Friday, May 30, 2014

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson




Mosey Slocum is one of the most engaging young narrators I've encountered in recent years.  She, her mother, and her grandmother share narration of this novel which is part mystery, part coming of age story, and part family drama.

Mosey has turned 15 and spends a great deal of her free time taking home pregnancy tests despite the fact that she is a virgin.  Both her mother and her grandmother became pregnant and 15, and she's afraid that the family curse will carry on to her.  This is the greatest stress in her life until the body of an infant is uncovered in her back yard.

As Mosey investigates this mystery, her mother and grandmother fight to protect her and secrets from the past better left uncovered.

This is an engrossing, funny, and heart-warming tale.  I highly recommend it for both young adults and adults.