A Girl Named Mister

by Nikki Grimes

My boyfriend used to think
it was cute,
a girl named Mister.
Used to think I was cute.
Used to be my boyfriend
what feels like
a million years ago.
Then again, I used to be a good Christian girl,
the kind who would never, well...
Just goes to show
how little people know.
Even I was surprised by me.
Now, I close my eyes
hoping to see
exactly where I went wrong.

Mary Rudine, called Mister by almost everyone, has attended church and sung in the choir for as long as she can remember. But then she meets Trey. His long lashes and smooth words make her question what she knows is right, and one mistake leaves her hiding a growing secret.

Another Mary is preparing for her upcoming wedding and has done everything according to Jewish law. So when an angel appears one night and tells her that she—a virgin—will give birth, Mary can't help but feel confused, and soon finds herself struggling with the greatest blessing the world will ever know.

Feeling abandoned, Mister is drawn to Mary's story, and together both young women discover the depth of God's love and the mysteries of his divine plan.

Genres: Young Adult, Poetry, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Christian, Teen

223 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2010

Reviews

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Punishment”
What else would you call it?
I know girls who have sex every day
and walk away.
Me, I break God’s law once,
and look what it gets me. (121)

I received a copy of A Girl Named Mister through GoodReads.com’s FirstReads giveaway program. One point in this book’s favor: it is a quick and easy read. (I breezed through it in about two hours.) This is due to the fact that the book is written in verse, so even though it is 223 pages in length, consider the fact that about 50% of each page is clean white space.

This book is about an adolescent girl, Mary Rudine. (She is called Mister by her friends, from her initials M.R., thus the title of the novel. This fact has no importance, however, except to give the book a clever title.) Mary becomes pregnant at age 15. This is the premise of the novel (maybe more appropriately termed a novella because of its length) so it’s no spoiler. In fact, I found nothing really in the novella that was not surprising or a plot point that could not be derived from the basic plot. In short, the story was quite predictable: Good Christian girl gets tempted by guy who seems decent but just wants her for her body. Good Christian girl gives in to his desire for forbidden fruit just once and bam! She’s got a bun in the oven. Good Christian girl is torn apart by guilt, best friend’s rejection, etc. etc. etc.

Really, Nikki Grimes? Is this the best you can do?

I realize some people might be attracted to this work because of the unique fact that it is written entirely in verse. I like poetry sometimes. It depends on the author, the style, etc. I am by no means an expert on poetry. That being said, I found that Grimes’ poetry leaves much to be desired.

For one, the fact that the entire work is in verse makes the narrative poems weak and they might not have seemed as lacking were the narrative written in prose. For example, the poem/chapter “For Me” (page 20):

I’m not sure when it happened
but one Sunday I woke up
and for me,
church was mostly about
hanging out with friends
at God’s house.
And for the longest time,
that seemed to be enough.
After worship,
Mom would flash me a smile
that said “Good girl!”
as Seth and I trotted off to youth group.

I ask you: Is this a poem? Or is this simply a paragraph with random line breaks to give it the appearance of poetry? This is one of the struggles I have with poetry. It is a very subjective art, more so (in my opinion) than fiction. One person believes that a poem is the most amazing piece of art he has ever read, while his friend might find its imagery stale, its rhymes cliché, and its subject trite.

I did like some of Grimes’ poems/chapters, mostly the ones that were not narrative, but instead focused on emotions or moments in time. For example, “Restless” (page 21) is directly opposite to “For Me” and ten times better:

I turned the music
of the world
way up,
my feet itching to dance
to a new rhythm,
something other than
gospel.

See? Wasn’t that nice? Very evocative, great imagery with the dancing feet, and the idea of “the music of the world” was quite fresh. Unfortunately, the majority of the novella is made up of pieces more like “For Me” than “Restless.”

So, let’s say you like Grimes’ poetry, even the dry narrative bits. What else is A Girl Named Mister lacking?

Believable characters. May I start with how the character Trey left a bad taste in my mouth? And not because he tempted Mary away from God and violated the sacred temple of her body and all that. No. He pisses me off because he is so stereotypical and two-dimensional. You can push his character over like a cardboard cut-out. Example? Trey gets tired of the group dates Mary insists on and suggests that they “go on a real date,” just the two of them (29). What happens on this first date? “Before I know it, / his hand is rubbing my inner thigh, / racing toward my waist, / reaching underneath my —” (31).

