Cherry, Money, Baby
Spunky narrator breathes life into teen-lured-by-celeb plot.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Cherry, Money, Baby includes mature material, including lots of swearing, partying with alcohol and more, and sex between teens, which one time results in an unplanned pregnancy. One of the plot points is about a celebrity who asks a teen -- Cherry -- to carry her baby. The protagonist is a mouthy and impulsive girl who gets grounded and suspended from school, among other things, though she's ultimately shown to be a girl with a good heart. She looks after her friends and family, and learns to create a life for herself on her own terms.
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What's the Story?
Mouthy, impulsive Cherry lives in a trailer park with her dad and brother -- and next door her fiance, Lucas, a gentle artist who works with his dad as a janitor at her high school. When she saves the life of a celebrity in town to make a film, she suddenly has a new, unexpected friend. Charming Ardelia exposes Cherry to a glamorous, upper-crust lifestyle -- and presents her with a life-changing opportunity: She can make a quarter of a million dollars by renting out her womb and carrying Ardelia's baby.
Is It Any Good?
Let's get the obvious out of the way: CHERRY, MONEY, BABY is rather long, and readers may have a hard time knowing exactly what this story is about. The womb-renting proposal doesn't happen until nearly the 300th page. Also, it will take really careful readers to figure out how Cherry actually changes in the end. But teens will enjoy the ride anyway. The unusual narrator will keep them turning pages, trying to figure out just what Cherry is going to do -- or say! -- next. Plus, it's easy to get caught up in the chaos of the young celebrity parties Cherry gets to attend at Ardelia's side -- one of which takes place at an old English manor, complete with partygoers arriving by helicopter.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about class. Here, Cherry's family is struggling, while Ardelia was born rich -- and has only gotten richer. What challenges does this difference present?
Can you think of other books and movies about class? Is this something we talk about enough -- or correctly -- in our society?
Is it fair for Ardelia to use her money to pay for another woman to carry her child? Or is this situation inherently exploitive?
Book Details
- Author: John Cusick
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Publication date: September 10, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 17
- Number of pages: 400
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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