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Doormat
WHAT WOULD YOU DO if your best friend got pregnant?
Fourteen-year-old Jaime is used to her best friend, Melissa, being the center of attention. Melissa wants to be a model—she’s beautiful, popular, and talented. There’s just one small problem—Melissa thinks she’s pregnant, and she wants Jaime’s help. But there’s not much Jaime can do. Melissa refuses to tell her parents; Jaime refuses to be the same old reliable doormat. She’s got a lead in the school play and a new friendship with Zach. Jaime is changing, too. And she’s sick of being stepped on!
Fifteen-year-old Kelly McWilliams’s debut novel is an inspiring story about friendship, choices, and learning how to shine.
From the Hardcover edition.
Fourteen-year-old Jaime is used to her best friend, Melissa, being the center of attention. Melissa wants to be a model—she’s beautiful, popular, and talented. There’s just one small problem—Melissa thinks she’s pregnant, and she wants Jaime’s help. But there’s not much Jaime can do. Melissa refuses to tell her parents; Jaime refuses to be the same old reliable doormat. She’s got a lead in the school play and a new friendship with Zach. Jaime is changing, too. And she’s sick of being stepped on!
Fifteen-year-old Kelly McWilliams’s debut novel is an inspiring story about friendship, choices, and learning how to shine.
From the Hardcover edition.
144 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 14, 2004
6 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Kelly McWilliams
8 books308 followersKelly is the mixed-race author of AGNES AT THE END OF THE WORLD (2020), MIRROR GIRLS (2022), and YOUR PLANTATION PROM IS NOT OKAY (2023). AGNES was a finalist for the Golden Kite Award. She's also written for Time, Publisher's Weekly, and Bustle, among other outlets. She lives in Seattle with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 12, 2019
Doormat is a realistic fiction about a girl who has a teen pregnancy. My favorite part is when the best friend starts crushing on some dude because i have experienced that. I recommend this book to every teenage girl because its relatable. I think this book is really good because it has that dirty humor that not all books have. Every teenage girl can relate to this and i love it. Also, if you are going through a teen pregnancy it goes through the options, pros, cons, and pretty much everything.
November 15, 2020
This was...fine? I am not shocked to hear that this was the author's first book and was written while she was a teen. It was a quick read though, and I don't regret picking it up.
October 8, 2014
No access to book
Doormat is a fantastic realistic fiction teen novel! This book is a fantastic read for teens. It is about a 14 year old girl named Jaime who isn't used to standing up for herself. She's used to being in the shadow while her best friend, Melissa, is in the spotlight. Melissa wants to be a model, but something happens. She gets pregnant, and wants Jaime's help. However, Melissa refuses to tell her parents, so there's not much Jaime can do. Jaime's sick of being stepped on and refuses to keep being a doormat. I can relate to being stepped on, and it's nice to know I'm not the only one
Doormat is a fantastic realistic fiction teen novel! This book is a fantastic read for teens. It is about a 14 year old girl named Jaime who isn't used to standing up for herself. She's used to being in the shadow while her best friend, Melissa, is in the spotlight. Melissa wants to be a model, but something happens. She gets pregnant, and wants Jaime's help. However, Melissa refuses to tell her parents, so there's not much Jaime can do. Jaime's sick of being stepped on and refuses to keep being a doormat. I can relate to being stepped on, and it's nice to know I'm not the only one
October 1, 2010
a book about teenage pregnancy. it was okay, but i was annoyed that while parenting and abortion were talked about and discussed again and again, adoption was not once mentioned. the word isn't even in the book.
December 21, 2016
This book is as good as a book written by a 15-year old has any right to be, which is...not great. I ran across this book because it was in a stack of books my library was going to discard because it hadn't been checked out in over three years, and after I read it I put it back on the stack to still get discarded.