I reiterate: really, Nikki Grimes? Is this the best you can do?

How stereotypical that this boy who “doesn’t go to church / but seems to like Christian kids” and “probably believes in God” (24) would try to get his hand in a girl’s pants on the very first date. Really? Can’t we give the poor kid the benefit of a doubt? Just for the sake of all the other decent boys out that there who don’t go to church, but still believe in God, and would respect a girl enough to wait at least a week before trying to get all touchy-feely.

Trey is not a character in this story. He is not a person. He is a MacGuffin: he exists only to spur the action onward.

The same can be said for Mary’s bff, Sethany. Sethany has no depth in the story except to be there to reject Mary after Mary has broken her promise to God to wait until marriage, and then to be there to accept Mary once again in a reminder of the infinite forgiveness of which God is capable.

And the character of LaVonne Taylor (105, 199-201)? Wow. Grimes just uses Taylor to remind her readers that abortion is bad and, if you are a good Christian, you won’t share “more than a superficial similarity” with people who would have abortions. Mary considers an abortion too, of course, since “she’s some / scared-crazy kid / entertaining fleeting notions / of throwing herself / down a long flight of stairs,” but she “know[s] / how God feels about that” (155). Taylor is just there to drive the point home and demonstrate how people who would have abortions are not people with whom you want to associate.

A large part of the novella is poetry about the Virgin Mary and her struggles. Surprise! They mostly mirror Mary’s! I found the majority to be unenlightening. One in particular bothered me, “Reflection” (66-67). In this poem, Mary decides she wants to view the holy sacrifices, something in which women traditionally have no part. Her father is flustered by this announcement and demands to her mother, “Speak to your daughter!” (67) Mary seems to tell her father this just to piss him off. Mary’s mother even notices this and is proud: “ ‘I see what joy it gives you / to frighten your father. / But I ask you, / why settle for being equal with men?’ ” (67) Really? We’re turning the Virgin Mary, mother of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, a woman who some people consider a saint, into an immature girl who is just trying to get a rise out of her father? People might view this as a moment of empowerment! Of feminism! Of asserting our natural place in the world next to men, not behind them! I would argue that Mary needs no embellishments. She is the mother of Christ. She’s got more clout there than any other walking uterus in the Bible. She bears her burden of motherhood to a savior, and later watching said savior, her son, be crucified, like a champ.

I could go on and on. I wouldn’t know where to stop. The ending, I guess, which, ugh. I have problems with that too.

However, I will try to end on a more positive note:

I believe Nikki Grimes wrote this for teenage girls who might be questioning their faith in God, whether they should adhere to the tradition of waiting until marriage to have sex, troubled Christian girls who have already made the mistake of having sex and are in a boat similar to Mary’s, or other adolescent issues that come up naturally in the course of a girl maturing into a woman.

I also believe that this novella will ultimately not help most girls with their concerns and questions. Like most experts recommend, if your son or daughter is troubled, or you suspect that they are, sitting down with them for a good long chat is your best bet to helping them out. No text can adequately substitute the love of a parent. And A Girl Named Mister ultimately supports this supposition. Though Mary gains much comfort from the fictional book of poetry Mary, Mary, ultimately it is her mother who comes through for her, giving her a shoulder to cry on and supporting her completely in her time of need.

[s0nicfreak · Rating 1 out of 5]

With the man character being a highly religious girl with a purity ring, this book could have been a good way to educate about birth control and deal with the reality that people have sex. Instead it just uses fear-mongering at an attempt to encourage abstinence. It reinforces the belief of adults that everyone under 18 is an idiot. It reinforces the lies told to teens that no matter what you do, if you have sex before marriage horrible things will happen. This book is just bad for everyone.

This girl - who chose to commit a sin and is being punished for it - is being likened to the Virgin Mary. How is that not sacrilege?

