Dancing Naked

by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Overview

Kia is sixteen and pregnant. Her world crumbles as she attempts to come to terms with the life growing inside her and what she must do. Initially convinced that abortion is her only option, Kia comes to understand that for her, the answers are not always black and white. As the pregnancy progresses, Kia discovers who her real friends are and where their loyalties lie. It is through her relationship with the elderly Grace that she learns what it means to take responsibility for one's life and the joy that can come from trusting oneself. Faced with the most difficult decision of her life, Kia learns that the path to adulthood is not the easily navigable trail she once thought, but a twisting labyrinth where every turn produces a new array of choices, and where the journey is often undertaken alone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554695980
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Lexile:	560L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Shelley Hrdlitschka has written many novels for teens, including Sister Wife, which was nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award. She lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia, where she hikes, snowshoes and hangs out with grizzly bears at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife. For more information, visit www.shelleyhrdlitschka.ca.

Read an Excerpt

"I think I'm pregnant."

Derek stared at her, stunned. She stared back.

He finally found his voice. "You say you think. You don't know for sure?"

"I'm almost three weeks late."

"That's it?” Derek brushed by her. "I hear my sisters talking all the time. That's no big deal."

"It's a big deal for me."

Editorial Reviews

Gr 8 Up-A heart-wrenching story about 16-year-old Kia, whose life is about to change forever as she learns she is pregnant. She must then confront not only her own fears but also the feelings of her parents and her friends from her church youth group. She is talked into going for an abortion by her irresponsible boyfriend, but quickly realizes that pressure is not a reason to end a life. The story takes readers through her pregnancy, week-by-week, through third-person narrative and e-mails between Kia and her good friend and youth counselor, Justin. She becomes predictably attracted to this 23-year-old young man, but he is gay, and she must come to terms with the fact that they will never materialize into a couple and raise her baby, which Kia often dreams about. Throughout the book, the teen matures and begins to understand that giving birth and raising a baby are two different things. She struggles with the decision of whether to keep the baby or to choose loving parents who can give the infant a life it deserves. In the end, she is able to make the choice that best suits her and provides her child with options. The story is similar in scope to Marilyn Reynolds's Detour for Emmy (Morning Glory, 1993) and Beatrice Sparks's Annie's Baby: The Diary of Anonymous, a Pregnant Teenager (Avon, 1998), complete with the unsupportive boyfriend who does not understand and is in denial, and the family members who try to be supportive. It's thought-provoking and competently done.-Nicole M. Marcuccilli, Glenview Public Library, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

"Exhibits a marked development in the author's style and exploration of character."

Children's Book News

"The subject matter, plus strong writing and plotting, invites recreational reading; also consider this for curriculum support."

Booklist

"The subject matter, plus strong writing and plotting, invites recreational reading; also consider this for curriculum support."

Booklist