Catherine Greenman. Hooked. Delacorte, 2011 ISBN 9780385740081 288 pp. $

***

17-year-old Thea falls hard–hook, line and sinker–for senior Will, and embarks on her first physical relationship. She’s amazed when he moves on to college, but they stay together. Even though she and her mother have an open dialogue about sexuality, Thea’s not meticulous with her birth control, and gets knocked up. She’s determined to keep her child, which brings up all the issues of who will raise it (and pay for it).

The writing is clever, and allusions to knitting abound. Thea is just learning to knit, and goes from a simple scarf to a complicated crocheted bikini pattern. The book seems to focus more on relationships (her interactions with Will take on a predictable slant) and her business venture than the realities of pregnancy. There is such a dearth of prenatal care, in fact, I’d hesitate to put this book in the hands of young readers, because it really oversimplifies things.