On top of all this, the whole thing reads more like a horribly formatted diary than a series of poems. The book uses its formatting to seem longer and sell at a higher price, but once one starts reading one finds that it is incredibly short and can be blown through quickly. Even if I enjoyed the story, I would say a book of this length is not worth its price, which is better suited to a full-length novel.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Once I started reading it I simply couldn't stop and ended up reading it all at once.

A Girl Named Mister is the story of a 14 year old girl who breaks her promise of abstinence to God and finds herself pregnant after her first time having sex. Throughout the book we go back and forth from Mister's perspective and a book of poetry called Mary Mary. The author is able to dance back and forth between these two flawlessly. The writing is beautiful and lyrical. I really can't say enough about how amazing the book is.

Mister is one if the best characters I have ever read about. I related to her on such a crazy level. Granted I was also a christian teen mom so I may be a little bias. Either way, I absolutely adore her and she is one of my favorite fictional characters. Also, this is now one of my all time favorite books.

I recommend this to everyone. If you like books in verse, try it! If you like stories about teen moms, try it! If you want a quick read, try it! It's written in verse and only takes about 2 hours from start to finish so what have you got to lose?


You can find this and all my other reviews at https://fourmoonreviews.blogspot.com

[Donna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book in our high school library as I was looking for books for a black history month display that celebrates poetry. So many YA novels are now being written in verse. This one caught my attention because it included a teen who finds herself pregnant at age 14 as she discovers a book about Mary, the mother of Christ, who also finds herself pregnant as a teen. This novel goes back and forth between voices and stories and is beautifully written.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original post at One More Page

I'm not a poetry person. When I was younger, I tried my hand at writing some poems because I wanted to be a writer. I started off with the poems with correct syllables and enough rhymes, and then I graduated to free verse poems which didn't have the same poetic tone that other poems I read do. When I got to college and joined our literary folio, I decided that I am not a poet, and while I appreciate some poems every now and then, I would really rather read prose.

I can't really remember why I joined the Goodreads contest for A Girl Named Mister by Nikki Grimes. I think I was too excited to join giveaways then, and I was just clicking on "enter" whenever I see it's a genre or an author or even a publisher I'd like. I'm not always lucky with giveaways, so color me surprised when I found out I won this book. I got kind of hesitant when I found out that this was a novel in verse, but a free book is still a free book. Of course, the book was sent to my dad (and it kind of took forever to get there), and I wasn't able to get it until he stopped over in the country last weekend before heading to China for a company event.

A Girl Named Mister is a novel in verse about a 14-year-old girl named Mary Rudine, nicknamed "Mister" for her initials. She's your typical Christian teenager who grew up in church: she's a part of the choir, her best friends were from church and she believes in preserving her purity for marriage. Then she meets Trey, whose beautiful eyelashes captured her heart and eventually everything she has. As Mister struggles with her secret guilt and its seed, another Mary's story plays out. This teenage Mary has always been a good Jewish girl, and she was soon to be wed to Joseph. When an angel appears before her and tells her she would be a virgin mother, her world is turned upside down. Mister finds solace in this Mary, and as she gets to know more about her namesake, she finds out just how deep God's love and how big God's plans can be.

I breezed through this book in a night. Being written in verse, it was a quick and easy read, almost like I was reading some kind of Psalm. However, the issues it tackled weren't really easy. The story is as real as it can be, and I know it is happening to other teenage girls everywhere in the world. The good thing about this novel is how the author juxtaposed Mister's story with Mary's story. It was kind of hard to fathom at first how Mister, who bore the weight of her sin with her literally, could relate to Mary the mother of Jesus, whose pregnancy was divinely ordained. I liked how the author showed that even if Mister sinned, He still had a purpose for her and she is not a lost cause. It's easy to put God in a box and think that He cannot do anything about us when we do something bad. But as I've learned -- not only in this book but in real life -- His ways are higher than our ways, and He is bigger than whatever sin we can ever commit in this life. No matter how big the guilt is, His grace is still bigger and stronger and more powerful than that.

