The Lit Report

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Overview

Julia and Ruth have been unlikely best friends since they first met in Sunday school— Ruth was standing on the Bible-crafts table belting out "Jesus Loves Me." Now that they're a year away from graduation, they're putting the finishing touches on their getaway plans. But their dream of a funky big-city loft and rich, interesting older men is threatened when preacher's daughter Ruth goes to a wild party without studious Julia, and all hell breaks loose.
Ruth gets pregnant; Julia...
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The Lit Report

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More About This Book

Overview

Julia and Ruth have been unlikely best friends since they first met in Sunday school— Ruth was standing on the Bible-crafts table belting out "Jesus Loves Me." Now that they're a year away from graduation, they're putting the finishing touches on their getaway plans. But their dream of a funky big-city loft and rich, interesting older men is threatened when preacher's daughter Ruth goes to a wild party without studious Julia, and all hell breaks loose.
Ruth gets pregnant; Julia gets creative. Determined to support her friend and stay on track for life after high school, Julia comes up with a plan that will require all her intelligence, compassion, ingenuity and patience. Drawing on some great (and some not-so-great) works of literature, Julia proves that you can learn a lot just by opening up a book.
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Editorial Reviews

CM Magazine
"A terrific story about a strong girl friendship...readers will be drawn into her story and will be satisfied with the conclusion. Highly recommended."
Tri State Young Adult Book Review Committee
"Readers will enjoy the story...[and] librarians will love the literary references."
What If? Magazine
"An original novel of triumph and friendship. It is the kind of book that makes you read long into the night."
Deakin Newsletter
"This is a funny, moving and realistic picture of the love the friends feel for each other - like sisters - and the faithful support and care the one shows for the other. There is a lot going on in this richly realized novel, and it is even more to the author's credit that there is as much laughter as tears and that the cast is so well considered and portrayed, human beings all."
Resource Links
"Laugh-out-loud portrait of a raucous and intelligent friendship being tested and forced to grow all at once. [Rated Excellent]."
CD Syndicated
"[A] hot-button book that mixes the platitudes of literature with the realities of daily teenage life."
Quill & Quire
"Harvey does a good job of capturing the voice of Julia, and Ruth is often a riot to read. The use of language actually spoken by teens...gives the book a realistic feel."
The Globe and Mail
"Harvey depict[s] authentic relationships. She also reveals, quite wonderfully, the fluid line between family and friends. She opens us up to the joyous unpredictability of life. And through the example of Julia's mother, she demonstrates the transformative power of a gentle, adaptable faith."
Pudgy Penguin Perusals
"This is a wonderful story of two friends who find themselves on the cusp of adulthood when they are forced into growing up in a big hurry."
A Patchwork of Books blog
"A great friendship, good writing, and a unique story... definitely has teen appeal."
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Julia's eventful year is both insightful and funny... [a] thoughtful take on teen pregnancy made bearable by best-friend support."
Tucson Unified School District
"An interesting view of teen (hidden) pregnancy, parental reaction and the misguided intentions of friendship...Highly recommended."
Canadian Children's Book News
"A refreshingly original alternative to many of the more angst-ridden teen problem novels."
The Bookmark (BCTLA)
"A bitingly funny, page turning read. Harvey's characters are witty, graphic and well-rounded, throwing stereotypes out the window...High school age students will enjoy this lively story and its excellent dialogue."
NMRLS Youth Services Book Review
*no details*
TeensReadToo.com
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BC Bookworld
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KLIATT - Claire Rosser
Edgy, earthy—and filled with literary references—perhaps a strange mix. Julia is telling the story of her best friend Ruth's pregnancy and childbirth. They are high school students, and Ruth is from an extremely religious family of Christian fundamentalists. Ruth understands rightly that her parents will never accept this baby, so Julia and Ruth plot to hide the pregnancy: Julia will help deliver the baby in a vacation cabin, and then they will leave the baby in a safe place to be adopted. After this, they can get on with their lives. That's their plan, anyway. But stuff happens. First of all, Ruth falls in love with her newborn baby and wouldn't give her up, ever. And Ruth's brother becomes part of the secret; he too loves the baby and he also starts falling in love with Julia. Julia's parents act like responsible grown-ups, and they intervene to help find a solution for Ruth and her child. The nitty-gritty of pregnancy and childbirth are here, as are sexual references that don't leave much to the imagination. But, there is an authenticity to it all, in a strange way, and Julia is a wonderful character with her mixture of practical wisdom and intelligence and her naivete. It's all slightly over the top, but also dramatic and strangely humorous. Reviewer: Claire Rosser
Children's Literature - Annie Laura Smith
The author really became the teen in this compelling novel of contemporary adolescence. The use of the first-person voice conveys a sense of immediacy to the story. Sarah N. Harvey shows Julia's literary intelligence and her unconditional friendship with Ruth in both funny and poignant ways. Quotes from classics at the beginning of each chapter (e.g., "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…") and Julia's subsequent analyses highlight her knowledge of literature. These quotes and her reflection on them give the story a literary quality. Her maturity and support in dealing her friend's unexpected pregnancy are both comical and moving. Julia's creative solution to this situation involves her father, stepmother, and new stepbrother. It also allows her to see her mother in a new light. As events unfold, Julia's perceived dilemma about the "loss" of her father, stepmother, best friend, and boyfriend is resolved with creative plotting. The apparent "worst of times" become the "best of times" for all concerned. Reviewer: Annie Laura Smith
School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up

