Planet Pregnancy

Planet Pregnancy
Author: Linda Oatman High
Frontstreet Publishers 2008
ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-584-3

Plot Summary: The book opens with Sahara taking a pregnancy test. She is pregnant. She decides not to tell Dustin her ex boyfriend. At first she doesn't tell anyone. She is miserable over the idea of being a mother. She is afraid. Oatman High writes the book in free verse. The book follows Sahara through a range of emotions as she grows and the baby grows. She feels fat and that her body is foreign to her, she feels as though she lost herself, and will never be the same.

Then she gains a new perspective, she starts to love the baby inside her. She wants to stay connected to her great grandmother even though they never met, just so that she has a link to her baby's ancestry. She feels her feelings change and she claims she loves he human growing inside her regardless.

The book ends with Sahara having the baby. She explains the immense pain of labor and the immense response one has to having a baby. She is in love. She is proud, and her mother comes to see the baby. She names the baby Grace.

Critical Analysis: The Free verse operates as a stream of consciousness. Oatman writes honestly and openly about the the transformation Sahara endures. Sahara falls in love with her baby but realizes she will never be the same, she knows now she is a mother and life will be different. Oatman High does a beautiful job of capturing the pain, happiness and love one feels when they have a child, but also she does not glorify the pregnancy experience for teens. She does well to show a girl accepting all the difficulty aspects of having a baby, alone, and then how she raises a baby.

Annotation: Sahara is pregnant. Oatman writes a book all in free verse about Sahara's journey and how her body and mind change drastically as a result of her having a baby.

Author Information Lancaster County: Oatman High is an author of books for children and young adults; she is also a playwright, and poet. She won the Lee Bennet Hopkins Poetry Award, and Barn Savers, an NCTE Notable Book and Booklist Best Book. She lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Genre: YA chick lit

Curriculum Ties: Health and Family Living, English: Poetry

Booktalk Ideas:
1.) What do you think Sahara should hve done; tell Dustin or not?
2)Why do you think her mom is trying so desperately to be perfect?
3.) Do you think Sahara will be a good mother given her circumstances

Reading Level/ Interest Age: 15 and Up

Challenge Issues: Teenage Pregnancy

Defense: I would encourage adults to read it if they haven't. I would point out the honesty of the book and how it isn't advocating teen pregnancy, but it does give an honest account.
In addition, I would explain policies for selection for San Diego County Libraries:

http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf
If after my working to convince the patron, they still were not satisfied and wanted to file a grievance, I would provide the needed paper work and then it would go to the “Challenged Materials” team for San Diego County and then onward until there is resolution: http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf

Reasons for selection: I feel it is important to give a voice to the uncomfortable things in life. This book is an honest account and it is important to show teens the experience behind teen pregnancy.