Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Doubleday Books (2010), 301 pages
Description
In Boys Don't Cry, bestselling author Malorie Blackman explores the unchartered territory of teenage fatherhood. 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. Malorie's dramatic new novel will take you on a journey from tears to laughter and back again.
User reviews
LibraryThing member elliepotten
It’s been a fair while since I’ve read a Malorie Blackman novel, so I was delighted when Boys Don’t Cry arrived for review. Blackman is surely one of most enduring and respected figures in young adult literature, taking over from Judy Blume as the foremost writer of brilliantly written teen
The main focus of the book is young Dante Bridgeman, a seventeen year-old boy whose A-level triumph is flattened when his ex-girlfriend arrives on his doorstep with a buggy in tow. To Dante’s horror, she confesses that the baby girl asleep in the pram is his, then asks him to look after her for a few minutes while she goes to the shops to buy nappies. She never comes back. It is time for Dante to step up and work out what the future will hold for him and his daughter. At the same time, Dante’s younger brother Adam is struggling to balance his ‘out and proud’ attitude with the vicious homophobia running rife among his peers, while his father, the rock of the family, tries to hold everything together.
It was a delight to watch Dante evolve as a character as the pages went by, first accepting little Emma, then beginning to bond with her, taking on responsibility for her upbringing, and finally learning to truly love her. It was a real twist on the old ‘teen mother left to raise baby’ plot, which was refreshing. This family of three male characters is so likeable and honest and real, that the reader can’t help but root for them every step of the way. You want Dante to bond completely with his daughter, you want Adam to find happiness, you want their father to stay solid and do the right thing to support his boys. Blackman doesn’t shy away from ‘telling it like it is’, showing how hard it is to be a parent and how ugly prejudice of any kind can be, and her novel was gripping from start to finish. It made me smile, and I shed a fair few tears along the way as well… Highly recommended!
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books tackling serious issues in a smart, accessible way. Happily for me, Boys Don’t Cry is another shining example…The main focus of the book is young Dante Bridgeman, a seventeen year-old boy whose A-level triumph is flattened when his ex-girlfriend arrives on his doorstep with a buggy in tow. To Dante’s horror, she confesses that the baby girl asleep in the pram is his, then asks him to look after her for a few minutes while she goes to the shops to buy nappies. She never comes back. It is time for Dante to step up and work out what the future will hold for him and his daughter. At the same time, Dante’s younger brother Adam is struggling to balance his ‘out and proud’ attitude with the vicious homophobia running rife among his peers, while his father, the rock of the family, tries to hold everything together.
It was a delight to watch Dante evolve as a character as the pages went by, first accepting little Emma, then beginning to bond with her, taking on responsibility for her upbringing, and finally learning to truly love her. It was a real twist on the old ‘teen mother left to raise baby’ plot, which was refreshing. This family of three male characters is so likeable and honest and real, that the reader can’t help but root for them every step of the way. You want Dante to bond completely with his daughter, you want Adam to find happiness, you want their father to stay solid and do the right thing to support his boys. Blackman doesn’t shy away from ‘telling it like it is’, showing how hard it is to be a parent and how ugly prejudice of any kind can be, and her novel was gripping from start to finish. It made me smile, and I shed a fair few tears along the way as well… Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member karynwhite
I was given this book because someone thought it would be good to use at school - high school. I could not put it down! The plot is engaging. The character conflict dramatic.
The only reason I would not use it at school is because it is quite English, so my students might not relate to it as well as
Reading-wise, I think 14 - 15 yr olds. But the main character is 17 - and I don't always like that mismatch between who is going to read it and the age of the main character.
However, a good read and one I will recommend to my students for their personal reading.
The only reason I would not use it at school is because it is quite English, so my students might not relate to it as well as
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others.Reading-wise, I think 14 - 15 yr olds. But the main character is 17 - and I don't always like that mismatch between who is going to read it and the age of the main character.
However, a good read and one I will recommend to my students for their personal reading.
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LibraryThing member shayanasha
This book was kind of different from what I was expecting but I really liked it nonetheless. Malorie Blackman shows the story of 17 year old Dante who is suddenly having to take care of almost an year old infant he did not know he was the father of. Putting his dreams, plans and future on hold he
It was a beautifully written sweet, sad story with raw honesty and realness in the characters. The Muse references did not hurt either. Boys Don't Cry - despite its title shows that yes, Boys DO Cry for things that are important to them but as long as they brush those tears off and get on ahead it is completely okay.
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picks up the child and takes on his responsibility resenting little Emma for barging in and messing everything up. Malorie Blackman shows the story of 16 year old Adam who is not afraid to hide his homosexuality in front of everyone unlike the cruel boy he has fallen in love with. Written in alternating point of view between Dante and Adam it shows the story of these two brothers and how they come in terms with who they are and what is really important in life - family.It was a beautifully written sweet, sad story with raw honesty and realness in the characters. The Muse references did not hurt either. Boys Don't Cry - despite its title shows that yes, Boys DO Cry for things that are important to them but as long as they brush those tears off and get on ahead it is completely okay.
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LibraryThing member CaroTheLibrarian
PLUS -
* A slightly different twist on the theme of teenage parents, this time from the boy's point of view. It's not the only book on the subject written from a male perspective (try Mahalia by Joanne Hornimnn) but it is very well done here. Dante is celebrating fantastic A Level results, when his
* The character development after Dante is left, quite literally, holding the baby is very convincing.
* The all male Bridgeman household is really well written - younger brother Adam and Dante have their own issues (not least the fact that Dante isn't quite sure how much he has come to terms with Adam being openly gay), widowed Dad is struggling to make ends meet, and to deal emotionally with two young men. There is friction and arguing but deep down they would stand by each other through thick and thin.
MINUS -
* Nothing bad to say about this one really. I thought the fact that the social worker is the sister of another character was unlikely, but this is hardly a major fault.
OVERALL -
* A great read. Yes, it could be billed as a 'another teenage issues novel' (teenage parents, homophobia, images of masculinity) but it is well written, both funny and sad in places, with really well drawn characters.
* Highly recommended to anyone aged 13+
* A slightly different twist on the theme of teenage parents, this time from the boy's point of view. It's not the only book on the subject written from a male perspective (try Mahalia by Joanne Hornimnn) but it is very well done here. Dante is celebrating fantastic A Level results, when his
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ex girlfriend turns up with a baby girl claiming Dante is the father. * The character development after Dante is left, quite literally, holding the baby is very convincing.
* The all male Bridgeman household is really well written - younger brother Adam and Dante have their own issues (not least the fact that Dante isn't quite sure how much he has come to terms with Adam being openly gay), widowed Dad is struggling to make ends meet, and to deal emotionally with two young men. There is friction and arguing but deep down they would stand by each other through thick and thin.
MINUS -
* Nothing bad to say about this one really. I thought the fact that the social worker is the sister of another character was unlikely, but this is hardly a major fault.
OVERALL -
* A great read. Yes, it could be billed as a 'another teenage issues novel' (teenage parents, homophobia, images of masculinity) but it is well written, both funny and sad in places, with really well drawn characters.
* Highly recommended to anyone aged 13+
Show Less
Awards
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2012)
Redbridge Children's Book Award (Winner — 2011)
Sakura Medal (High School — 2012)
Southern Schools Book Award (Winner — 2012)
Prix des Incorruptibles (Winner — 2013)
Prix Ado-Lisant (2014)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
301 p.; 5.67 inches
ISBN
0385604793 / 9780385604796