Review: Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman

Title: Boys Don't Cry

Author: Malorie Blackman
Published: October 2010 by Corgi Childrens

Blurb:

You're waiting for the postman - he's bringing your A level results. University, a career as a journalist - a glittering future lies ahead. But when the doorbell rings it's your old girlfriend; and she's carrying a baby. Your baby. 

You're happy to look after it, just for an hour or two. But then she doesn't come back - and your future suddenly looks very different.

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Review:

Recently, I read the Noughts and Crosses sequence by the same author and I loved it. (For anyone who hasn't read it yet, you must read it.) I decided to read more books by Malorie Blackman. At first, I didn't want to read Boys Don't Cry because the idea of teenage parenting seemed a bit uninteresting for me. But there were numerous recommendations for it, so I gave it a go.

Meet Dante. He's waiting for his A level results to arrive. But when he opens the door, it isn't the postman. It is his ex-girlfriend, carrying a baby and he is the father. She leaves the baby with him and does a runner. Dante is left behind with his daughter Emma who he didn't even know existed until a few hours ago. He is confused, angry and lost. He doesn't want to be Emma's father. However, the heartwarming scenes that appear later show how he starts to love his daughter. Not long comes the harsh realities of being a teenage father.

Meanwhile, many family issues are also happening. There is a dead mother, and a father who rarely shows emotion towards his sons. There is also Adam, Dante's younger brother, whose family is turning a blind eye to what he is. Each member struggles in their own way to express their love and how they really feel. But as the story progresses, you can see the family bonding together and taking shape.

I really enjoyed the book. There were many heartwarming scenes, and I laughed and smiled countless times. I liked how the author avoided the cliché of a single teenage mother. This book showed how teenage fathers can show care and love just like a mother's.

This is a well-written story about family and growing up. It is inspiring and should be loved by many readers.