This book is about a fourteen year-old girl, LaVaughn, who takes a babysitting job in order to earn money for college. Her employer is a seventeen year-old dropout, Jolly, who has two young children, Jeremy and Jilly. LaVaughn and Jolly become friends and LaVaughn helps get Jolly back on her feet and back in school.
The author reveals characters through LaVaughn�s thoughts, dialogue and the characters� actions. For instance, when Jolly saves Jilly from choking on a toy spider, it shows that she�s not the flighty person that she was. The characters are convincing and the author shows both their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, LaVaughn�s love and devotion to the two children is a strength, but her inability to keep up with her schoolwork and unwillingness to say �no� are weaknesses. The characters� behaviors are also consistent with their ages and backgrounds. Jolly is irresponsible, and this comes as no surprise considering she has no parents and grew up living on the streets after the death of her grandmother. Both LaVaughn and Jolly grow as characters as the story progresses. LaVaughn starts doing well in school again and Jolly goes back to school and becomes a more responsible parent.
The plot is realistic and the events that occur are true to life. It�s not hard to believe that a teenage mother has dropped out of school and receives help from those around her to turn her life around. The story is interesting and holds the reader�s attention because the reader will want to know what happens to Jolly and her children. The plot doesn�t contain a lot of action, but is more character based. The plot is plausible and the sequence of events is logical. LaVaughn convinces Jolly to enroll in a special school for teenage mothers, and Jolly then starts to turn her life around. The idea of a struggling teenage mother isn�t that original, but the idea of a fourteen year-old being the person that helps Jolly turn her life around, is original. The plot doesn�t really have a main climax, but a climactic part is where Jilly chokes and Jolly saves her life. The ending is hopeful, but not entirely happy. Jolly is still in school and will hopefully continue to do well, but she still has a lot to overcome and LaVaughn still has a long way to go before she can attend college.
The setting is believable and contemporary. The majority of the plot takes place in Jolly�s apartment, which is in a rundown building in an urban area. The setting is very important because Jolly�s situation would be entirely different if she has grown up in a small town or had been born fifty years ago. She most likely would not have ended up on her own.
The theme of this story seems to be the classic, �don�t give up.� Another theme that emerges is making the best out of the hand you�ve been dealt. This is a theme that is important to both young adults and adults, and one that both can understand and relate to. The story isn�t overpowered by the theme, but the theme emerges naturally as the reader sees how Jolly and LaVaughn deal with obstacles.
The style of writing is appropriate. It takes on a serious tone and is written in free verse. A lot of figurative language is used which is also appropriate because the story is told from LaVaughn�s point of view and it�s believable to think that this is how she would word things in her head. For instance, LaVaughn says, �What my mom did is like a foggy photograph, like one you might think you dreamed.� The dialogue is suited to the characters in that it reflects realistic speech patterns. For instance, LaVaughn and Jolly both use the terms �ain�t,� �gonna� and �hafta� instead of the appropriate terms. There is a good balance of narration and dialogue throughout the story. While the mood starts off quite depressing, it becomes more hopeful as the story progresses and as Jolly�s life and attitude begin to improve.
This is a story that presents conflicts that affect people in real life, such as poverty, teenage motherhood, homelessness and single parenting. While the story presents a lesson in perseverance, it doesn�t preach this lesson and readers will most likely not even notice the lesson is there as they read to find out what will become of Jolly and her children.
