Baby Love by Jacqueline Wilson
Illustrated by Rachael Dean
Published by Penguin
JACQUELINE Wilson is the kind of author you can come back to after years and be drawn in once again by each story. She writes for young people of a variety of ages with some for those around seven or eight and others, like this one, aimed more toward older readers in their teens.
Despite being set in the 1960s, the setting is handled in such a way that it’s easy to become immersed in protagonist Laura’s world, and despite differences in her education, home made every-day life, the way she’s written shows that many of the experiences of being a 14-year-old girl remain the same no matter the time period.
Part of what makes this so compelling is that it is not all big moments for the plot and you truly grow to care about the main character through the more every-day moments of life dealing with family, friends and growing up.
It’s 1959 and Laura is 14. She has secured a scholarship to go to school despite her family’s financial troubles, and as her story starts she’s lived a mostly sheltered life, loving her parents but unable to talk to them about a lot of things.
Her life begins to change when Nina, the rich and popular girl in her class, has an argument with her best friend Patsy and chooses Laura to be her new friend. At first it’s amazing and she’s grateful to have someone her own age to spend time with, even more so when she starts having more and more dinners at Nina’s house, playing games with her younger brother Richard and developing a crush on her older brother Daniel. This seems like the family she’s meant to be in.
However, the envy she has for Nina’s family begins to change her attitude at home, sparking small but growing conflicts with her mum. None of this means much, however, until one of her summer outings with Nina goes wrong.
On a trip to the local lido, Laura and Nina meet two young French men and pretend to them that they’re 16 and after getting in an argument with Nina, she decides to walk home with one of them named Leon. At first she likes being around him, but due to their language barrier with him speaking very little English, and the lack of available education on sexual consent – especially with Laura’s loving but rarely open parents – they have an encounter that leaves her feeling confused and ashamed.
Laura does everything she can to forget this but upon discovering she’s pregnant she must learn to move past the shame placed on her for something she was never taught how to navigate and find people who will support her.
While this book is set in the past and overall attitudes are better today it is important to see these stories represented. Conversations about sexual consent, pregnancy and the options surrounding it are vital. Jacqueline Wilson is a writer who will always stand out for her ability to discuss the sensitive topics young people need to hear about with warmth, understanding and honesty.
