after1

After by Amy Efaw ISBN: 978-0-670-01183-4 ©2009 350 pages

Good sections to read aloud: pp. 10-12 when the officer discovers blood all over Devon

Summary: Devon is a 15 year old high school student who excels in academics and soccer. When it is discovered that she has given birth to a baby and tossed it into a dumpster to die (it lives), no one, including her own mother, can believe it. Devon is arrested and placed in a juvenile detention facility until the court can decide whether to try her as an adult or juvenile. Throughout her stay, Devon must work through the facts. The problem is, Devon didn’t know she was pregnant, and can barely remember giving birth. How can she plead guilty for something she doesn’t even remember? To make matters worse, her mom just disappears. Her mom is all Devon knows. There is no dad, no grandparent, no sibling, nor is there a boyfriend. The book drags at points, but also portrays something that sadly, is becoming more and more common.

YA fiction-- Teen issue; pregnancy; juvenile detention center; court

©Jennifer Lang - WDMS - 2010