Pregnant, scared and alone: a situation in which no girl wants to find herself, but many do. With the help of Kate Buckley's new book "Choices," these girls, and girls faced with other coming-of- age challenges, can find empowerment and a faith in themselves their culture doesn't provide. Fifteen-year-old Kara, a typical teen, thinks her parents' strict rules and controlling ways are "ludicrous" and oppressive. Kara makes an ill- fated choice one night when she rebels and sneaks out her bedroom window to see Jake Dodson, the town's star athlete. Jake's crowd moves in the fast lane, and before long, Kara gives in to peer pressure. After binge drinking at a party she is raped by the older, more experienced Jake. Weeks later, when a home pregnancy test turns up positive, Kara is terrified and blames herself.

iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595409266
Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) for Reader Views (8/07)

“Choices” is the story of a teenage girl, Kara, who wants to be more like other girls her age.  She wants to go out more often and go out at night, but her parents won’t let her. They are strict and give her an early curfew even though she is fifteen. Kara decides to sneak out her bedroom window to go to parties with Jake (a popular boy she meets at a basketball game).

Many difficult consequences result from Kara making this choice. After going out with Jake several times, Kara overdoes it with Jell-o shots at a party and ends up getting raped. She does not tell anyone what has happened until she discovers she is pregnant. Kara lives in Colorado where you must have a parent’s permission, if you are under eighteen, even to get birth control. 

After this happens, Kara blames herself for everything. She becomes depressed and hopeless. She thinks because she made bad decisions that she must suffer for them.  But as the story unfolds, Kara learns a lot, and she grows.

I really enjoyed reading this book and it taught me some very good lessons. One of those lessons is that your parents tell you “no” because they want to protect you in every way possible. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way to understand why your parents are the way they are.

Anything can happen to anyone, at any time. But, if something happens to you, it is not always your fault. Sometimes you are a victim, and sometimes, just talking about it and getting your feelings out can help you begin to feel better. 

“Choices” is a must read for everyone! We can all relate to something in this story. Great job, Kate!