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| Plot Summary of Hanging on to Max |
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"Sam, a senior in high school, decides to take custody of his son after the mother decides she can't handle being a mother so young and wants to go for adoption. Sam struggles with becoming a father in a home without his own mother for guidance. He also adjusts to a new alternative school, losing friends and trying to have a relationship."
Jennifer Tanis, Resident Scholar
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" Sam is a 17 year old who has a girlfriend, Brittany, and is sliding through highschool just fine until he and his girlfriend get into a huge fight. He seems fine until he meets her at a party and they reconnect and have sex. They continue having sex until Brittany comes to tell him that she is pregnant. His whole world shatters. Brittany decides to keep the baby. When Brittany realizes that having a baby is a lot of work, she decides to put him up for adoption. Sam steps in and takes Max, the baby, forever. Brittany and her family move away from this tradgedy to a new beginning.
Sam begins school in an alternate school for teens with children. He has countless sleepless nights and dozes off in class every now and then. His math teacher suggests that he take the SATS to get into college and puts him in an afterschool study group. One day, Claire, a cute, popular girl from his old school, shows up in school one day with a kid! Sam and Claire begin to date and have a great connection. When Sam realizes that he isn't fit to be a parent, Claire deserts him."
Larkin, Resident Scholar
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"Margaret Bechard tells the tale of a confused high school boy, Sam. Sam is a typical teenager, concerned about football, his friends, and his girlfriend. Until he has sex. After this, Sam's life changes drastically. His girlfriend becomes pregnant, has the baby, and decides that she doesn't want him. Thus begins Sam's journey of hanging on to his son, Max.
Sam is determined to keep his son, switches to an alternative school for teens with babies, where he is the only male. He gives up sports and his friends, and strains his relationship with his father. The only thing he has is Max. However, Sam soon finds another young love, who also has a baby. They quickly become infatuated, thus beginning another journey for Sam.
Bechard paints a wonderful tale for what it feels like to be a teenage parent. Sam is a nice mix of loving parent, caring boyfriend, and teenage angst. We see him struggle to convince himself that having a baby is worth losing so much, and we see him struggle to keep up with grades, school, and his love life. While he's just a kid himself, Sam struggles through this novel to hang on to Max. "
Melissa Unger, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Hanging on to Max |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Pregnancy/Child rearing
Yes
Major part of story:
- dealing with unexpected pregnancy
Loving/sexing?
- bun/oven
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 4 ()
United States
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
- impregnation/reproduction
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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