The book had an honesty about it that comes from the author having essentially the same perspective as the characters, but that perspective was sometimes disorganized and focused on things that didn't add up to being as compelling as it could have been. The quote on the back cover that is used in the book is that the best friend "saves the world," but there's no world saving here. She drives her to one doctor appointment, and she calls her aunt to have her get the friend one day at a modeling agency with another character you aren't even supposed to like until the last third of the story. The arc of the book doesn't even center around the actual impact that being pregnant has on a teenager's life. The conflict around Melissa's pregnancy is about working up the nerve to tell her parents. I get how this could seem like a big deal in the world of a 14-year old, but high drama it is not, especially when all of the fallout where the actual life changes come in get summarized in the last 2 pages.
Jaime, the narrator, also has a separate story line about her becoming more assertive and less of a "doormat." This seems to be accomplished by being the lead in the play, calling her estranged father, and getting a boyfriend (not necessarily in that order). However, the set up of her being a doormat is just told to us over and over without much in the way of demonstrating any effect this had on her life before so the transformation doesn't seem to have much impact.
I checked up on the author to see if she had written the second novel touted in her biographical blurb, and the answer is no. There is no further work from this author that has been published. I subsequently discovered that she is the daughter of a novelist, which explains a lot. If this manuscript had gone into a slush pile it would have never seen the light of day, but handed directly to an agent/editor as a favor for their award-winning client (the author's mother), there's just enough honesty and novelty to see if it can scoot by on its charm. I can see how the right person could connect with the themes of this story, but it wouldn't be too difficult to find better books on the same topics.
The book had an honesty about it that comes from the author having essentially the same perspective as the characters, but that perspective was sometimes disorganized and focused on things that didn't add up to being as compelling as it could have been. The quote on the back cover that is used in the book is that the best friend "saves the world," but there's no world saving here. She drives her to one doctor appointment, and she calls her aunt to have her get the friend one day at a modeling agency with another character you aren't even supposed to like until the last third of the story. The arc of the book doesn't even center around the actual impact that being pregnant has on a teenager's life. The conflict around Melissa's pregnancy is about working up the nerve to tell her parents. I get how this could seem like a big deal in the world of a 14-year old, but high drama it is not, especially when all of the fallout where the actual life changes come in get summarized in the last 2 pages.
Jaime, the narrator, also has a separate story line about her becoming more assertive and less of a "doormat." This seems to be accomplished by being the lead in the play, calling her estranged father, and getting a boyfriend (not necessarily in that order). However, the set up of her being a doormat is just told to us over and over without much in the way of demonstrating any effect this had on her life before so the transformation doesn't seem to have much impact.
I checked up on the author to see if she had written the second novel touted in her biographical blurb, and the answer is no. There is no further work from this author that has been published. I subsequently discovered that she is the daughter of a novelist, which explains a lot. If this manuscript had gone into a slush pile it would have never seen the light of day, but handed directly to an agent/editor as a favor for their award-winning client (the author's mother), there's just enough honesty and novelty to see if it can scoot by on its charm. I can see how the right person could connect with the themes of this story, but it wouldn't be too difficult to find better books on the same topics.
December 28, 2021
it was an okay quick and easy reading. i had to read it for summer reading in middle school
February 24, 2022
I enjoyed this book a lot, it was a short read but I felt like it conveyed a good message about teen pregnancy and how others can be judgemental.
November 4, 2022
good book
May 29, 2012
Doormat is an amazing book, and I really find it hard to believe that it was never as popular as I imagined it should be. There is nothing very new or exciting about the plot, but the narration is fantastic. I've posted a quote because I feel like it could do more to convince people of this novel's greatness than anything I could write:
Have you ever felt that something is so impossible that it's barely even real to you at all? Or felt that something is so far away that you can dismiss the possibility of its ever reaching you, and in doing so, dismiss the possibility of its existence before you even consider it possible? I suppose if I had a crush on Greg, that would be the type of crush I would have. As in, "Yeah, right."
