The Lit Report (Young Adult Novels)

With the help of some famous first lines, Julia tells the story of her best friend Ruth's pregnancy, from the confession that Ruth "did it" at a party to the summer that Ruth gives birth to a baby girl, all while keeping the pregnancy a secret. Julia is a planner and a researcher, and as a devoted best friend, she does everything she can to help the sometimes volatile Ruth make it through their junior year of high school without anyone, particularly her Bible-thumping parents, know that she's pregnant. It helps that Julia's stepmother is also giving birth during the year, with the assistance of a midwife. As the year quickly goes by, Ruth and Julia begin to change, each adapting new roles that neither girl ever planned.

This is one of show more those strange novels that has an awesome main character - Julia is well-developed, clever, and funny - and a somewhat mediocre plot. Ruth's pregnancy is treated somewhat lightly, though there are several spots where the author seems to warn readers that it's probably not a good idea to help your teenage friend give birth without the aid of a trained doctor or any sort of medical facility. This point just doesn't ever sink in. The story also deals with post-partum depression, probably an uncommon element in young adult novels. It was nice to see this issue brought up. It was hard to understand why Ruth and Julia were friends, considering Ruth was downright abusive during most of the story. I also lost track of several other plot elements, such as Julia losing a ton of weight, the romance between Julia and Ruth's brother, or the developing relationship between Julia and her stepmother. Parts of the story work very well, but other pieces are just garbled; for example, Julia's mother just doesn't seem to be the same character as she was at the start of the book (I get that Julia gains appreciation for her mother's strength). The characters are also very anti-Christian, which I imagine could turn off a lot of readers. However, the story-telling device of using first-lines is a great one.

I'm curious to see more from this author, because it's a well-written story and can be enjoyable. I'd just like to see it tidied up a bit more. This reminded me a lot of Chris Crutcher's books. show less

Full review:

http://readingthroughlife.ca/the-lit-report-review/

Short excerpt:

This book just got better as it went along. There were still frequent mentions of the Christianity that so nearly scared me away from The Lit Report in the beginning, but Julia uses them mostly to characterize people or to point out the ways in which people are “real” Christians – meaning that they are accepting and positive – or to make fun of people or ways that people show their faith that don’t seem as honest or good. Julia tells it all with a kind of charm that I can’t quite describe – something a little irreverent, but also very serious and “good girl”-like.

Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com

Julia and Ruth have been friends since they met in Sunday school at the age of four. They have been inseparable ever since. They attend a Christian school. Julia's mother is all about God. Her father, a neonatal nurse, remarried Miki, a pediatrician. Ruth's father is "Pastor Pete."

One day, Ruth doesn't show up at school, making Julia somewhat unhappy. After school, Julia calls Ruth after getting a a bunch of "CALL ME NOW" text messages. Ruth confesses that she had sex at a party and is now pregnant.

Julia comes up with a plan that will help conceal the pregnancy from everyone. And they will leave the baby on the steps of Ruth's father's church after it is born.

Will the plan work out, or will Ruth show more decide she wants to keep the baby?

THE LIT REPORT was really good. The way Julia and Ruth spoke to each other was so real. I really liked the storyline, as well. I've never read a book where the girl is hiding her pregnancy from everyone except her best friend. Julia was a strong and smart character. I disliked Ruth somewhat for the way she treated her best friend; Julia was helping her and she didn't appreciate it.

But I think anyone could enjoy this book. show less

Julia and Ruth had been best friends since they were four, Julia being a pragmatic list-maker and Ruth being an outrageous, fun-loving big mouth. When Ruth becomes pregnant, Julia goes into planning-overdrive - a beloved "research project" for neonatal care, delivering the baby, and putting the baby up for adoption without anyone being the wiser, most especially Ruth's parents - an evangelical preacher and his wife. But the moment the baby arrives, all of Julia's plans are smashed; Ruth wants to keep the baby, despite the certain wrath of her parents. Suddenly Julia's dreams for her and Ruth's future have been destroyed by a 7 pound female who regularly poops herself.

Sarah N. Harvey has presented a witty, lovely and wonderful story of show more friendship between two teenage girls. Despite the odds against Ruth and Julia, a reader finds herself believing that these two are unstoppable. However, those wanting a more hard-hitting and realistic novel about teen pregnancy might best look elsewhere; while Ruth might struggle against the judgment of her parents, she ultimately has support that many teen mothers might envy (homeschooling and free room and board in exchange for being a live-in nanny). Moreover, Julia's own development as a character appears clunky; we know that she has a weight problem at the beginning of the novel, that she sticks to a dieting regimen in support of Ruth, and then suddenly she's become skinnier, "wearing stilettos and a denim micro-mini with a pink satin camisole" (pp. 99-100). The focus on body image is inconsistent and Julia's transition from controlling list-maker to a less-compulsive and more indecisive woman appears a little disorganized. However, for those who enjoy their Chick Lit with a sarcastic and literary punch, The Lit Report is highly recommended. show less

I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist is sarcastic and grumpy in the most charming way. Her pregnant best friend also has a distinctive voice throughout; neither are flat characters in any way. They live and breathe, and as Julia tells her far-fetched tale, you find yourself rooting for them. The plot device never crosses the line into a realistic situation, but it is less the focus of the story than one would think. I found Julia's romance with Ruth's brother completely charming, and Ruth's adoration of her child lovely. Overall, a very enjoyable and quick read. Recommended.

The Lit Report is told from the perspective of Julia, a high school student who thinks she knows exactly what her future is going to hold. When her best friend Ruth ends up pregnant, Julia does what she does best – she comes up with a plan. She thinks she and Ruth can keep anyone else from finding out about the pregnancy, and that they can get through this without messing up Julia's plans for the future... but things don't turn out quite the way she intended.

The best thing about this book is the main character's voice. Julia is intelligent and funny, and her narration pulled me into the story from the first page. The characters and their environment were described vividly enough that I could easily imagine them as real people and show more places. Julia also weaves in thoughts about books she's read, and each chapter starts with the opening lines of a classic, but this aspect of the book seemed kind of tacked on; the books, and Julia's appetite for them, didn't connect very much to the rest of the plot. The ending was another thing I had a slight problem with; the book seemed to peter out near the end, without much of a climax and without some important issues being fully explored – namely, the fact that being a mother is hard and being a single teenage mother is even harder. Overall, though, I enjoyed reading this book. show less

When Julia's best friend Ruth gets pregnant, they concoct a plan to keep the pregnancy secret, but things go hilariously amok. This was a fun, quick read. Julia and Ruth are amusing characters, and while Julia's plan to deliver Ruth's baby herself is truly frightening, the friendship between the girls is lovely to watch. The relationships were nicely done - Julia and Ruth's, Julia and her mothers, and Julia and Boone - there is a sweetness to all these that I found endearing. Ruth is a constant observer, noting down her thoughts on the books she reads, the people around her, and wryly describes events that do and do not go to plan.
I had a few problems, the biggest being the plan to deliver Ruth's baby in secret - this is a horrifically show more dangerous idea, for both Ruth and the baby, and I was scared by how lightly it was treated by everyone involved. It didn't seem realistic to me that everyone the finally told would take it so calmly. Also, I couldn't quite fit Julia's weight loss into the rest of the story.
I really appreciated the contrasting religious characters, Ruth's pastor father with his nasty condemning attitude and Julia's religious mother who acts with compassion and kindness without a hint of judgement.
I'd give this to readers interesting in realistic fiction, romance, or funny stories. It might also be a good one for getting a reluctant reader interested in classic fiction. show less