Teens who get pregnant and raise their babies are often in the news. But what about those children who are growing up with parents scarcely half a generation older than themselves?
In this wise and funny first novel by Carole Lazar, Lucy is a sensible, perhaps even rigid, thirteen year old who is convinced that Grandma, God, and the Catholic Church are on her side. She tries hard to make her twenty-eight-year-old mother see the error of her ways. It's not that her mother is wild - in their household even a fancy coffee causes a scene - but she has had to put off her own teenage years and she's chaffing at the restraints on her life. Lucy is faced with the loss of her family, her home, her school, and even her best friend. As she struggles to preserve what she can from her past life, she finds that while Grandma, God, and her church are still there for her, there are problems she has to solve for herself.
**
From School Library Journal
Gr 6-8–Lucy's mother, who got pregnant with Lucy at 14 by a Swedish ski instructor, is immature and forsakes her husband (not the ski instructor) and daughter to spend a lot of time with her single girlfriend from Pilates class. Thirteen-year-old Lucy is a precocious child who quotes her grandmother nonstop, which aggravates her mother. Lucy's stepfather is more grounded, but can't, or won't, interfere with his wife's wishes to have a different life. They separate and due to a shortage of money, Lucy and her mom move from their upscale home to a trailer park. Lucy must leave her Catholic school to attend a nearby public one where she is bullied by a girl from the park. The only bright spot in her life is the small dog, also named Lucy, that she is taking care of temporarily. Told from the teen's viewpoint, the story has overriding themes of life as a Catholic and parental separation as there is a great deal of description of how both her religion and her parents' troubles affect her life. The characters are more caricatures than real people, and the quick adjustment to the less-affluent lifestyle by both Lucy and her mother is never explained. The one aspect of the book that seems genuine is Lucy's unhappiness about being separated from her best friend. The novel does not come together at the end and leaves a lot of loose ends.–Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SCα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Lucy’s mother, Kate, had her at age 14. Now Kate’s 28, and she is restless. Lucy loves her stepfather and the family’s beautifully decorated house near her school and grandparents. So when Kate tells her she is moving out, Lucy is horrified. This begins a familiar story of a young teen trying to make sense of her life when her parents have their own agendas. What makes Lazar’s debut different are the particulars: Lucy’s Catholicism, the testy relationship between Kate and her own mother, and the nicely realized Vancouver setting. Lucy’s voice has an understated wittiness, as do her efforts to circumvent her parents’ plans. What is lacking is the normal anger a kid would feel at all this upheaval, especially when Lucy’s new house is a trailer miles away from all she knows. There’s a mildness to this that gets somewhat tedious, but fortunately, the characterizations are strong enough to keep readers engaged. They’ll want to find out what happens not just to Lucy but to her parents, too. Grades 6-8. --Ilene Cooper
Description:
Teens who get pregnant and raise their babies are often in the news. But what about those children who are growing up with parents scarcely half a generation older than themselves?
In this wise and funny first novel by Carole Lazar, Lucy is a sensible, perhaps even rigid, thirteen year old who is convinced that Grandma, God, and the Catholic Church are on her side. She tries hard to make her twenty-eight-year-old mother see the error of her ways. It's not that her mother is wild - in their household even a fancy coffee causes a scene - but she has had to put off her own teenage years and she's chaffing at the restraints on her life. Lucy is faced with the loss of her family, her home, her school, and even her best friend. As she struggles to preserve what she can from her past life, she finds that while Grandma, God, and her church are still there for her, there are problems she has to solve for herself. **
From School Library Journal
Gr 6-8–Lucy's mother, who got pregnant with Lucy at 14 by a Swedish ski instructor, is immature and forsakes her husband (not the ski instructor) and daughter to spend a lot of time with her single girlfriend from Pilates class. Thirteen-year-old Lucy is a precocious child who quotes her grandmother nonstop, which aggravates her mother. Lucy's stepfather is more grounded, but can't, or won't, interfere with his wife's wishes to have a different life. They separate and due to a shortage of money, Lucy and her mom move from their upscale home to a trailer park. Lucy must leave her Catholic school to attend a nearby public one where she is bullied by a girl from the park. The only bright spot in her life is the small dog, also named Lucy, that she is taking care of temporarily. Told from the teen's viewpoint, the story has overriding themes of life as a Catholic and parental separation as there is a great deal of description of how both her religion and her parents' troubles affect her life. The characters are more caricatures than real people, and the quick adjustment to the less-affluent lifestyle by both Lucy and her mother is never explained. The one aspect of the book that seems genuine is Lucy's unhappiness about being separated from her best friend. The novel does not come together at the end and leaves a lot of loose ends.–Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SCα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Lucy’s mother, Kate, had her at age 14. Now Kate’s 28, and she is restless. Lucy loves her stepfather and the family’s beautifully decorated house near her school and grandparents. So when Kate tells her she is moving out, Lucy is horrified. This begins a familiar story of a young teen trying to make sense of her life when her parents have their own agendas. What makes Lazar’s debut different are the particulars: Lucy’s Catholicism, the testy relationship between Kate and her own mother, and the nicely realized Vancouver setting. Lucy’s voice has an understated wittiness, as do her efforts to circumvent her parents’ plans. What is lacking is the normal anger a kid would feel at all this upheaval, especially when Lucy’s new house is a trailer miles away from all she knows. There’s a mildness to this that gets somewhat tedious, but fortunately, the characterizations are strong enough to keep readers engaged. They’ll want to find out what happens not just to Lucy but to her parents, too. Grades 6-8. --Ilene Cooper