Me, Him, Them, and It

In this introspective first novel, Carter persuasively traces the vacillating emotions and opinions of a distraught pregnant teenager, showing how a 16-year-old mother-to-be finds the support and courage she needs to make necessary choices. Evelyn knows she has options, but she can’t imagine carrying out any of them; she’s at the top of her class, has Ivy League aspirations, and—more than anything—just doesn’t want to be pregnant. At her parents’ suggestion, Evelyn seeks temporary refuge with her aunt’s unconventional family in Chicago, but she soon realizes that hiding from her friends and the nuns at her Catholic school back home won’t make her problems disappear. She also has to face hard truths about her parents’ failing marriage, her best friend’s anger at being kept in the dark, and the father’s unwillingness to take responsibility for the unborn child. Carter doesn’t sugarcoat the pain and complications that result from Evelyn’s choice. If anything, readers are left to ponder whether there are such things as “right” decisions for girls in Evelyn’s situation. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. (Feb.)