives letters by raven, he's helped by an enigmatic man in a high tower, he's the sole bearer of powerful magic, and so on--but Kent carries it
off well, neatly interweaving backstory, hints about Hopcraft's tasks for Alfie, comical interludes, and plot threads about friendship and family
that help keep the narrative firmly grounded in reality. This well-paced, engaging fantasy is tailor-made for Harry Potter fans, who will be pleased
to learn there are more adventures in the works for Alfie. --Sarah Hunter
Snakes and Stones. By Lisa Fowler. Nov. 2016. 240p. Skyhorse/Sky Pony, $15.99 (9781510710313). Gr. 3-6.
It's 1921, and Chestnut Hill has been traveling with her father and her younger triplet siblings--Hazel, Mac, and Filbert--since the day he took
them away from their mother. Together, the siblings help sell their father's snake oil elixir, but Chestnut is tired of having to lie to people every
day about its powers. While traveling, Chestnut leaves handmade signs behind showing their next destination, in the hope that her mother will
track them down. When she finally can't take it anymore, Chestnut steals money to buy a ticket home, which leads to a series of troubles that
result in a reunion with her mother. But when she witnesses an argument between her parents, she learns a heartbreaking truth about them. Fowler
includes some period-appropriate instances of racism, including some targeting the Hills' friend, Abraham, although the Hills are not depicted as
5/14/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1494822674017 11/11
racist themselves. Chestnut's first-person narrative, in an old-fashioned, rural dialect, might be a struggle for some, but the fast pace and intriguing
secrets in this debut will keep the pages turning. --Selenia Paz
A Tail of Camelot. By Julie Leung. Illus. by Lindsey Carr. Oct. 2016.304p. Harper, $16.99 (9780062403995). Gr. 3-6.
Like most mice in Camelot, young Calib Christopher dreams of becoming a knight, but when his name is mysteriously entered into the annual
Harvest Tournament (to determine his eligibility), his nerves threaten to get the best of him. Shortly afterward, an assassination interrupts the
competition, and the creatures grow convinced that the forest-dwelling Darklings are to blame. Calib is sure they are wrong and taps into
unknown stores of courage to unite the animals and face the true, and much more dangerous, enemy. Leungs debut is a charming blend of
Arthurian legend and Brian Jacques' Redwall series. A subplot involving Galahad's arrival as a boy in Camelot parallels Calib's struggles--and
eventual heroics--while integrating key characters from the legend. Exciting battles join suspenseful animal alliances, such as Calib's diplomatic
excursion to the owls, all while Calib tests the limits of his bravery and learns what being a knight truly entails. With likable characters and a
classic spirit of adventure, this is a satisfying story of small heroes accomplishing great things.--Julia Smith
YA RECOMMENDATIONS
* Young adult recommendations for adult, audio, and reference titles reviewed in this issue have been contributed by the Booklist staff and by
reviewers Poornima Apte, Michael Cart, Laura Chanoux, Joan Curbow, Kristine Huntley, Eloise Kinney, and Mary Ellen Quinn.
* Adult titles recommended for teens are marked with the following symbols: YA, for books of general YA interest; YA/C, for books with
particular curriculum value; YA/S, for books that will appeal most to teens with a special interest in a specific subject; and YA/M, for books best
suited to mature teens.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Spotlight on first novels." Booklist, 15 Oct. 2016, p. 54+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA468771357&it=r&asid=6d1a49cf438d2ee50bf7813d173d386c. Accessed 15 May
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A468771357
The Baby by Lisa Drakeford - review
‘The novel bursts with drama, love and friendship’
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email
GeorgiaOwl2
Guardian children's books site teen reviewer
Thursday 15 October 2015 07.00 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 2 May 2017 14.24 EDT
The Baby is such a brilliant read: I instantly became so immersed into each of the character’s lives, getting the chance to read and sympathise with them individually as each character has one section to themselves. I loved the idea of the narrative being split for each of the five people – that really sat well with me.
Olivia had no idea that on her seventeenth birthday party she would go into the bathroom to see her best friend Nicola about to give birth.
The Baby by Lisa Drakeford
The new baby effects all five of the main characters: Olivia, Nicola, Jonty, Alice and Ben – and as readers we get to experience the highs and the lows of each character, making their presence seem very real. The novel bursts with drama, love and friendship, which just added to the great impression the book was having on me.
