Book Of The Week #4- Anything But Normal

Anything But Normal

by Melody Carlson

    Anything But Normal is the story of seventeen-year-old Sophie Ramsey who finds herself pregnant at the beginning of her senior year of high school.

   Sophie has always been a good kid. She's been a faithful member of her church even though she doesn't get much encouragement from her less than involved parents and has even taken a purity pledge. Very smart and a good journalist, Sophie has a bright future ahead of her. Her journalism teacher even invites her to be head over the school newspaper during senior year, something she'd always dreamed of. But Sophie never felt like she fit in. She's always carried extra weight and never felt good about her appearance compared to her friends. Humor is her weapon against other's teasing and she always makes jokes at her own expense. So imagine her surprise when a good looking guy asks her out at church camp, the guy her best friend has been in love with her whole life, no less. As school begins and Sophie keeps feeling sick, she eventually gets some life changing news.

    This is one of my favorites from Melody Carlson. I've read it a few times and I just never seem to tire of it. It's a little different from most of her other young adult novels, mainly because it's written in third person rather than first person. I think the change in style turned out really well.

     Melody Carlson dealt with a delicate issue in a tasteful, yet real way. Asking questions I'm sure many of us wonder, such as why it's ok for a teenager to have an abortion without the consent of an adult when they can't even get aspirin for a headache from the school nurse. She described what it's really like when you're a pregnant teen. It isn't easy. And she also showed the churches reaction, which wasn't very Christ-like, but something that is sadly accurate in a lot of cases. 

    This book isn't advocating teen pregnancy, nor was it written to make teen mom's feel bad. It shows the struggles teen girls go through when they become pregnant, the judgment cast toward them and the tough decisions to be made, but the ultimate message is that you're never too far gone in God's eyes. There's always hope in Lord. All in all, it's a great read that many teen girls will enjoy.

I give this book a 5 out of 5