Unexpected Development

By Marlene Perez

Book Overview

""I'm not sure you really want to get into what I did this summer, Mrs. Westland. Sex. Sex is how I spent my summer vacation."" Megan knows twenty different words for "breasts," and can recite them alphabetically-but she can't remember the last time a guy looked her in the eye first, not the chest Size matters, as Megan found out in the 5 th grade, when she developed the largest breasts in the class. Now she's 17 and wearing her twin brothers' baggy sweatshirts can't hide the fact-two facts, really. When her summer job at Pancake Palace puts her in close touch with Jake, who smells like "temptation and Ivory soap," Megan wonders if he can like her for herself, not just her body. Can lusty, busty Megan learn to trust Jake -and herself? Megan tells about her summer of sex in somewhat poignant and very funny journal entries to her favorite teacher.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596430060
• ISBN13: 9781596430068
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

A summer of love and growing up ...

Megan is a funny, insightful girl who can rattle off a couple dozen slang terms for "breasts" because she's heard them all, over and over, well before she started high school. Now she's about to be a senior in a small Iowa town and her long-term crush, Jake, seems to be crushing right back to her. Most guys don't look above Megan's chest, but Jake actually looks in her eyes. Still, she wonders about his motivations. I love the small Midwestern town setting of this novel and how a restaurant called the Pancake Palace is the center of high cuisine. This novel has the perfect blend of wit and angst for me. If you like books by Carolyn Mackler, Rachel Cohn, and Sarah Dessen, then you'll love this!

Refreshing*

This book has to be one of the best books I've read in a long time. Not only is it refreshing but it adds a new dimension to the whole writing scheme. It is the typical teen romance story but it has not been done this tenderly in quite some time. It was like a breath of fresh air for myself. Being an avid reader and a teenaged girl I recommend this one to any! I can't wait until Marlene Perez comes out with another. I wouldn't even mind a sequal as cheesy as they are!

Refreshing!

The narrator promises in the first few paragraphs that this is a book about sex, which it isn't really (it's about much more). But it IS a funny, franky, and refreshingly honest look at teenagers, and teen sexuality. Recommended!

Simply Fabulous...

Megan is an overly-voluptuous girl, especially in the chest area. In Unexpected Development, Megan narrates her summer vacation in an assignment for Honors English. Readers learn from Megan that being top-heavy is not exactly ideal - she recounts the verbal and sexual harassments she endures from various males in her life - especially an obnoxious boy who can't seem to leave her alone, and not to mention her boss, Mr. Cooper, who is just a creepy pervert. Megan also explores her true first love - and all the things that come along with it, including sex. She is not sure if she can trust Jake Darrow, the boy she has been crushing on for years, and who is now just starting to show interest in her. Does he like her for who she is or just her body? Megan endures her summer vacation with her best friend Jilly, who seems like the perfect best friend - always quick to come to Megan's defense and fiercely loyal. Megan also contemplates getting breast reduction surgery. All in all, Unexpected Development is a fabulous novel, especially for teen girls. It really clears up some myths that most teen girls are deceived by - namely, that having large breasts is not all glamour and glitz. Megan addresses these issues honestly and poignantly. Megan's relationship with Jake is also very interesting. Perez has a wonderful writing voice. It actually seemed like a teenager was writing this book - it is just so authentic. Unexpected Development is a fantastic coming-of-age novel that explores body perception, boys, friends, and love. I highly recommend this book to teen girls looking for an engaging book to read.

A Very Fun Read

The main character is a well-developed (pun intended) teenage waitress. She learns to love herself over the course of an event-filled summer, and we readers come to love her too. The book contains thought-provoking issues of body image, sex, friendship, and love. And it's funny, romantic, and fast-paced. I reccomend it highly.