I particularly loved Alice – as Olivia’s ‘weird’ little sister she had a lasting effect. Her narration was like a breath of fresh air to me as Lisa Drakeford clearly captures the mindset of a young girl – I loved that.
How do I get involved in the Guardian children's books site?
Read more
The Baby flowed so well for me, I raced through it so quickly – I was totally and utterly engaged. The ending did stun me, and to be honest I did have mixed feelings about it. I was disappointed that my questions didn’t get answers; but then when I found out there was a sequal, my excitement started to bubble again, elated at the thought of getting answers. A fabulous 4/5 – The Baby is one to read if you need to get out of a reading slump, or if you are very busy and need a reading fix to escape from your problems.
Book Review: “The Baby” by Lisa Drakeford
OCTOBER 21, 2016
the-baby_lisa-drakeford
Olivia’s 17th birthday party is just getting into full swing (despite the presence of her overbearing boyfriend, Jonty), when she walks into the bathroom to find her best friend, Nicola, giving birth on the floor. No one knew she was pregnant (not even Nicola herself), but a baby, of course, changes everything. The arrival of Eliza, as she’s christened, threatens to tear Olivia and Nicola’s friendship apart because there’s one secret Nicola still isn’t willing to share…the name of Eliza’s father.
I was drawn to The Baby by my love of that wonderful, underappreciated reality show I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant. That show is delightfully ridiculous, and while I’m not sure why I thought that could translate into novel form, I was willing to give it a shot. I have to say, dear readers, that this risk didn’t pay off.
The Baby is not a good book. It’s predictable, and its characters are shallow. Younger teens might be drawn in by the pulpy sensationalism of it all, but I’d have a hard time recommending it to any of them. This isn’t only because the book isn’t very good but also because Olivia’s boyfriend, Jonty, is abusive. Has been abusive for almost two years. And somehow in the course of this flippant novel, he blames it on being abused as a child and then swears to never do it again. And The Baby takes him at his word. Jonty is re-integrated into this ragtag team of friends who have to renegotiate their relationships because of Nicola’s baby. That’s not only a bad plot point, it’s flat out irresponsible.
Usually I try to find something good to say about every book I review because many times it may be that even though a particular book isn’t for me, it is for somebody else. But not with this one. The soap opera–esque complications might have been fun for a quick, silly read except for the inexcusable message the novel sends about abuse.
Monday, 24 August 2015
Review: The Baby by Lisa Drakeford
The Baby by Lisa DrakefordThe Baby by Lisa Drakeford (proof) - When Olivia opens the bathroom door, the last thing she expects to see is her best friend Nicola giving birth on the floor – and to say Nicola is surprised is an understatement. She’s not ready to be a mum, and she needs Olivia’s help. But Olivia has her own problems – specifically her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, and keeping an eye on younger sister Alice. And then there’s Nicola’s friend Ben, who’s struggling with secrets of his own … From Goodreads.
I read The Baby by Lisa Drakeford thinking that it might work for my upcoming Sex in Teen Lit Month II blog event, seeing as it's about the arrival of a unexpected baby. It doesn't quite work for what I want the month to highlight, but I was surprised with how much I enjoyed it! It's pretty good, and takes a serious look at the changes a baby can bring.
When Nicola gives birth in Olivia's bathroom at her birthday party, it's the beginning of a massive change. A change that doesn't just affect her, but Olivia, Olivia's boyfriend Jonty, their friend Ben, and Olivia's younger sister, Alice. Emotions rocket, relationships are put to the test, and decisions need to be made. Life isn't one big party, especially when there's a baby to think of.
The Baby was a completely different story to the one I was expecting. Considering the way the description goes, I thought the whole story would be set at Olivia's party, but it's actually set over five months. Each character gets a turn to narrate, and they all have their own sub-story, which intersect because of their relationships and baby Eliza.
I was a bit worried when I first started. Olivia's narration is first, and seeing as it's the night of her party, she's drunk, which could be the reason why, but I found her to tell more than show. The party is great, she gets on so well with so-and-so, but we don't really get to see why. I found her narration to be one of the weakest, I felt like she was quite young and selfish, but again, it could have been because she was drunk, because I preferred her a lot more in the other narrations. But her story is also a really important one. Her boyfriend Jonty hurts her. He's jealous and controlling, and he physically hurts her when Olivia doesn't bend to his wishes. It was shocking to read, but the focus shifts once everyone realise Nicola is giving birth in the bathroom.
