“Without thinking, my hand moved onto my stomach. It didn’t feel any different.

But was that because I did want it to? Was it just a bit bigger? Rounder?”

Megan is such a captivating fictional novel from start to end. It is a relevant story to teenager’s life. It is a heart-wrenching story, which all starts with Megan a 15 year old who makes a dramatic discovery whilst in development class at school. She and her best friend, Claire had been passing notes and talking about boys. The class was talking about pregnancy, the pill and how it all works. The teacher had said something which made Megan pay attention. She was having all the signs of being pregnant. Megan’s head started spinning. No it couldn’t be, she thought. She’d broken up with Luke months ago. It couldn’t be true, could it?  She sat in despair, she was regretting the thought that if she was pregnant she would be 5 MONTHS. How was she going to tell Luke? What about her mum?  What is everyone going to think of Megan? Will she keep the baby? What about her holiday with Claire which they’d been planning ever since the start of this year?

The main characters in the book are Claire, Megan’s mum, Ellie, Susie and Aunty Lorna. This dilemma for the 15 year old teenager resulted in many difficulties between Megan, her best friend and especially her mum. Megan eventually was strong and brave enough to tell her ex boyfriend who was shocked but supportive with money and time. Megan however rejected Luke’s offer.

I really enjoyed this book because it was a touching, enjoyable story. Mary Hooper is an excellent author whose stories are easy to understand.  Her writing is very descriptive. You can understand and feel the emotion of the main character. One thing I especially liked about this story was that it didn’t end with a ‘happy ever after’ ending. It was different from every other book that I have read.  I would recommend this book to 13 – 16 year olds who like a fictional drama that involves confronting real life situations and consequences. I would rate this enjoyable novel a 4 out of 5.

Mariah, Year 9

…..

“Of course, it is possible to be pregnant and still have periods.”

Who knew that this sentence would change Megan’s life forever?

Megan was a normal 15-year old girl, preparing for her GCSE when one day, in her personal development class, her teacher’s passing comment made her worst nightmare apparent.  Megan had missed a few periods but had thought nothing of it until then. Megan finds out that she is five months pregnant. Important questions must be faced and decisions made. What will she do? Will she keep the baby? How will her ex-boyfriend react?  But more immediately, how will her strict mum react to this life changing accident?

The main characters of this book consist of Megan’s so-called best friend Claire, her ex-boyfriend Luke, her over-protective mother, her ‘perfect’ little sister Ellie, her Aunty Lorna and her social worker Susie. Megan’s mother’s reaction is scandalous because you would expect a mother to be more supportive; instead her reaction is what you least expect and, unlike some of the other characters, this attitude doesn’t change as Megan goes through this difficult time.

Megan is a heart-wrenching novel that is about a 15 year old girl that is pregnant. This story is about the decisions she makes on this life-changing journey. I would recommend this book to female readers from the age of 12 to 16 as this book discusses teen pregnancy in an informative way, revealing possible outcomes that come from unsafe decisions and it discusses real, common issues. I rate this book a four out of five stars as it was realistic and I was gripped by Megan’s difficult predicament.

Bethany, Year 9