Anderson, L.(2005).Prom. New York: Penguin Group.
Book Summary
Eighteen year old Ash’s goal at this point is to graduate high school. She is going through a stressful period and is determined to overcome all the obstacles standing in her way. She has detentions and unpaid library fines on her record that prevent her from participating in senior activities. She is not interested in going to the prom and is determined to avoid it at all costs. But when all the prom money is stolen by the math teacher, Ash is somehow sucked into helping her friend Nat rescue the prom. Through hard work, ingenuity, careful planning and determination, Ash salvages the prom.
My Impression
Ashley is a typical teen girl going through issues that are not uncommon to girls her own age. She is struggling to finish high school and cannot see beyond this to college. Her main goal is to graduate high school and move out of her parent’s home. She comes from a dysfunctional family and is embarrassed by her mother’s pregnancy. Her best friend is a complete opposite of her, yet they get along fine and look out for each other. Her boyfriend is a high school dropout, though this is not typical of all teenage relationships. Ashley has so much to do both at home and at school to maintain a balance in her life. Her character is well developed and stands out from the rest of the characters. The fact that she is not interested in prom makes the reader take notice. The author blends in various interesting scenes into the story. Some of the characters, such as Nat’s ravioli loving grandmother, make the story interesting. Ash’s mother and aunts add some energy to the story. The book is fast paced. Some chapters are very short, one sentence or a few words. Ash sounds exactly like a high school teenager. The problems she is going through are not unusual for high school kids. Kids thirteen years and up would enjoy reading this book.
Reviews
School Library Journal:
Gr 8 Up –Ashley is (in her own words) normal–a senior from a lower-middle-class family, dating a high school dropout, and gearing up for graduation but with no plans for college. But when the new math teacher steals the prom money, Ashley–who swears she doesn't care–finds herself sucked into turning nothing into the best prom ever because it means the world to her best friend, Nat. This is a light, fast read, with "chapters" that range from one line to five pages and a narrative voice that is only a little smarter than it should be. Some secondary characters–Ashley's mother and Nat's grandmother–jump off the pages; unfortunately, the teens do not fare as well. Boyfriend TJ is a stereotypical tough boy, and Ash and Nat's other friends are there mostly as filler. But the first-person narration and the essentially personal nature of the story–Ashley finally comes into her own and proves herself successful at something other than garnering undeserved detentions–makes this a flaw that readers will overlook. In fact, the major flaw is that it's hard to believe Ashley is as bad a kid as she might have you believe. But teens are notorious for making petty misbehavior sound bigger and badder, so this could be read as further proof of just how normal she is. Those looking for another Speak (Farrar, 1999) may be disappointed, but this book will delight readers who want their realism tempered with fun.–Karyn N. Silverman, Elizabeth Irwin High School, New York City --Karyn N. Silverman (Reviewed February 1, 2005) (School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 2, p132)
Use in a Library Setting
Use in prom themed display.Examples of books to include in the display: Prom Kings and Drama Queens by Dorian Cirrone, Prom Anonymous by Blake Nelson and 24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley.
References:
Book image from Barnes & Noble at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Prom/Laurie-Halse-Anderson/e/9781616864354/?itm=1&USRI=prom