Then it's Nicola's narration, and it's brilliant. She didn't know she was pregnant, and now she's a new mum. She's struggling to deal with it. She is full of awe and wonder and this beautiful little girl that she's brought into the world, but she's so unsure of what she's doing and being up with her at all hours is really taking it's toll. She has people - health visitors, social workers, midwives, and so forth - ask her all kinds of questions. Is this what she wants? What is she going to do about school? What about benefits? Who's the dad? Question after question, and so much pressure. And she has very few people on her side. It's a fantastic narration, and very realistic. I felt really sorry for Nicola, and just wished more people would help her and give her a chance.
Then we have Alice's narration. Eleven-year-old Alice is "weird", and people avoid her. I can't say for certain, but it seems to me that she might have a form of Autism; she's very intelligent, but doesn't understand social situations and gets things wrong. She doesn't have friends, and her attempts to make them, while saying completely the wrong thing, and the reaction this causes from others is just heartbreaking. She's bullied and laughed at, and she doesn't quite understand why. She just knows she shouldn't mention her imaginary farm animals, because people don't seem to like that. But there is a baby now, a baby that was born in her bathroom, Nicola's baby, and she so loves to visit and help out. I loved Alice's narration, because she is just so wonderful and has a fantastic way of looking at the world, and I just wanted to give her such a big hug. She's a really special girl, and I don't mean that in the derogatory way.
Jonty. As the story went on, the more and more I disliked him. He's not a very nice guy at all, and he treats others so badly, not just Olivia. And then we get his narration, and wow. My feelings towards him shifted. He isn't a great guy, but he has problems of his own, and I started to understand why he is the way he is. It doesn't excuse his behaviour, but I did feel some sympathy for him. And we see a real change during his narration. He does grow up a bit, and realises that he can't go on the way he has been. He sees things differently, and I ended up feeling quite proud of him.
Oh my god, Ben's narration! It was the most disappointing of them all! Ben is gay, and he's really into this guy, Josh, but doesn't know if he's gay. Then a huge bombshell is dropped, one I did not see coming at all, and I was feeling so much anguish and sadness and, oh my god, really?! It was just so surprising and in some ways so awful, and... then it just ends. Ben's story gets wrapped up, I suppose, but the whole story doesn't! Not in my opinion! There is more to that bombshell, more that I need to know. There is so much more fallout from it to come, and I cannot believe it just ends like that. This bombshell would change everything for everyone, but we don't see it, we don't see what comes, and I am stunned. There was huge potential for this story to continue and follow it through, and be SUCH an emotional story. Just thinking about what this means for the other characters really has me getting upset, and to not actually see it... I am so disappointed. It's a really bad ending, in my opinion. There's no real conclusion. Things are left open, but not in a way that makes me feel there will be a follow up novel. It's just left, and it annoys me so much.
But over all, The Baby is really good! I would recommend it for Nicola, Alice and Jonty's narrations and stories because they're just so brilliant! A disappointing ending, but on the whole, an enjoyable read.
Thank you to Chicken House for the proof.
REVIEW: THE BABY – LISA DRAKEFORD
JUNE 3, 2015 BY VICKY 7 COMMENTS
The Baby by Lisa Drakeford
The Baby by Lisa Drakeford
Publication date: 2 July 2015
Publisher: Chicken House
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781910002230
Length: 223 pages
Genre: Contemporary
Age group: Young Adult
Source: Publisher
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon UK | The Book Depository
My rating: ★★★
When Olivia opens the bathroom door, the last thing she expects to see is her best friend Nicola giving birth on the floor – and to say Nicola is surprised is an understatement. She’s not ready to be a mum, and she needs Olivia’s help. But Olivia has her own problems – specifically her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, and keeping an eye on younger sister Alice. And then there’s Nicola’s friend Ben, who’s struggling with secrets of his own…
I fell in love with the idea behind Lisa Drakeford’s debute the minute I saw the book and once my copy landed on my desk, it went straight to the top of my reading list. Teenage pregnancy – and especially teenage parenthood – is a hugely important issue which, I think, doesn’t get the attention it should in YA literature.
Interestingly, and unlike the very few other novels I’ve seen and read so far, The Baby focuses on parenthood and not the pregnancy itself. It explores how Nicola and the dad deal with new-found parenthood and how the dynamics change among their group of friends after the baby is born, which really intrigued me. It also touches upon, however briefly, the subject of domestic violence and bullying, two equally significant topics that don’t get mentioned enough. I have to applaud Drakeford for bringing such important subjects to the attention of younger readers and dealing with them in such a delicate way.
