NOVEMBER BLUES

At the end of THE BATTLE OF JERICHO, when her boyfriend, Josh, died in a pledge stunt gone wrong, November Nelson thought her life had hit bottom. But it's two months later, and she has just realized she's carrying Josh's child. Sharon Draper has a talent for getting into the heads of urban teens and telling their stories with compassion. She presents the teen pregnancy in this sequel realistically, weighing the questions, fears, and choices a young pregnant girl must deal with. JD Jackson does an adequate job of telling the story, although some of his phrasing seems unnatural. However, since this is November's story, a female narrator would have given the story more credibility. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2009]