I also liked how real Mary came off in this book. It's easy to think that Mary as this sweet, solemn-faced woman who followed God's will without hesitation. In Nikki Grimes' novel, we see Mary's struggles as she accepted God's will, as she told Joseph and her parents about the angel's message and even her struggles as she carried Jesus in her womb. It's always nice to realize that even if Mary was set apart by God to carry His son, she was also still very human. This book helped me see another side of Mama Mary. I thought the author got it spot on with this particular part:

EASY

I always thought
Mary had it easy,
her knowing all along
God was the one
who wrote her story.
Guess I was wrong.
Turns out
she needed God
as bad as me. (p. 171)

A Girl Named Mister is a quick but not exactly an easy read. It made me cry and sigh, but in the end it made me smile as I, with Mister, realize the power of God's forgiveness, the grace of second chances and the depth of His love. :) Highly recommended.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this today, this morning, while I drank my coffee. :) It's a very fast book, even for a slower reader I'm sure.
I hadn't any plans to read this actually although I have heard of Nikki Grimes before I didn't have any of her books on my to-read list. I was walking through the library and hauling a huge stack of books I'd already checked out for Julia (with a few for myself) when I noticed this for whatever reason. The title is what had to capture my attention first since the spine was the only part of the book I could see. But the cover is what kept my attention. The model on the cover is striking. I normally could do without close ups - it just shows too much IMO - but it's like this woman needs a close up. It's not often that I really think the character(s) portrayed on a book cover actually mesh with the character I'm reading about. But this model works as Mary.
I grabbed it even though I noticed, on the inside flap, the religious aspect, because I basically figured 'how religious can it really be'? It's obviously not the sort of preachy book I steer clear of.
And I ended up enjoying the 10 or so minutes it took to read this very much. It's a book I'd hand to Julia if she were older. It's a book I may hand to Julia when she's older.
I doubt there are many girls out there who can't relate to Mary/Mister in some way, no matter they're color, age, or sexual activity/lack of sexual activity.
Grimes did a great job shadowing Mary, the Mother of God, with Mary Rudine, a.k.a., MR, a.k.a., Mister.
A Girl Called Mister is in verse so which makes it much more palatable for reluctant readers. I can't honestly say I think many boys would be thrilled with it but that's to be expected. The good thing about that is that from the back of this book I see Grimes has another book, Dark Sons, that seems the male version of this with a different subject. (I may get this sometime just to see what similarities/differences there are.)
I think this would be perfect for a lot of pre-teens and young teens. Who knows, maybe it'll help some young girl out there put things in perspective before instead of after.
One of the best things about the book is the unexpected. Certain parts, in other books that is, are almost always along a certain route. Grimes did something a little different at times. Think of most of the YA books where a young teen tells her Mother she's pregnant. We all know how that usually ends. Instead of her Mother flying into a rage, she's there to help from the start. That seems like a small different but it's actually quite big IMO. And it really did help the story so much more by being different.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Rudine, nicknamed Mister, brought up with the Bible, has sex once with a boy, and finds herself pregnant. What I liked about this novel in verse is how Mister's story is interwoven with that of Mary's virgin birth of Jesus, which Mister reads for comfort, to help her accept what has happened to her, and to find the courage to tell her mother, her best friend, and the baby's father. Mary herself is depicted as trusting in God but very unsure as to how Joseph and her family will react to a virgin pregnancy. A surprise twist toward the end also allows Mister to see her mother in a new light. This quick read is perfect for reluctant readers, and recommended.

[Shannon Fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very fast read.

I read it while sitting on the floor of Barnes and Noble, and it took me about an hour? (More or less, not sure).

Point is, if you want to read this book, but you aren't sure about it, the goal can be accomplished very quickly, so you won't waste any of your time doing so.

Which is good, because I'd have been pissed if I wasted serious time on this.

In general, it was very generic and not all that interesting. I like issue books, and I'm fine with reading basically the same book, where a girl has a problem (getting pregnant in high school in this case), and has to figure out what to do. I love that book. I've read it a lot, and enjoyed it every time. And that's because every time, each other adds nuances that make it unique and interesting. But nothing in this book stood out. Great concept, very bland execution.

So she's a hardcore Christian, and this messes with her belief, fine, I'm happy to read that, and I want to. But there was no real struggle with faith in this, where a character is literally brought to their knees because they've been wrestling with the idea of god. There was no pitiful moments of torture where you get to see someone at their lowest (which makes it even better when they pick themselves up again.) There was no real struggle here, which is the most interesting part of these kinds of books.

