Customer Reviews

November Blues

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book before putting it on the shelf in my middle school/high school library. The account of November Nelson's teenage pregnancy paints a realistic picture of the difficulties associated with mother/daughter relationships and the dangers assoicated with teenage pregnancy. All of the characters, except Josh, return from the book, The Battle of Jericho, and this community of young people bond together to recover from Josh's death.

During her pregnancy November faces the physical discomforts, the emotional trauma, the legal problems, and the social problems brought about by the unplanned event in her life. She matures somewhat throughout the book and realizes that her life will become more difficult as she faces raising a child with possible disabilities.

I recommend this book to high school students. It is an easy read and Sharon Draper is a wonderful author who takes on a teenage voice in her books with great success.

In this sequel to The Battle of Jericho, November Nelson and Jericho Prescott deal with the loss of Josh Prescott in their own ways. But although November has lost a boyfriend and Jericho has lost a cousin, who was more like a brother, Josh left a part of himself behind. During her pregnancy, November faces emotional and physical difficulties, but not without the support of her friends, Dana, Olivia and Jericho.
From morning sickness to the delivery, the author gives a detailed, realistic account of what a pregnant girl goes through. She also shows how a young man can regain his balance in life after losing his best friend.
The cover of this book caught my eye, and when I noticed it was a companion to The Battle of Jericho, I bought that one so I could read it first. After reading The Battle of Jericho, I looked forward to reading this one. I enjoyed the story, and the ending was very touching.

My summer school students, most of whom NEVER read a book under any circumstances, LOVE her books. They really relate to them. We read the Tears of a Tiger trilogy as an assignment and the students begged me to order all of her other books because they read the trilogy so fast. Highly recommended to get distinterested young people to start reading. Fast.

November Blues by Sharon M. Draper

Draper's style of writing is centered around young adults. It contains material that occurs in an average teenager's life including drama, confusion, heartbreak, and friendship. The main character, November Nelson, loses her boyfriend, Josh Prescott, to a pledge stunt. In return, she is stuck with the heartache of being an ordinary pregnant teenager without a father. When this occurs, she looks to her friends for help on how to tell her mother and whether or not to keep the child or let Josh's parents adopt him or her. Throughout the book I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next. This is one of the reasons I loved the book. In addition, it is also a great example of the consequences of making a bad decision. This makes the reader think twice about being sexually active until marriage. I would strongly recommend this novel to young adults because it really relates to many teenagers today.

I love anything from Sharon Draper and am always looking for new texts to incorporate into my English I classroom. This is a beautiful hardback book so it will stand the test of time.

In the " Battle of Jericho," Jericho is invited to pledge the Warriors of Distinction, the oldest and most exclusive club in school. He is confused right now, because as the secret iniation rites grow increasingly humiliating, it forces Jericho to make painful choices. He starts to question whether membership in the Warriors of Distinction is worth it! In " November Blues," when November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can't possibly get any worse. Josh has left something behind that will change November's life forever, and now she is faced with the biggest decision she could ever imagine. What both books have in common is young people sometimes make bad decisions. What I liked about the book is the way her friends helped her out with the baby. I wouldn't change anything about the book, it was perfect! I learned that you should not have sex before college or marriage. Great books!
Denisha
Julian Coleman Academy
Indianapolis

I ordered this book for my in class library and I have not been able to keep it on the shelf. My students are lining up to read this book. Great addition to any library. Students find that the characters and situations are relevant to them.

This is a sequel to the book the battle of Jericho. After the terrible tragedy that left Josh dead and the community realing. 16 year old November Nelson finds out she is pregnant with Josh's baby and now she is scared and doesn't know what to do. With the help of her friends and family, she decides to keep the baby and whatever challenges that come. Jericho who is steal realing after his cousin's death, goes through alot of ups and downs that threaten his future. When he finds out Josh's girlfriend is pregnant with Josh's baby, he vows to help her out perhaps hoping to bring some reconcilliation with the past so he can move on to the future. November Blues I could not put down. I was mad at November's mothers and Josh's parents. I was even more surprised when November went into early labor. But this book I could not put down. I loved each and every character, they were relatable and to the point. Sharon Draper wrote another novel that teens can relate too.

Wow this book is a really good read and it keeps me on my toes while reading it. I wish that I could have read this book when I was younger to see what kind of response I would of had to it then.Draper's style of writing is centered around young adults around the age of thirteen and above. It contains material that occurs in an average teenager's life including drama, confusion, heartbreak, and friendship. The main character, November Nelson, loses her boyfriend, Josh Prescott, to a pledge stunt. In return, she is stuck with the heartache of being an ordinary pregnant teenager without a father. When this occurs, she looks to her friends for help on how to tell her mother and whether or not to keep the child or let Josh's parents adopt him or her. Throughout the book I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next. This is one of the reasons I loved the book. In addition, it is also a great example of the consequences of making a bad decision. This makes the reader think twice about being sexually active until marriage. I would strongly recommend this novel to young adults because it really relates to many teenagers today.

This is a really great book and I highly recommend it for all teenage girls to read!!!

Without a doubt this should be recommended for all ninth graders to read.

November is such a smart young lady, who has so much going for her. Yet the night before her boyfriend died she made one of the worse choices she could, she had sex. Her boyfriend Josh was in a group which was doing a hazing, and he jumped out of a second story window and died. Two months later, November was sick none stop, she decided to test herself and she was pregnant. Scared out of her mind, she went to the doctor, who told her she was three months pregnant. Now she had to tell her mom, and that day she got a letter in the mail accepting her into a Cornell school. Go figure, this made it even harder to tell her mom.

Josh's cousin and best friend, Jericho also felt the effect of his death. Jericho who loved to play the trumpet decided he could not any longer. Yet he had a chance for Julliard.

This book really goes into detail of pregnancy, and what could happen. My favorite part is when November's mother made her go to the store and price all the items she needs to raise a baby. There is an exciting end, which really chances how you look at November and her mother, and being in a car pregnant. Always be prepared, even months early!
Easy read, I read it in one day, and I don't like to read very much, it has to really get my attention. Great Book!!