“ME, HIM, THEM, AND IT,” by Caela Carter, Bloomsbury USA Children’s, Feb. 26, 2013, hardcover (ages 12 and up)
When Evelyn’s parents started ignoring her, she decides to get back at them. She works on earning a bad reputation, and does a good job of it, until the consequences hit her straight in the face.
Evelyn wasn’t planning on falling for Todd, the guy she was just using for sex. She wasn’t planning on messing up her valedictorian status (don’t let a bad reputation fool you). She definitely wasn’t planning on getting pregnant.
Todd doesn’t want anything to do with the baby. Evelyn’s mom is distant and her cheating father is trying way too hard — when he tries. Evelyn doesn’t know where to turn. So she goes the one place where no one will know but she can get some answers — Planned Parenthood.
With the help of a counselor at Planned Parenthood, Evelyn is able to tell her mom what’s going on. That sets in motion Evelyn’s move to her aunt’s home in another state and a series of decisions that will change Evelyn’s life forever.
Caela Carter’s “Me, Him, Them, and It” is one of those books that feels both foreign and familiar. I’ve never been pregnant. I didn’t even get married until I was 30. So the experiences of teen pregnancy are not something that I can relate to. What I did understand, however, were Evelyn’s fears. Caela does an excellent job of putting readers in Evelyn’s head. And though Evelyn’s immaturity and self-absorbed nature often drove me to distraction, I did find myself hoping for a positive outcome all around.
