I know that many parents may have objections with this book, but as a teen -- and having read it myself -- I think it portrays love and sex in a realistic light. Katherine and Michael have a real relationship going on. They didn't just meet and hook up, but they met, fell for each other, took the time to get to know one another, and then took the time to make the decision that they were ready to take the next step and add sex into their relationship. Blume wrote a story that very much said: Teenagers are going to have sex no matter what parents want and think, but instead of going on and on about abstinence, we should be telling them to wait until they are in a relationship they can enough about and not just a random hook up. She also shows that you should be prepared with birth control or other means of protection. Overall this book has a good message about what love is and how you should take responsibility is you want to take that nest step in the relationship. Definitely a book for thirteen and up, maybe 12 is they are mature enough to handle it.

it's a great book & an easy way to escape the awkward 'sex talk' with your child. i had to research a banned/challenged book and i chose this book and anyone can understand why its challenged but the people that do challenge it focus on the negative and dont look at the benefits some people can get out of this intriguing book. for one its very educational and it can help a lot of girls go through their first sexual relationship. all in all its a great book and i would recommend it to anyone OVER 14 years old

i think that most children in this era know about sex but some concerns need to be shown also. under 15 should not read this I THOUGHT JUDY BLUME WAS A CHILDRENS' AUTHOR

Okay, well I'm 15 years old, and I read this book when I was 14. I loved the book! It is a fairly sexual book, so if you're under 14, I wouldn't recommend reading it just yet. The message in this book is positive, talking about the consequences that come with sex instead of making seem like and easy thing, which it isn't. This book almost, to me, gives off the vibe of when a parent is giving their kid "the talk" because there is some talk about that. Overall: Amazing book, but not for tweens.

love it. sex isnt anything a 12 or 13 year old doesnt know about.and to tell you the truth,im not a virgin and neither is my best friend. i feel that this book helped me through that situation. i loved how she got birth control in it, because manyof the books dont have that written in it and it was interesting to read. GREAT BOOK!

I read this when I was Ten. You have to be quite mature to read this book, it actually teaches you alot. Its a very interesting book. I recomend reading it, at some point.

Obviously this is a book about sex but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. I read in 8th grade which I know is a little too young but I still liked it. It showed sex in a different light than the way the media shows relationships. If you are afraid of the sexual content in the book at least your daughter will know how to make the right decision about approaching sex. Honestly its either learn about loving relationships in this book or watch people hook up on jersey shore and other teen girls getting pregnant. Both Katherine and Michael want to be safe and take precautions. They also know that it is right because they love each other.