sloppy firsts

sloppy firsts
Megan McCafferty
Three Rivers Press
2001
New York
ISBN: 0609807900

Book Summary:
When her best friend moves far away, Jessica Darling is left adrift in a high school where she was already on the fringe. Taking solace in her track meets, midnight runs, and massive correspondences to her long lost friend, Jessica tries to work herself out...but things just keep getting in the way: her insomnia, her parents, the unreadable new girl from Manhattan, the stuck-up posse of her former friends. And there that's burnout Marcus Flutie; who is he really and why won't he leave her alone?
Critical Evaluation:
sloppy firsts is a consistent read, utterly entrenched in the voice and character of Jessica. The tale is primarily expressed via Jessica's journal, interspersed with letter's to Hope at chapter/journal ends. This consistency produces an accurate immersion into Jessica's thoughts and anxieties. It does make for a sometimes exhausting and long-winded read however. The total absence of Hope, the constant figure of Jessica's longing and heartbreak, further adds to the feeling of extendedness; leading, perhaps paradoxically, into a longing for her to just hook up with Marcus and stop whining.
Reader's Annotation:
Running is something Jessica can't stop doing--it's in her blood and her spirit. But is she running towards something or away from it?
Author Info:
sloppy firsts was Megan McCafferty's first novel, winning the ALA Top 10 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, an ALA Popular Paperback, and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. She has continued the story of Jessica Darling, and has recently completed the fifth book in the series. In addition, McCafferty's writings have been included in fiction and non-fiction anthologies.
Genre:
Romance/ YA fiction/ coming-of-age
Booktalking Ideas:
*Is Jessica's insomnia stemming from evidently very over-active brain?
*Does Hope's near-total absence account for the hole that Jessica feels in her heart? Or, might it be caused by other anxieties?
*Is Marcus Flutie a bad example for Jessica? Or the closest thing to a soul mate she's going to find after Hope?
Reader Level/ Interest Age:
Teen readers.
Challenges:
Book includes much talk of drug use (primarily marijuana), and teenage sex. The central character engages in neither however, so challenges likely minimal. Further, the drug use is heavily condemned in narrative.
Why Include:
Book was cited on a "best recent romantic fiction" public library YA site.