Good Girls Don't—Christian Fiction
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-- School Library Journal, 4/23/2008 9:08:00 AM
These titles bring Christian values to one real-life decision that most teenagers face: “Should I have sex, or not?” Pressure from boyfriends, jealousy, and alcohol abuse lead to a breakdown in values, but ultimately, each young woman finds that she must make the decision for herself, based on her own beliefs and convictions.
CARLSON, Melody. Deep Green: Color Me Jealous. NavPress. 2004. pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-1-57683-530-2.
Gr 9 Up–Jordan jumps on the popular-girl track when she makes the cheerleading squad and leaves her old friends behind. After stealing Shawna’s boyfriend, Jordan is flying high until he is stolen back with the promise of sex. After she turns to her former best friend Kara for advice, she realizes that no boy is worth compromising her Christian principles for and that there is more to life than being popular.
MOORE, Stephanie Perry. Totally Free. Moody. 2002. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-8024-4036-5.
Gr 9-12–There is melodrama to spare in this title, the second in the five-volume “Laurel Shadrach” series. Laurel is in her senior year of high school and just as she begins to relax in her renewed faith and start planning for college, her world starts to crumble. One friend is diagnosed with HIV; her brother is injured while drunk, then picks up a nasty gambling habit; and her ex-boyfriend tempts her to have sex. A strong Christian thread runs through the story, but it won’t keep teen girls with an appetite for angst from picking it up.
TRACY, Kristen. Lost It. S & S/Pulse. 2007. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-3475-2.
Gr 9 Up–Tess cheerfully puts up with her fruitcake parents and nutty friends, never giving much thought to where her own life is going. Her boyfriend, Ben, is wonderful, but when she comes on to him, he puts on the brakes. Confused and feeling rejected, Tess ponders what comes next and gets advice from an unlikely source–her grandmother. Tess and Ben’s “big moment” ends up surprising both of them.
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