January 25, 2011
with melissa being the center of everything and jamie being the lame best friend jamie feels unappreciated and sent to be in melissa's shadow.melissa is perfect everyone loves her and and jamie is hardly noticed. melissa wants to be a model she's beautiful but theres one problem .....SHE'S PREGNANT! and wont get an abbourction because she is catholic and refuses to tell her parrents she is pregnant at 14. and she ecpects jamie to save the world and help her in her darkest moments. yet jamie has other things on her mind too,she has the lead roll of the school play and a new boyfriend zach but realizes melissa needs her more than ever and with zach's help the baby is born.
January 17, 2009
This was a super fast read and a semi-interesting book. Since it was written by a 15-year-old girl, it was really impressive. A book about a girl who is used to bowing to the wishes of her best friends is backed against a wall when her friend gets pregnant. This is just a snippet in the life of a teenager who is having to grow up too fast. A symptom of today's society? Who knows, but it's a cute book.
March 15, 2013
I liked this book because it seems so realistic! Because the situation the main character is going through (teen pregnancy). This book is about a girl that gets pregnant and asks her best friend if she can help her out with the situation. While this guy Zack overhears them talking about it, they have to include him. The 3 of them go to a planned parenthood office alone and try to learn more about the situation.
November 26, 2012
i thought that this was an easy and entertaining book. it got a little confusing at the end about what was happening but it also gives some good advise. i would deffinately recommend this book to anyone it was a really good read and it was short and easy to finish. but this is a really good question, what would you do if your best friend was pregnant?...
July 2, 2016
Not a bad book, just not really my my favorite. I'm in a summer reading program that has me reading young adult novels each week. This was one my son picked out, and I wanted to read it before he did, and I'm so glad I did! Not really appropriate for my 13 year old boy. The book dealt with 14 year old girls and dealing with ones pregnancy.
March 5, 2015
Jaime is used to her best friend, Melissa, being the center of attention, but when she ends up pregnant and wants Jaime's help, there's not much Jaime can do until she figures out how to stop being stepped on and still be a good friend.
January 13, 2010
Teenage girl book. Written by a teenager. Girl trying to deal with her best friend getting pregnant. Good insight on being pregnant in high school with perspectives from all sides, the pregnant girl, the best friend of the pregnant girl, the father of the baby.
August 30, 2015
Short and fast-paced, so good for reluctant readers; however, it almost moved TOO fast towards the end, and could've used a little more fleshing out. However, a good story nonetheless.
3/5 on here, 7/10 for myself
3/5 on here, 7/10 for myself
May 30, 2013
a quick book i picked up after a student read it. it is wholly appropriate and maybe informative for our younger students. it has a great message for both young pregnant teens and also for friends who let others take over their whole lives.
September 5, 2013
Quick thoughts:
-Holy moly, this was written by a fifteen year old and now i feel awful about myself.
-Like Margaret from 'Are You There God' grown up a couple of years. Minimal in details, but a strong voice and characters that helped push the story.
-Holy moly, this was written by a fifteen year old and now i feel awful about myself.
-Like Margaret from 'Are You There God' grown up a couple of years. Minimal in details, but a strong voice and characters that helped push the story.
June 30, 2009
Not bad for a 15-year-old author.
July 2, 2009
I finished this book in an hour in a half. It's an okay book.
November 16, 2012
Doormat is novel about teenage pregnancy. What I liked most about this book was that it was written by a teenager! Great job on your first novel, Kelly McWilliams!
August 21, 2010
This book was Ok. Nothing really popped out but nithing was really boring. It really surprised me to know who the baby's father was. The fact that this book was written by a 16 year old is great.
February 22, 2011
Super-short, fine, whatever
February 26, 2013
The symbolism of the doormat is perfect for this character. Any middle school student that reads this book will finally understand what symbols are in the fantastic novels we read
September 2, 2013
Loved it!
I wouldn't mind reading it again.
I wouldn't mind reading it again.
March 2, 2014
I'm currently reading this book. This is very interesting, I recommend this book to a lot of people.
April 28, 2014
Not the most amazing book I've read about being a teen but there were a few lines that made me smirk to myself. Fast read.
February 25, 2015
awesome just awesome
May 19, 2012
BEST BOOK EVER <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews