Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Belinda is known for her blond hair and is one of the sweetest people Laura has ever met.

Baby Love - Jacqueline Wilson - Google Books Baby Love - Jacqueline Wilson - Google Books

year-old Laura comes from a proud working-class family. Young for her age, Laura hasn’t had any experience of boys until she befriends glamorous, wealthy Nina, the daughter of two doctors. Laura is incredibly flattered by Nina’s attention, but aware she lives in what’s known as the “Shanty Town”, while Nina has everything she could possibly wish for, and kissing experience to boot. The dynamics between the two girls is incredibly realistic, perfectly capturing the differences between them. An emotional and moving tale for fans of Dear Nobody and Juno. Not suitable for younger readers. About This Edition ISBN:

Synopsis

When Laura meets a French exchange student, Leon, she is flattered by his interest in her. She's never had any sort of boyfriend before. One night, Leon walks Laura home - and her life will never be the same again. Things start to change for Laura - first her moods, and then her body. Laura isn't prepared for what she learns next - and doesn't even know how it could have happened. Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Laura has sex that's so brief she's not even sure that anything happened and still falls pregnant. It's also her first time being with a boy ever. Everyone Loves Blondes: Belinda is blonde and she's one of the most popular girls at Heathcote House. Laura even notes that everyone takes time to say goodbye to her and her baby. The rear of the book includes a note on sexual consent and some (UK only) organisations and resources available for anyone needing support or information. Set in 1960, Laura is a poor teenager who lives in a shantytown. She develops a friendship with another girl at school who is much well off than her but isn’t awful about it. Laura becomes a bit infatuated with the girl and her family and you can never blame her, considering her own family, who are lovely but poor and always working (she has no siblings). The girl's family welcomes her and they spend a lot of time during the summer together.

Baby Love (Literature) - TV Tropes Baby Love (Literature) - TV Tropes

In efforts to stop this book review from turning into an essay, I’ll leave it there with a take home message. Honestly such a beautiful book and one I would whole heartedly recommend to all. Trying to keep up with Nina gets increasingly difficult as they venture out to cafes and movies in their school holidays. A trip to the local swimming pool begins with trepidation as Nina wears a bikini and a European holiday tan, and Laura squeezes into her old bathing suit with an anchor on her flat chest. Darkest Hour: Laura has to meet her social worker who wants her to give up Kathy for adoption and she's running out of time to find a way where she can keep Kathy and be able to raise her safely. Then aunt Susannah shows up to save the day. Lovable Alpha Bitch: Nina can be a bitch, especially when she doesn't get her own way, but she's also overwhelmingly nice to Laura when she truly needs her. She also has a mild version of a Beta Bitch in the form of Patsy. Laura is named after her older sister, who died shortly after being born. Laura's older brother also died before he could leave the hospital, and he was named William, after their father.Embarrassing Damp Sheets: Happens quite often at Heathcote House whenever a girl's water breaks during the night. It happens to Jeannie and Laura worries that Sarah will get her sheets damp when she sits on them after starting labour. Age-Gap Romance: While less of a romance and more of a brief sexual encounter, Laura is only fourteen when she has sex with the seventeen year old Leon. She also has a crush on Daniel, who is around the same age. It's 1960 and Laura is a fourteen year old girl who is just trying to be a normal teenager despite her overprotective mother. Naive and unprepared for the adult world but desperate to prove that she's no longer a little girl, Laura ends up falling pregnant during a confusing sexual encounter with an older boy. Her parents are horrified and send her away to Heathcote House, a special home for young mothers, so she can have her child in secret and then have them adopted. Laura has other ideas and is determined to keep her daughter no matter what anyone else might say.

Baby Love - Penguin Books UK Baby Love - Penguin Books UK

I find JW’s writing so easy to fall into, I am always immersed in the world and the characters, I definitely felt all the emotions. Also the ending! It could have gone either way and I was so anxious throughout the book to see what would happen. Cardiovascular Love: The title mentions "Love" and the cover features some jagged, ripped-down-the-middle Heart Symbols. Night Mayor Franklefink has vanished from the Transylvanian Express - and it's up to you to solve the case! Part of the Solve Your Own Mystery seri... Abusive Parents: Laura's mother slaps her a couple of times, even if she's immediately apologetic about it. Skipping School: Laura skips her lessons at Heathcote House a few times, though she notes that the teachers tend to turn a blind eye to it if one of the girls and her baby are leaving that day.I was so invested in Laura's story that I couldn't and didn't want to put this book down. I loved all the characters and how even the supporting ones were sufficiently fleshed out. I cried not just for Laura but also for all the other girls. Shame about Nina and Daniel (both of whom I really liked) but at the same time, I couldn't see how Laura and their lives would fit together again after everything. Sent away to save her family from shame, Laura meets girls just like her, whose families have given up on them - and they become a family for each other at the most difficult time in all their lives. Both Belinda and Jeannie take the younger Laura under their wing during her stay at Heathcote House. Honestly she has done it again. JW will never fail me. This book is set in the 1960s around a girl called Laura (the fact that we share a name is bonus points). Laura becomes pregnant at 14. However, in the 1960s women who are unmarried or young are treated very different to today for becoming pregnant. Laura ends up in a home for women and babies and we follow her story. I won’t give too much away, but obviously there will be a baby in the book at the end!

Jacqueline Wilson | Waterstones Jacqueline Wilson | Waterstones

Oh My Gosh I adored this book. I have read Jacqueline Wilson since I was a child and Tracy Beaker has always been a firm favourite, one that Wilson has not, for me, been able to topple off of the top spot, until now. This is possibly one of the best books of hers that I have ever read, it is incredible. It is so well written with such well developed chatacters and a uplift, yet in many ways heartbreaking storyline. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Small Role, Big Impact: Leon is barely present throughout the story but is the one who got Laura pregnant.Of course once the pregnancy is known no more is heard of Léon. Laura’s parents are outraged. She has betrayed the moral standards of the family. There is no question of Laura giving birth at home. Instead her parents send her to live for the remainder of her pregnancy and to give birth at a mother and baby home called Heathcote House, where Wilson unfolds the rest of her narrative. When Laura meets a French exchange student, Leon, she is flattered by his interest in her. She's never had any sort of boyfriend before. A heartbreaking, compelling and timely story for older readers about teen pregnancy, family trouble and unlikely friendships, set in 1960. Parents as People: Laura's mother is incredibly overprotective over Laura and obsessed with keeping a good image but she's also lost two previous children and works hard to give Laura the opportunities that she never had. Laura's father reacts very badly to her falling pregnant at such a young age but she's his little girl and he just can't understand how she got into that situation in the first place. They both come across as being unsupportive but their reaction is due in part to the stigma of underage mothers at the time. I can’t understand how JW can completely understand teenage anxiety and make her characters come to life in such a fluid way. This book is dark but real and I was captivated by all of the themes surrounding the main plot (don’t worry I won’t give away any spoilers!)