 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Kendra
- By Coe Booth
- Genre: Coming of Age
Common Sense Media says
Sexual content needs discussion in urban coming-of-age read.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know the book features a 14-year-old who has oral and anal sex with a boy at school but still considers herself a virgin. Although she feels used by this boy (he's dating her best friend while fooling around with her), she is too "weak" to resist him and has sex "without even thinking." She drinks alcohol to please him and to relax. On the positive side, he uses condoms. There is also extensive cursing and two incidences of girls beating each other up.
What's the story?
Fourteen-year-old Kendra knows what happens to teens who have sex: They end up like her mother, pregnant as a high school freshman. Kendra's mom stays in school and continues to get her Ph.D. -- but only because Kendra's Nana raises her. Kendra is best friends with her aunt, Adonna, her dad's younger sister. Nana is overprotective, but even so, Kendra can't resist Nashawn, a hot older boy who is also dating Adonna. As their relationship heats up, Kendra really needs her mom to start acting like one.
Is it any good?
Teens will identify with Kendra's engaging first-person voice. She boasts a stereotypes-busting family, with a well-educated teen mom and a close relationship with her father, who pays regular child support. Nearly every chapter ends the same way, however, with Kendra let down by her mom. While this may be realistic, it grows tedious even for sympathetic readers who feel Kendra's pain of rejection.
For a self-described shy "good girl," Kendra's sudden jump to anal sex in the teachers lounge at school seems out of character, especially when she does it again despite feeling used. Her only explanation: "Why did I do this? I don't know." Readers will be glad when Kendra begins to accept her mother and her boyfriend on her own terms.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about their definitions of sex and virginity. Do oral sex and anal sex count as "sex"? Do these really carry fewer emotional attachments? What does it mean to make good choices in relationships? What do teens and parents agree on? What don't you agree on? What do teens think about Nashawn's statement, "When a girl like you lets a guy like me hit it, of course I'm gonna do it. You're hot."
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AGE
This is a great book for teen 14 and older. Because it talks about phases young teenage girls are going through. Yeah it has cursing, sex and alcohol but it happens with teens today. Most teens are getting pregnant at the age of 14 and they make nothing of themselves. ie. But I also understand that most teenagers are not as fortunate as Renee. But to make this short I highly recommend this book for Teenagers in High-school, even Adults
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| Author: | Coe Booth |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Coming of Age |
| Publisher: | Push |
| Publication date: | October 1, 2008 |
| Number of pages: | 292 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 14 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 14 |
| Read alone: | 14 |
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