Julia Riley and her friend Ruth are stifled by their ultraconservative Christian upbringing. Ruth is a preacher's daughter whose parents have a "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" doorbell, while Julia's mom closes her lunch notes "In God's love." Everything changes when Ruth has sex at a party and becomes pregnant at the same time as Julia's stepmother. The teen decides to learn everything she can from Miki's midwife, Maria, so that she can conceal her pregnancy and later abandon the newborn at her father's church. In the end, Ruth keeps the baby, and her parents disown her. Julia learns to accept the change in plans while learning that one cannot always plan for every situation. Julia's love of classic literature is explored through famous first lines and some plot analysis. Harvey's novel is weighed down by her overuse of negative stereotypes in the narrow Christian world she paints, a slew of underdeveloped characters, and a disjointed, shallow plot.-Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781551439051
  • Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
  • Publication date: 10/1/2008
  • Pages: 208
  • Age range: 12 - 18 Years
  • Lexile: 860L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 0.60 (d)

Read an Excerpt

One of the great things about Ruth is that she has a moth-flame relationship with catastrophe...Another great thing is that she's really creative, and I'm really pragmatic, so between the two of us we can usually figure something out. I started with the facts. Ruth was pregnant.
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Customer Reviews

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Posted December 30, 2008

    more from this reviewer

    Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com

    Julia and Ruth have been friends since they met in Sunday school at the age of four. They have been inseparable ever since. They attend a Christian school. Julia's mother is all about God. Her father, a neonatal nurse, remarried Miki, a pediatrician. Ruth's father is "Pastor Pete." <BR/><BR/>One day, Ruth doesn't show up at school, making Julia somewhat unhappy. After school, Julia calls Ruth after getting a a bunch of "CALL ME NOW" text messages. Ruth confesses that she had sex at a party and is now pregnant. <BR/><BR/>Julia comes up with a plan that will help conceal the pregnancy from everyone. And they will leave the baby on the steps of Ruth's father's church after it is born. <BR/><BR/>Will the plan work out, or will Ruth decide she wants to keep the baby? <BR/><BR/>THE LIT REPORT was really good. The way Julia and Ruth spoke to each other was so real. I really liked the storyline, as well. I've never read a book where the girl is hiding her pregnancy from everyone except her best friend. Julia was a strong and smart character. I disliked Ruth somewhat for the way she treated her best friend; Julia was helping her and she didn't appreciate it. <BR/><BR/>But I think anyone could enjoy this book.

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