Butterflies in May

October 1, 2006
Gr 8 Up-A rather ordinary tale of teen pregnancy. Ali Parker is a bright, middle-class, suburban girl headed for college. She and her boyfriend are usually careful about birth control, but she ends up pregnant after one lapse. She schedules an abortion but cant go through with it. When she tells her parents, they are disappointed but supportive, as are her friends and teachers. Ali weathers the ups and downs of pregnancy, befriends another expecting teen, and deals with her sometimes loving, sometimes distant boyfriend as she tries to plan for an uncertain future. She meets a perfect couple who want to adopt her child but wonders if she can bring herself to part with the baby. Ali could be almost any young woman struggling with this issue, which gives the story a bland feel, as does the adequate but rarely sparkling prose. Angela Johnsons "The First Part Last" (2003), Rachel Cohns "Gingerbread" (2002, both S & S), and Sarah Dessens "Someone Like You" (Viking, 1998) are more notable novels about the subject. Nevertheless, Harts solid first-person account of a teenagers life-altering experience will draw in readers, who will most likely stick around to find out whether Ali makes the predictable choice."Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library"

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