Understandably, I had really high hopes for this novel but, unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
But let me start with the good stuff. As I said, the idea is brilliant. The plot in itself would’ve been good and I liked the twist at the end – I did not see that coming at all. I also felt like the characters have changed a lot by the end of the story. I tend to enjoy books where you hear the story from different perspectives, so I was really glad that we got to hear this one from five different POVs (I particularly enjoyed Nicola’s part and loved the way she has dealt with all this).
However, even though the idea is great, the execution and the writing just didn’t work for me. I suspect it might have something to do with the third person narrative, which I found a bit dull and very, very monotonous most of the time. I kept wondering whether a first person narration would’ve helped at all, and I think it would have. Slightly.
Although The Baby is classified as a young adult / crossover book, for me it read more like a middle-grade one. The language is very simple, with really short sentences, which doesn’t really make it an interesting read (and makes the characters sound a bit immature as well, I think). The fact that the book is roughly 220 pages long and it took me over a week to finish it says it all.
All in all, I really liked the idea but the writing kind of ruined it for me.
The Official YABC Blog
All things news, updates, giveaways, and other goodies on Young Adult (and Kids!) Books Central.
Search...
Home Categories Tags Authors Archives Calendar
Font size: + – Subscribe to this blog post Report Print
Featured Review: The Baby (Lisa Drakeford)
Thursday, 03 November 2016 Beth Edwards, Assistant Blog Manager News & Updates Latest Staff Reviews 422 Hits 0 Comment
Featured Review: The Baby (Lisa Drakeford)
About This Book:
When Olivia opens the bathroom door, the last thing she expects to see is her best friend Nicola giving birth on the floor – and to say Nicola is surprised is an understatement. She’s not ready to be a mum, and she needs Olivia’s help. But Olivia has her own problems – specifically her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, and keeping an eye on younger sister Alice. And then there’s Nicola’s friend Ben, who’s struggling with secrets of his own …
**Review Contributed By Jazmen Greene, Staff Reviewer**
The Baby? Oh, Baby...
The Baby was not at all what I was expecting. The cover paints this picture, as if this book was to be a lighter contemporary--when it fact it's not all that light. It tackles more serious topics than it does anything fun.
True to the title, The Baby is about the baby. In the midst of a party, best friend and fashionista, Nicola, is giving birth in her best friend's bathroom, and now there's a baby--a real live one.
Teenage pregnancy is the obvious topic of this novel and it's told in a fairly realistic manner. Nothing is sugar coated--and none of these teens are coasting through this pregnancy. The mom is unhappy with her daughter's pregnancy, the daughter is struggling--and the father was unexpected.
While I know teen pregnancies is no laughing matter, I thought the book would be lighter. But, I guess that was my own foolish expectations.
The story is told in multiple POV's--at times I didn't find it necessary, but I guess it helped with the story telling, being that the story and the plot itself affected all characters involved. Some readers might appreciate being able to see the story through all of their eyes, but I feel that I could have personally done without it.
Anywho, so you get to see the struggles that each character faces in their lives, and after the birth of this unexpected baby. It's all pretty interesting to read, but a little boring at the same time. It's not that the writer didn't do a good job of showing true to life teen pregnancy, it's that the characters themselves were pretty dull.
I just didn't connect with them, or their stories. They seemed a little typical and not at all engaging. Don't get me wrong this book works for the reasons it intended, it just wasn't for me.
Not to mention the ending was kind of bleh, and I was far from impressed by the twist. It felt unnecessary and anticlimactic. Some readers might even actually be a little offended. Not sure, but I've seen people get upset by less.
All in all this was an okay read, that just left me wanting a little more, and a little less.
Hi guys! If you follow me on Instagram (@Serialbibliophile),
then you might have seen me post a picture of this book full of annotations.
I read this book as part of a small “project” called The Wandering Pages. This project consists of seven girls who will read, annotate, comment, and send a book each.Every month I’ll be getting a book to participate in the project. At the end of the month, I send it to the next person to make their annotations. After the 7 month period, I should have my book back with annotations and thoughts of all 7 girls! Sounds cool, right?
My pick was The Baby by Lisa Drakeford, I just finished it and it is ready to be sent to the next girl who will read it! Now, onto my review:
The Baby
The Baby
by Lisa Drakeford
256 Pages
Published: October 25, 2016.
Originally Published: July 1st, 2015.
