A Small Madness

Gr 10 Up—Seventeen-year-olds Rose and Michael are two kids in love. Shortly after becoming sexually active, however, Rose discovers she is pregnant. This news sends both of the teens into a tailspin, with Rose choosing denial and Michael isolating himself and developing rage-filled fantasies. When they can no longer ignore reality, they make a decision that has much stronger consequences for their futures. Unfortunately, an interesting story is overtaken by shallow characterization, teen voices that do not ring true, and needless and sometimes digressive point-of-view changes. Readers know only token things about the protagonists beyond the pregnancy, to the point where it is unclear whether Rose has an intellectual disability or is simply an unbelievably naive 17-year-old. This work reads like a dated Beatrice Sparks-style cautionary tale where teen sex has the worst consequences imaginable and no male character misses a chance to label a girl a slut. Despite a frustrating lack of detail at the book's crucial moment, the omniscient narrator's description is frequently substituted for elements that should be shown through characters' actions.