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Standing on Neptune

Sherrard, Valerie. (Author).

Am I pregnant? This question shatters the peace of seventeen-year-old Brooke Palinder's life one Monday morning when she realizes her period is late. Although shaken, she is determined to hide her feelings and go about her daily routine as though nothing is wrong. Brooke's boyfriend Ryan handles the news poorly and is unable to offer Brooke much in the way of support. Yet, in spite of a growing sense of isolation, she cannot bring herself to confide in anyone else, not even her best friend. In an effort to distract herself, Brooke throws herself into a school project about Neptune, which leads her to some startling discoveries and a surprising sense of connection to the distant planet. In fractured vignettes, Brooke begins to examine her life from a new perspective, but by Saturday, she knows she must face the answer to the question that began her week.

Book  - 2023
FIC Sherr
1 copy / 0 on hold

Available Copies by Location

Location
Victoria Available
  • ISBN: 9781770866874 (pbk.)
  • Physical Description 142 pages ; 21 cm

Additional Information

Syndetic Solutions - Kirkus Review for ISBN Number 9781770866874
Standing on Neptune
Standing on Neptune
by Sherrard, Valerie
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Kirkus Review

Standing on Neptune

Kirkus Reviews


Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A possible pregnancy and the details of daily life fill a teenage girl's mind. As a new school week begins, 17-year-old Brooke Morgan Wells realizes that her period is five days late. Though fear and a barrage of questions flood her mind, she moves through the week as though everything is outwardly normal, attending classes, celebrating a family birthday, and completing a science project about Neptune. Neptune serves as a personal symbol for her own feelings of isolation and the latent mysteries contained within her body. The crux of this novel in verse is the ceaselessness of Brooke's inner monologue that integrates her thoughts about her family roles as a child of divorce who navigates life with stepparents and as a caring older sister. She also reflects on her increasingly tenuous relationship with her boyfriend, Ryan, and the existential realities of the potential state of pregnancy. By situating the story in this weeklong moment of suspense, Sherrard focuses affectingly on the intricacy of a teenager's scattered yet profound internal emotional experience rather than delving into the practical choices and social implications she may soon face. Characters lack physical descriptions and are racially indeterminate. A tender, intense story capturing the vast scope of a young adult's interior universe. (Verse fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.