Planet Pregnancy

* Bibliographic information
High, L. O. Planet Pregnancy. Front Street, 2008. ISBN: 9781590785843

- YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers: 2009


* Plot Summary
The story of a pregnant 16-year-old named Sahara told through poetry prose. The story follows her through her unwanted pregnancy and the feelings associated with it; sadness, worry, regret, etc. The character avoids any responsibility and tells nobody about the pregnancy, except her religious best friend. When she finally decides to tell her mom she is pregnant she first says she was date raped and then decides not to tell her mom about the pregnancy. Throughout the book she has thoughts of suicide and talks about abortion as an option but keeps waiting to make an appointment. She does not tell the father, Dustin or her mom about the baby until the third trimester.



* Critical Evaluation
The simple poetry on the pages reflects the maturity of this teen girl who got pregnant and describes numerous things as “so not fun” or “so not cool”. Throughout the book it is apparent that she is very immature and not responsible enough for a baby, but she is pregnant nonetheless. The author does a great job of showing the thoughts associated with a teen girl who got pregnant but does not want to give her old life up and does not have a clue about what to do with her new one. Her rising fear and worry are shown with the quick prose, and it is evident that she does not want to make the decision to “terminate” the baby so she just avoids the decision all together. I did question why there was no talk in the story of reactions from other students until right before she went into labor. The author talks about her showing but never talks about people knowing at school until the end of the pregnancy. The author also discussed all of the stuff that you need for a baby and everything you will have to give up as a mom; this is good for teens to read who may be thinking of motherhood.


* Reader’s Annotation
Last week she was the Dixie Queen at school, this week she is pregnant. Sahara must decide if she wants to be a mother before she runs out of time and the baby has arrived.


* Information about the author
Linda Oatman High writes books for teens, children, and adults. In addition to writing books, she is also a songwriter, poet, journalist, and playwright. She grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and still lives there. She has two adult sons, one of them, Zach, also writes. She is very proud to be a grandmother. She says she loves writing and likes being a writer because she can go to work in her pajamas and eat chocolate for lunch if she wants. For more about High, visit http://www.lindaoatmanhigh.com/.


* Genre
Teen Fiction; Issues, Teen Pregnancy


* Curriculum Ties, if any
Health:
This book could be useful in a health class. Students can see first-hand the roller-coaster of pregnancy. There is also information about embryo development, body changes, and preparation for a baby.


* Booktalking Ideas
1) Discuss the possible consequences of Sahara not seeing a doctor until the third trimester.
2) Talk about Sahara’s father and his absence in her life, how is it related to her situation?
3) Why do you think Sahara’s Dad showed up after hearing she was pregnant?
4) What do you think the author’s reasons were for not including the reactions of other students when Sahara started showing? The author made it appear as if no one knew until right before she went into labor even though her body had been changing throughout the book.



* Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 7 and Up / 15 and Up


* Challenge Issues and Defense
Challenge Issues: Teen Pregnancy, Teens Having Sex, Date Rape, Infanticide, Abortion, and Suicide.

Defense Ideas:
1) Ask the patron about the book and issue in question and find out how much they know about the book.
2) Help the patron become more familiar with the book and its content.
3) Show the patron positive reviews for this book, such as ones found on amazon.com; http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Pregnancy-Linda-Oatman-High/dp/1590787676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259970727&sr=1-1.
4) If available, introduce the patron to people who have read it in the library or tell the patron what you thought of the book if you have read it.
5) Show the patron the collection development policy for that particular library. For example, the one for the San Diego County library, http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf.
6) If they still want to file a grievance about the book begin the necessary paperwork by giving them the forms they need to fill out. In the San Diego County system, the grievance will then go to The Challenged Materials Team. If the committee cannot resolve the issue, it then goes to the County Library Director for a final decision. http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf


* Why did you include this book in your titles you selected?
I included this book because I found the poetry format interesting and wanted to see how it would work with such a serious topic. I found the book while browsing at the library and grabbed it because of its odd size and then looked inside and saw the way it was formatted and wanted to read it. The subject of teen pregnancy is so controversial but also so important; I felt it was important to have a book with this topic on my blog. I really liked how the book was told through the girl experiencing it and how she had no idea what to do about her situation, like many young girls who become pregnant accidently.