DOORMAT

In a slight twist on the teen pregnancy story, it’s not freshman Jaime who’s pregnant, but her best friend, Melissa. Why should Jaime care so much when the girl who’s having the baby is sometimes more distressed about her ruined chances of a modeling career than telling her parents? Because Jaime, as the title suggests, is a doormat, ready to let the world, especially Melissa and her divorced parents, walk all over her. When she scores a part in the school play; discovers Zach is interested in her, not Melissa; and befriends Alyssa, a girl from the opposite social clique, Jaime begins to put her own needs first. Although the story’s resolution comes too quickly and characters take on stereotypical or implausible roles (e.g., the health teacher who openly advocates abortion in the classroom), first-time novelist McWilliams reflects on the grim realities of teen pregnancy without being too preachy and has a knack for capturing teen style and voice—perhaps because she is one herself. (Fiction. YA)