Everything was just very one-dimensional, including standard supportive best friend who struggles, but ultimately forgives and accepts best friend back, evil boy who knocks her up on their first real date and then ignores her, mom who tries to give her daughter the world, but struggles because she was also a teen parent. And the other pregnant girl in school (who considered an abortion, but waited too long, and now is clearly awful, cuz she wants nothing to do with her baby. You know, because a person can't consider an abortion and still be a decent person.)

So bland, and so stupid. This is why I generally don't read fiction with a Christian bent, because it's all very standard one dimensional fare that doesn't go deeper into the nuances of things. Everything is just black and white. And that's boring. Now don't get me wrong, I've read Christian fiction that I have enjoyed before, but those are the special books that understand that life isn't that cut and dry, and we get to see the characters struggle with that as well. We get to watch their faith unravel as they try to reconcile the grey areas with the strict religion they've always been fed, and then ultimately either let go of religion, or learn that you can love god and still be a good person, even if you don't adhere to a strict "hellfire and brimstone, you're all going to hell" sort of view.

This book had none of that. Thankfully though, like I said, it was short, so my suffering was too. and that is mostly because it was written in verse. Now I have a certain philosophy about books written in anything but standard form (verse, epistolary, etc), and it is that when you forgo traditional words, you tend to lose this, mostly descriptive things, because you cut out some of the words you need to really describe people or convey the imagery of a place. And that's ok if the trade off is that the story telling becomes more unique and the alternative format adds something to the book. I have read epistolary novels that made that trade and were amazing, because the format really showed something extra that plain old words wouldn't have.

This book also doesn't do that. The trade off here is not worth it. We end up with one dimensional characters that have no development, settings and such that are completely absent, and for what? Basically nothing. Because the "poems" aren't even really poems. It's like this author simply wrote down the shortest, easiest version of her novel, and then instead of including anything even remotely descriptive, she just said, forget it, and chopped those bare bones up into small chunks and hit the enter key a bunch of times (after every five or so words), and decided to call the result "poems." Blegh.

I will give the book this credit, in YA, parents, and decent adults in general are very scarce, so I liked that Mary's mom was loving and supportive.

Though sadly, that doesn't save the otherwise tragically boring and bland mess that is this book. Perhaps this book would seem more profound if I had read the "Mary, Mary" parts (poems from the Virgin Mary's perspective that our character is reading in a book), but I just couldn't be bothered. And from what I gather from other reviews, they pretty much mirror the issues our Mary is having, and I'm not missing much.

Ok, last thing that bugged me: the ending. It seemed very abrupt, and I get that a story about pregnancy naturally comes to a close once the baby is born, but actually, no it doesn't, because after that is a whole new life to delve into. And for a good portion of this damn book, Mary is conflicted, wondering whether to give the baby up for adoption or keep it, what is she gonna do!? And at the end, we don't even find out, it's just all, "I can't decide what to do, oh shit, I'm in labor, fuck, this can't be happening yet, i still haven't decided what to do, oh the pain, the pain of birth, omg, the baby, it's here, and I magically forget the pain I was just in, cuz isn't this baby precious?" END. No closure, we never find out what she does with the baby, what happens afterwards, whether she keeps it and learns to be a mother, or adopts it and moves on with her life, but still watches her kid grow up from afar, or just forgets about the baby entirely and moves away and reinvents herself and pretends it never happened, NOTHING. And after investing what little time in this bullshit, I was basically only reading by the end to see what happened, and then I didn't even get to know.

Whatever, thankfully I read this book before buying it, because I would have been sorely disappointed.

[Taneka · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A pregnant teenager finds support and forgiveness from God through a book of poetry presented from the Virgin Mary's perspective."

I didn't really like this book as much as I did Dark Sons. For one, Ishmael and Sam's stories were extremely similar, damn near parallel. However, Mary Rudine, AKA Mister, and Mary, mother of Jesus, did not share such a similar storyline. Both were impregnated, yes, however, Mister had sex with some "piss tail boy", and Mary was impregnated by the holy spirit. But in the end they both did something that takes an act of faith, and that is to trust in God.

I wish Nikki Grimes would write more stories like these. I think they are great in connecting the word of God to current events in the lives of teenagers.

