Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

Gr 10 Up—While in bed with a boy, April, 16, wakes up to her cell phone ringing. She's busted as she hears her dad say, "We're almost to your place." Her father and his wife moved to Cleveland, allowing April to stay in Connecticut to finish her junior year. Supposedly she is staying with her friend, Vi, and her mother; however, Vi's mother is working on Broadway, leaving the girls alone. The teens create fake email addresses for the parents, who never meet, to communicate. This is only the beginning of the shenanigans. While alone, the girls spend money frivolously, have wild parties with alcohol, and lose their virginity. While their behavior might be typical of irresponsible teens who lack parental supervision, the adults in this novel are portrayed as beyond naïve. The author makes a case for teens using birth control before having sex, and no one drinks and drives, but other bad choices are made while under the influence. Mlynowski has made an attempt to explain April's behavior by relaying short flashbacks. At times they interrupt the flow of the story. At the end of the novel, readers hope that the protagonist has grown from her experiences, but it is hard to tell how much she has been influenced. While adults may cringe, teens will be engrossed.—Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI