Belly Up

February 11, 2019
Seventeen-year-old Serendipity (Sara) hooks up with a cute stranger at a party, partly to spite her cheating ex-boyfriend, and becomes pregnant. When she decides to keep the baby, her plans to attend an Ivy League college turn “to ash,” but fortunately she has a strong support group in her sarcastic, offbeat mom and her “quasi-dysfunctional,” shoe-hurling Swedish grandmother, both of whom experienced unplanned pregnancies in their youths; her feisty best friend, Devi; and her devoted new boyfriend, Leaf, whose culinary skills rival Sara’s grandmother’s. Reminiscent of the film Juno in spirit and humor, this optimistic novel gives a detailed summary of Sara’s bodily changes as well as her emotional ups and downs, which range from the joy she feels upon hearing her baby’s heartbeat, to anger when news of her pregnancy is leaked at school, to the traumatic ordeal of finding and confronting the baby’s father. Although the happily-ever-after ending is somewhat romanticized, snappy dialogue and memorable characters by Darrow (Dead Little Mean Girl) make for an endearing, laugh-out-loud read. Ages 12–up. Agent: Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Agency.

February 15, 2019
A surprise pregnancy shifts a teen's life in a new directionWhen 17-year-old Serendipity "Sara" Rodriguez had her first-and-only rebound hookup at a classmate's party, she never anticipated getting pregnant. Soon enough, however, signs (and science) point to "yes," and, after much consideration, she decides to carry her pregnancy to term and raise the baby herself. Thankfully, she lives with her compassionate mom and tough-but-loving grandma--a dynamic support network enhanced by her white, Jewish lifelong best friend, Devi. Soon she meets Leaf, a sweet, outgoing Romani classmate who is a large, brown-skinned boy with black hair in a ponytail. Mutually smitten, they slowly start dating while Sara tries to figure out caring for someone new while balancing impending motherhood--and finishing high school. Sara's first-person narration is dynamic, with a vibe akin to (a much more diverse) Juno and Gilmore Girls, yet fully its own. While their identities are never made a plot point, queer characters are refreshingly abundant: Devi is gray ace, Leaf is demisexual, his friend Morgan is a trans girl dating another girl, and Sara herself is questioning and most likely bisexual. Racial and ethnic identities are approached with care, with Leaf's nuanced explanations of Romani cultural practices and Sara's thoughtful approach to her identity as a half-Spanish/half-Swedish girl.Those looking for a "problem novel" should look elsewhere; this is quietly cheerful, surprisingly feel-good, and wholly endearing. (Fiction. 14-18)

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March 1, 2019
Grades 10-1 Honestly, if it weren't for her douchebag ex showing up at the party, Sara might not have felt the urge for spontaneous sex with virtual stranger Jack. And maybe she should have suspected sooner, but it wasn't until Sara was almost three months along that she discovered she was pregnant. Sara and her single mom are moving in with her recalcitrant Swedish grandmother, which means a new school for senior year and distance from her bestie. Her new school offers some pleasantness, however: handsome Leaf is flirty and amazingly not dissuaded by her pregnancy. His friends, a trans queer girl named Morgan and her girlfriend, Erin, are cool and accepting. Sara's intelligent, quirky persona attracts the same as she embarks on the journey of bringing her child into the world. It's not smooth sailing?Sara will sacrifice her chance at college, and Jack's absence (and eventual presence) is problematic?but her earthy wit will delight readers, who will feel they are reading more of a fairy tale � la Francesca Lia Block than a problem novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)