BOOKS: THE FIRST PART LAST - Young Adult

"Powerful reading & discussion for teens..."

THE FIRST PART LAST
by Angela Johnson
(Simon & Schuster, 2003)

Coretta Scott King Award 2004
Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Award 2004

"Bobby's a classic urban teenager. He's restless. He's impulsive. But the thing that makes him different is this: He's going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time with friends, they'll be spending time with doctors, and, next, diapers. They have options: keeping the baby, adoption. They want to do the right thing. If only it was clear what the right thing was."

Talk about your hot-button topics: teenage pregnancy, premarital sex (implied, although not mentioned other than the end result and consequences), street language and juvenile delinquency, woo hoo! Quite the first selection for a Middle School Book Group, but I was determined to let the kids choose their own books from appropriate children's and young adult book award lists. Angela Johnson is a multiple award winner and honoree of The Coretta Scott King Award. THE FIRST PART LAST won that award in 2004, as well as the 2004 Printz Award, another highly-regarded list for middle school literature.

I knew this author would engage certain of the girls on my 7th Grade Book Group, and it did, more than I could have hoped: One girl in particular, who we'll call Q, started reading as soon as she found the book in our Media Center Treasure Hunt (subtle match-making on my part) -- she couldn't put it down. It was truly a "Magic Moment" to see that instant connection of The Right Book with a previously less-than-enthusiastic reader. Q's enthusiasm interested the other kids to choose THE FIRST PART LAST as one of our book group selections. I have seen this book work magic with Q and with a majority of the other 7th graders in book group, boys and girls.

They thought Bobby was "cool" and a good kid, even though he had messed up. They could relate to him, and they respected him for doing the right thing when things with Nia and the baby went horribly wrong and he became a single father, without much encouragement or support from his or Nia's parents.

THE FIRST PART LAST is an amazing story, told from the viewpoint of a 16-year-old boy, abruptly taking on the responsibilities of a man.

Also see: THE FIRST PART LAST Book Group Discussion Questions