Goodreads rating: 3.37 (234 Ratings)
My Rating: 3.5 stars (⋆ ⋆ ⋆)
“When Olivia opens the bathroom door, the last thing she expects to see is her best friend Nicola giving birth on the floor – and to say Nicola is surprised is an understatement. She’s not ready to be a mum, and she needs Olivia’s help. But Olivia has her own problems – specifically her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, and keeping an eye on younger sister Alice. And then there’s Nicola’s friend Ben, who’s struggling with secrets of his own …”
First of all, I thought this was going to be a book told from Olivia’s point of view; but as it turns out, it is actually a book with many point of views. We learn about the story from different perspectives – Olivia, Nicola, Alice, Jonty, and Ben. However, I loved that it was written this way. The PoVs did not play out the same events from different perspectives, each chapter/PoV is a month on that character’s life AFTER the initial event, which made the book flow nicely and feel well put together.
The book begins with Olivia’s 17th birthday party, where her friend (who did not know she was pregnant) gives birth! There’s not much that I can say on this book, without spoiling the information. But let’s say that each chapter – based on a character each – gets really emotional as we see everyone’s struggles.
There’s an abusive relationship in this story, and I was SO MAD that even though the character knows that she’s in a toxic relationship, somehow she stays there! I gave it some thought, and I believe it has a strong purpose. This happens in real life, and maybe girls could read this and see the faults in their relationships too.
My favorite character was Ben. In this story, he is the best friend who happens to be gay, he’s the supportive friend who tries to mend things and help everyone regardless of how bad things seem. He’s amazing. ♥ Alice is also a lovely character, I felt so sad when reading things from her PoV, but she’s so strong and nice. She deserves the world.
This book is not just about an unwanted pregnancy, its about betrayal, friendship, family, and the struggles teenagers go through. I think the author did a great job in describing and giving life to each character. Sadly, the ending – for me – was too vague. I felt like more things needed closure and they were just left there for our imagination.
Overall Rating: 3.5 stars
BOOK REVIEW: THE BABY BY LISA DRAKEFORD
June 26, 2015 11:00 am
Released July 2, 2015
Published by Chicken House
More information about Lisa Drakeford on Chicken House’s website
Review by Jane Currie
thebabyIt was supposed to be a typical teenage birthday party for Olivia, albeit one to go down in history. When she walks in on Nicola, her best friend, giving birth on the bathroom floor she knows it will be, but for all the wrong reasons. The Baby revolves around five friends dealing with the new arrival in their close circle, as well as the complex yet genuine relationships and changes that come with young adulthood.
I have to admit, the decision to review this book harks back to my taste in novels from my early teenage years. Stories dealing with school and sixth form relationships, as well as development in friendships, fascinated me, and teenage pregnancy in novels is still an intriguing concept.
I feel the author, Drakeford, did the arguably over-done theme refreshingly well with a distinctive take. In my experience, it tends to be the norm with books featuring pregnancy, especially regarding young mothers or fathers, to focus on the parents and their immediate family and the practicalities of living with a child. However, The Baby not only deals with the perspective of the mother, but also has specific sections written from the viewpoint of four other friends. In fact, it was interesting to read a novel that was more about the reactions and effects of a baby, rather than specifically the baby itself. This added to the originality of the book.
In relation to the characters, they end up growing on you as the novel progresses. In the beginning, the party scene treads very lightly on the boundary of clichés – likely deliberately so – especially with the at-first obnoxious Olivia who can’t wait for her parents to leave so she can host the “best party ever”, and the detestable controlling boyfriend Jonty. But slowly the characters, all of the characters, are given layers and development and mostly move on from simply being stereotypes or clichés.
I must try to briefly talk about the ending of the novel, even with the risk of accidentally revealing spoilers! Typically, when I read young adult books, I find it easy to work out the ending early on. This is not to say these books are bad or not entertaining, but that they tend to follow a similar format. I will confess that The Baby foiled me in this respect. I believed I had worked out the twist in the first twenty pages, but a different one was revealed near the end. Maybe other readers will tell me it was obvious and they knew instantly, but all I can say is it entertained me! The ending is strong, but leaves some gaps in the story, making readers want more. I can’t decide if this is a bit irritating and idle, or that I’m just a bitter reader who wished for a neat bow-tied conclusion of the characters.
Drakeford’s The Baby is entertaining, witty and often quite poignant. It includes incredibly well-written relationships of being a young adult and teenage me is truly fulfilled!