Combine two teenagers, one house, absolutely no adult
supervision, and a list of some very interesting things that they did (and
probably shouldn’t have) and you have the formula for Sarah Mlynowski’s teen
novel Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have).
April’s parents have divorced, her mom has remarried and
moved to France, taking her brother with, and her dad has married a new woman
who seems less than thrilled to have a teenaged daughter around. However, April
has found her niche with a great boyfriend and a solid group of friends, until
her dad drops the bombshell that he and his wife are moving and taking April
with them. Not at all interested in leaving behind her school, her friends, and
most importantly her boyfriend, April devises a brilliant plan. She will move
in with her friend Vi and her mom—after all, they have an empty basement that
would make a perfect bedroom.
The only thing that the two friends leave out of the
equation when pitching the plan to April’s dad is that Vi’s actress mom will be
perpetually out of town as she performs in a traveling Mary Poppins production.
And so, the first thing on the list of things they shouldn’t do—“lie to our
parents”—is put into motion.
April and Vi begin living as teenage roommates and the list
of things that they did, and probably shouldn’t have, continues to grow as they
navigate their way through being a teenager and living on their own. As
expected there are a few crazy parties, and the occasional missed day of
school, but there are also some slightly more interesting items that make the
list, such as buying a hot tub, and spending $3000 on a donut (which makes way
more sense when you actually read the book).
On a more serious note, the novel also touches on issues,
such as the changing nature of friendship, having sex for the first time,
relationship problems, and coping with divorce and a changing family dynamic.
While some of these issues are more fully fleshed out than others, the novel
still has some value beyond being a fun and fast read.
This book certainly deserves its recognition as one of
YALSA’s 2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. Mylnowski has crafted an
engaging and fast-paced read that can easily be recommended to a teen girl
looking for something she can relate to. I would recommend this book for girls
in 9th-12th grade, but I could not see it being used in
the classroom other than as a great addition to a classroom library. Overall, I
say this book is worth a read, and that can go on a list of things you did (and
probably should have).
3 comments:
This book sounds like such a good and cute read. As we have all experienced that "the parents are out of the house, now what can we do feeling." I like that while it might touch on some fun events that wouldn't necessarily happen to the average teen, but that it does talk about sex, divorce, and family dynamics. This is something that all teens have to deal with at some point and it is often alot easier to read about it rather than talk about it. I personally would probably still pick up a book like this just for a quick read that can make me smile and learn a thing or two.
This review has succeeded in intriguing me into considering reading this book. I want to know how teenagers could possibly live by themselves; I want to know that list of what they did or did not do; Most importantly, I want to know how in the world $3000 was spent on a donut. This looks like a fun read, but I wonder if there is a moral to the story.
This books also seems to offer many topics for discussion as it deals with many of the issues that teens deal with. I too would like to get my hands on a copy of this books!
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