Unexpected Development [Hardcover]

Marlene Perez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2004

"I'm not sure you really want to get into what I did this summer, Mrs. Westland. Sex. Sex is how I spent my summer vacation."

Megan knows twenty different words for "breasts," and can recite them alphabetically-but she can't remember the last time a guy looked her in the eye first, not the chest

Size matters, as Megan found out in the 5 th grade, when she developed the largest breasts in the class. Now she's 17 and wearing her twin brothers' baggy sweatshirts can't hide the fact-two facts, really. When her summer job at Pancake Palace puts her in close touch with Jake , who smells like "temptation and Ivory soap," Megan wonders if he can like her for herself, not just her body. Can lusty, busty Megan learn to trust Jake -and herself? Megan tells about her summer of sex in somewhat poignant and very funny journal entries to her favorite teacher.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this debut novel, written as a "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essay, narrator Megan addresses her teacher, reflecting on seeing "the best and the worst in [guys]" and her struggles with a body that "polite people call top-heavy." During the summer before her senior year, Megan attracts the attention of her longtime crush, Jake, who works alongside her at the Pancake Palace, faces both a sexually harassing bully and boss, and grapples with whether or not to have breast-reduction surgery. Megan is likable and funny (she says Jake "smell[s] like temptation and Ivory soap") and Perez focuses on a compelling body-image issue. Megan wears baggy clothes and not only must she listen to warnings from her mother ("Boys Jake's age have only one thing on their minds"), but she, too, worries that that's all Jake wants. Readers will find Megan easy to relate to, but may find some of the book's other elements troublesome. Her pervert boss's affair with a promiscuous co-worker, for instance, reads as stereotypical, and her shopping trip and heart-to-heart with her often-hurtful mother wraps things up a bit too easily. While these elements detract from the novel, Megan's appealing character will draw readers in, and will likely make the audience hope for more from this promising writer. Ages 12-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–First-novelist Perez uses the tired formula of journal entries to a teacher to frame this bittersweet story of nearly 17-year-old Megan, a girl with a problem–a double D-sized problem, to be exact. She collects huge, loose shirts to conceal her voluptuous figure and knows 20 different words for "breasts" and can recite them alphabetically. Megan despairs of ever finding a boyfriend who will lock eyes with her instead of focusing on her chest. When the object of her daydreams breaks up with his girlfriend and asks her out, the teen finds it difficult to believe that Jake sees anything above her collarbone, but tentatively agrees to give the relationship a try. It's hard for him to gain her trust, especially when her boss and almost every other male she encounters attempt to grope her, but eventually she lets down her guard enough to become physically involved with him. Other issues, such as Megan's best friend's family situation and a coworker's affair with the above-mentioned boss, are not as well developed, but overall Perez is an author worth watching. The eye-catching cover will ensure heavy circulation.–Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (September 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596430060
• ISBN-13: 978-1596430068
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,921,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARLENE PEREZ is the author of many books, including the Dead Is series, The Comeback, Love in the Corner Pocket, and Unexpected Development, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. She lives in Orange County, California. www.marleneperez.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing!, October 30, 2005

By 

Brent Hartinger (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unexpected Development (Hardcover)

The narrator promises in the first few paragraphs that this is a book about sex, which it isn't really (it's about much more). But it IS a funny, franky, and refreshingly honest look at teenagers, and teen sexuality. Recommended!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fabulous..., July 8, 2005

By 

fiona (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unexpected Development (Hardcover)

Megan is an overly-voluptuous girl, especially in the chest area. In Unexpected Development, Megan narrates her summer vacation in an assignment for Honors English.
Readers learn from Megan that being top-heavy is not exactly ideal - she recounts the verbal and sexual harassments she endures from various males in her life - especially an obnoxious boy who can't seem to leave her alone, and not to mention her boss, Mr. Cooper, who is just a creepy pervert.
Megan also explores her true first love - and all the things that come along with it, including sex. She is not sure if she can trust Jake Darrow, the boy she has been crushing on for years, and who is now just starting to show interest in her. Does he like her for who she is or just her body?

Megan endures her summer vacation with her best friend Jilly, who seems like the perfect best friend - always quick to come to Megan's defense and fiercely loyal. Megan also contemplates getting breast reduction surgery.

All in all, Unexpected Development is a fabulous novel, especially for teen girls. It really clears up some myths that most teen girls are deceived by - namely, that having large breasts is not all glamour and glitz. Megan addresses these issues honestly and poignantly.
Megan's relationship with Jake is also very interesting.
Perez has a wonderful writing voice. It actually seemed like a teenager was writing this book - it is just so authentic.
Unexpected Development is a fantastic coming-of-age novel that explores body perception, boys, friends, and love. I highly recommend this book to teen girls looking for an engaging book to read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing*, March 26, 2006

By 

gotchu (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unexpected Development (Hardcover)

This book has to be one of the best books I've read in a long time. Not only is it refreshing but it adds a new dimension to the whole writing scheme. It is the typical teen romance story but it has not been done this tenderly in quite some time. It was like a breath of fresh air for myself. Being an avid reader and a teenaged girl I recommend this one to any! I can't wait until Marlene Perez comes out with another. I wouldn't even mind a sequal as cheesy as they are!