[Lauren Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Rudine aka Mister grows up living her life in the church. Loses her virginity and gets pregnant. Does she keep it? This book was just okay. I gave it 3 stars because I love the format, little vignettes. I love the back and forth between her story and Mary in the Bible. But very littler character development and I don’t like how it ends. Honestly I just read this so I could reach my book goal.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sober subject presented in a very interesting way.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough one.

As I have said before, a book can be really good, but if it doesn't have a good ending, it spoils everything. I was ready to give this story four stars, until I got to the end.

Mary, known as Mister, because her initials are MR, is in high school and gets pregnant by her new boyfriend, because she gives in to temptation, despite trying to be "pure" until marriage.

I kind of agree with what another review said, that this, as a teaching book, would have been a good time to talk about birth control, but the point of the book is paralleling Mary, mother of Jesus, and how she felt as an unwed mother. Mister reads a book called "Mary Mary" which shows how their lives are similar and that they have to both have faith in their god. The book ends with a teaching section of questions. A sample questions is:

How did Mister get swept away by her emotions for Trey? How would you have reacted to Trey?

I'm not quite sure who this book is for. I'm not sure if it is trying to push abstinence, or trying to push to tell girls not to abort, or what. I'm not quite sure that the message is that your life is different if you are a teenager who gets pregnant? I'm really not sure at all.

The story is well written, however, even if I do not agree with its message.

The book is very easy to read, being written in short verse, with only a little bit per page.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was actually much better than I thought. When I heard this book was filled with nothing but poetry I was a bit nervous about opening this book. I mean, I do like poetry, but it normally doesn't hold much interest for me. However, with this book it was much different. I opened it up, and didn't put it down until I finished the very last page. Even though it took me a scant hour to read the book's entirety I found myself taken on a special journey. With poetry about both Mister and Mary I got to live life through their eyes with all their fears, joys, and concerns. Neither of their lives were perfect, but they both found solace in God. This book is truly magical and I recommend it to everyone, but most especially Christians.

(I had received this book from Goodreads First Reads.)

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Girl Named Mister by Nikki Grimes

Mary Rudine also known as Mister, is a young Christian girl, and is determined to save her special gift for her betrothed. She wears a purity ring to symbolize her vow. When she meets handsome and long eye-lashed, Trey, she is tempted to give in. No longer able to resist, Trey’s charms, her resolve melts. Afterwards, she struggles to be the Christian girl she believes no longer exists, and the aftermath of her decision.

When I first began, I wasn’t sure if I would finish. I wasn’t used to the storytelling style, but the more I read the more addicted I became. Grimes’ storytelling is prolific and poetic. She parallels Mister’s story, to that of the Virgin Mary, how both experience the joys and pains of motherhood. She delivered a non preachy message of God’s enduring love, even when we as followers don’t feel it’s deserved.

[dearlittledeer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short novel in verse about a Christian girl who has sex, regrets it, and then discovers she's pregnant. The story of "Mister" (M.R.) is interspersed with the story of the Virgin Mary as she awaits the birth of Jesus. It works. Not sure who I would recommend it to -- Christian kids might be scandalized by the fact that Mister has sex, but then maybe they should read this to see that not everyone who does it before marriage is a "bad" person. Mister struggles, but her faith is what gets her through.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend A Girl Named Mister to anyone. It combines spirtuality and everyday life dealing with teen pregnancy. The story is told through a fifteen year old girl named Mary and the tough choices she's made and the difficult decisions that await her. Along the way she refers to the Biblical Mary to help her through her most trying time in her life. Nikki Grimes did a wonderful job, I just love her books/poetry. Thanks Goodreads and sponsor.

[Michayla (WaitingfortheSecondStar) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel that Grimes captures perfectly the fear, guilt, and shame that comes with “breaking a promise to God.”

