Anything but Normal by Melody Carlson (Book Review)

Title: Anything but Normal
Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell

My synopsis: Sophie was a good kid - popular, pretty, good grades, chief editor of the school paper - but she had a big secret. She was pregnant. She had taken a purity pledge at her church with her group of girlfriends. But that was before she was a counselor at camp with Dylan. Dylan had told her he loved her, had said all the right things - and they had only had sex twice.

She hides this secret from everyone, her family, her teachers, even her best friends, and Dylan. After writing an article about teen pregnancy, she takes a lot of flak from the school's teen pregnancy center - so she is enlisted to write an article after spending some time their and interviewing the girls who attend classes there. The lessons she learns are invaluable, but what will she do about her own secret?

My thoughts: I liked Sophie and I liked the fact that the author showed that even Christian kids can be led astray. She emphasized in the book that the purity pledge was more about your heart and your relationship with God - and that a promise made out loud is just words and words can be broken. I hope that makes sense - I am having a tough time putting into words what I mean this morning. This was a good book - one that I think all teen girls should read - especially if they say "That could never happen to me. . ."

Available January 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

~I received this book for review from Baker Publishing Group.~

Anything but Normal
Publisher/Publication Date: Revell, Jan 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3258-5
254 pages