May 11, 2015
A strange old woman visits 17-year-old Mina one night at the restaurant where she works to deliver a cryptic message that a child will be entering Mina's life. In an attempt to shoo the woman out the door, Mina unwittingly accepts responsibility for the child, and soon she's in the throes of morning sickness, completely perplexed by the fact that she is pregnant. In this modern take on the idea of immaculate conception, debut author Detweiler focuses both on the divine implications of Mina's pregnancy and the trauma of a girl thrown into a difficult and highly unusual situation. Individuals in Mina's life react very differently to Mina's story: her mother believes her without question, while her friend and boyfriend think she is lying. Mina's eventual decision to share her story with the public invites those in disbelief to contemplate the impossible. Meanwhile, Mina reconciles her former life as a regular teenager with a renewed sense of purpose, however mysterious. It's a sincere, romantic, and secular story of birth, young motherhood, and new love. Ages 14âup. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
March 1, 2015
There's nothing like being a pregnant virgin to ruin your senior year of high school. After a typical shift at the pizza parlor, "nerdy, chronic overachiever" Mina, trying to get free of Iris, a strange, old customer who seems to know a lot about her, answers a vague proposal with a frustrated "yes"-and now Mina's pregnant. And still a virgin. Her father doesn't believe her; "calm and predictable" boyfriend Nate is hurt and knows it's not his child; best friend Izzy is certain she's being lied to. But along with her mother and friend Hannah, busboy Jesse (who also met Iris) joins Mina's supportive posse-Mina/Jesse, Mary/Joseph, get it? In addition to the obvious Biblical parallels, Mina's story is also that of every misunderstood teen-bullies harass, an embarrassing website pops up. But calls to "Virgin Mina" to denounce her claim grow stronger, and Mina becomes the focus of adult anger and passion. Eventually forced to take protective action for herself and her unborn child, Mina depends on family and friends. The pace occasionally slows as Mina explores religion, spirituality, and impending motherhood, but overall, Detweiler's smart writing moves quickly and entertains, particularly with Mina's appealingly bright voice. Even as the story probes its mystical underpinnings, the focus remains firmly on Mina right through to the end. Detweiler's ambitious debut takes an intriguing premise and executes it well. (Fiction. 14-18)
April 1, 2015
Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Mina is in a serious but not sexually active relationship with her popular boyfriend Nate. After a strange encounter with a mysterious woman, Mina discovers she is pregnant. Maintaining that she's a virgin and the baby's conception is a miracle, Mina cannot explain her divine situation. Her incredible story earns judgement and exclusion from family and friends and eventually lands her in the center of a terrible media storm. Obsessed with protecting her child, Mina maintains her faith in its miraculous nature. The dynamic characters move the action forward, relatable in their various reactions to Mina's story. The unusual premise compels readers to want to know how it all ends, but the drama feels tidied up quickly, and the ending is anticlimactic. More questions than answers are provided about the nature of the pregnancy and the fate of the child, but the narrative is inclusive of multiple types of explanations; Mina explores stories of miraculous conceptions in various religions, and her message is more about faith in general than a specific set of beliefs. VERDICT A unique page-turner mixing humor and heart, this is a thought-provoking take on miracles and motherhood.-Whitney LeBlanc, Staten Island Academy, NY
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