THE BABY by Lisa Drakeford

There's a party at Olivia's house. Someone reports unusual noises coming from the bathroom. Imagine the shock when Olivia discovers her best friend Nicola giving birth to a baby. Olivia never even knew her best friend was pregnant.

Once the baby is born, the truth comes out. Nicola confesses that Olivia's boy friend Jonty is the father. The two friends stop speaking.

As the months go by those involved with Olivia and Nicola have different reactions. There's Olivia's strange younger sister Alice. She was completely mesmerized as she watched the birth of a baby in her very own bathroom. Now that the baby has arrived, Alice loves to visit and spend time helping Nicola care for the tiny thing.

Jonty gradually begins to accept the role of father and spends more and more time with the baby. Nicola is grateful for the free time and even uses it to rekindle her friendship with Olivia.

Ben is the gay friend of both Olivia and Nicola. He tries to be supportive of both friends. When things get tense, he acts as mediator despite the problems in his own life.

Author Lisa Drakeford has crafted an interesting look at a teen pregnancy. THE BABY doesn't just focus on one perspective, but rather visits the inner thoughts of everyone effected by the event. Check out THE BABY to see how life changes for five friends.

MARCH Trilogy by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

John Lewis's MARCH: Book Three is the latest winner of the National Book Award. His moving speech stressed his childhood memories of discrimination and how it inspired him to fight for civil rights along side Martin Luther King Jr. and others who helped change our country.

All three MARCH books are graphic novels that take young adult readers into the past to experience times that changed the course of history. The lunch counter sit-ins, the Freedom Riders, the Voting Rights Act, and the marches on Washington and Selma and much more are described through the eyes of John Lewis.

The sacrifices made by those who fought for the rights of others are amazing. Their commitment to non-violence despite the brutal treatment inflicted by law enforcement and racist groups was clearly illustrated in these fascinating graphic novels. These three books are definitely worth checking out and adding to library and classroom collections.