November Blues » (Reprint)

Sharon Draper is a two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, most recently for Copper Sun, and previously for Forged by Fire. She's also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Author Award for New Talent for Tears of a Tiger and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for The Battle of Jericho and November Blues. Her other books include Romiette and Julio, Darkness Before Dawn, and Double Dutch. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years.

When November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can't possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change November's life forever, and now she's faced with the biggest decision she could ever imagine. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh's parents take the news? She's never needed a friend more.

Jericho Prescott lost his best friend when he lost his cousin, Josh, and the pain is almost more than he can bear. His world becomes divided into "before" and "after" Josh's death. He finds the only way he can escape the emptiness he feels is to quit doing the things that made him happy when his cousin was alive, such as playing his beloved trumpet, and take up football, where he hopes the physical pain will suppress the emotional. But will hiding behind shoulder pads really help? And will his gridiron obsession prevent him from being there for his cousin's girlfriend when she needs him most?

This sequel to The Battle of Jericho is a no-holds-barred look at what happens when life doesn't go as planned, by the acclaimed author of the 2007 Coretta Scott King Award winner Copper Sun.

Alan Review

November Blues is the sequel to Draper's The Battle of Jericho. Josh's death has affected so many of his friends and family. Jericho, his cousin, has given up his first love— playing trumpet. November, his girlfriend, grapples with his disappearance and the new addition he has left behind—his unborn daughter. Jericho tries to deal with his grief by trying out for the football team. November tries to hide her pregnancy for as long as she can. Josh's parents segregate themselves from everyone until they find out about the pregnancy. They see the baby as a way to have a piece of Josh in their lives and hire a lawyer to create documents to allow them to adopt November's baby. November is at a crossroads. Is giving the baby up the right thing to do? This book is recommended for middle and high school students. There are no instances of profanity or sexual scenes. Draper has written another fine book that addresses the choices adolescents must make and their consequences. Reviewer: Anjeanette C. Alexander-Smith