This book is not for everyone. Some of the “religious” expressions may be offensive or off-putting to anyone who didn’t grow up in church and/or doesn’t have a strong understanding of Christianity. But, for me, it was like a walk back through my teenage years—and the outpouring of support Mister receives in the end is comforting and hope-filled.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting, quick read. It is written in verse. Some lines are very good, others are cheesy. Overall, it's good, though it ends with some ambiguity, which I'm not a big fan of.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Might contain spoilers**
- I loved reading this book. This is one of the few Christian poetry books that had me hanging onto every word. I especially loved the fact that the book was centred around a disgraced and taboo topic. The author of this book did an amazing job at intertwining two stories in perfect harmony. Even though the plot was pretty predictable the book offered new insight and a new way to approach the topic of teen pregnancy made up for the plot. But every good thing has its negatives. Something that I did not appreciate is the fact that the book offers no information on the characters lives and the setting of the book. Overall I think this is a book for every age. Whether you are Christian or not this is an amazing book that has something for everyone.

- This book follows the life of Mary Rudine a high school girl who is devoted to God and his work. She spends all her time in the church from choir practice to daily vocational bible school. The church is practically her second home. In an age of endless sin, Mary and her friend promise themselves to God until marriage. And even though she is just a high school girl Mary believes that there is nothing that will ever make her break her promise to God. That is until she meets Trey a boy whom she cannot seem to control her emotions around. A boy whom she thinks loves her for who she is. Little does she know that he was only using her. However, she discovers this too late. And with nine months to spare she now has to learn how to live with and hold her "consequence." Furthermore, she has to learn how to forgive herself and look at herself through God's word and eyes.

[FeMiee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The apple does not fall far from the tree. So it's about a girl named Mister. She got that nickname from the initial of her real name, "Mary Rudine." She is a Christian girl who experienced teenage pregnancy at 15. The guilt of breaking a promise of God to stay pure is weighing her down as she remembers a book called "Mary, Mary" which her mom read when she was carrying her as a teenage mom as well. Mister and her mom found comfort from the book and continued the faith they had in God that got lost after they committed a sin.

I like how the author wrote some of her work there, including parts of the book Mister reads. I can really imagine the scenarios of the book.

It's an easy read book, I read it for about 2 hours only, and I quite enjoyed it. Some people might not like it because they might think, "Wow, the audacity of coming back to God after commiting a sin." As I remembered, God washes our sins every day and forgives His children. If God can forgive a murderer, rapist, liar, and stealer, He I believe can forgive Mister. We don't go to the hospital if we're healthy, but we know it's always there when we may or may not need it. I'm not talking about a hospital. God heals the broken, my friend.

[Maurice Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was different than I expected, but good nonetheless. It was more lyrical, more poetry than prose, yet it had the same effect on my that reading a traditionally written novel.

Mary Rudine (nicknamed Mister) is living a normal life; sings in the church choir, plays volleyball and does what's expected of her: until she meets Trey. One night of letting things get out of hand and she finds herself "in trouble," as the old folks might say.

Reading about the virgin Mary calms her spirit, despite all the turmoil in her life now. She finds in the mother of the Messiah a kindred spirit, which gives her the strength to tell her mother and the father of her child, and to push on despite feeling scared about what is to come.

Powerful work- I highly recommend it to all teenage girls and young women who might be in Mary Rudine's shoes- or who might be about to step into them.

[Lianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been on my reading list for over a decade. I’m glad I finally found it.
Considering all the Mary of Nazareth POV included, I kept waiting for it to feel sacrilegious, and it never really did. I’m Catholic, so this is impressive.
This kind of poetry makes a lot of sense to me. I don’t know why. I almost never read poetry. But I quite liked reading this poetry.
My only real issue is how abrupt the ending felt. I wanted it to be a bit more drawn out. But I suppose the suddenness of it made sense.
Overall, it’s a well-written book and I’d recommend it to anyone whose interest is piqued by the summary.

[EmmaB · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's lovely to spend a summer afternoon reading a novel in verse, and Nikki Grimes doesn't disappoint. I appreciated the parallels of the Mary/ Mary story, and the quiet grief of a simple mistake. Grimes shows better than most what can prompt teens to wait to ignore to hope to wish to grapple with pregnancy for too long, and for parents to hope for better without explaining why. She also presents a case for loving oneself through all manner of mistakes. MR made one, and it changed her life. I hope she made a decision she could live with.

[Abby Pandina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an average of 3.67 stars, the copyright date is 2010, and the major themes include teen pregnancy, mother-daughter relationships, and Mary the mother of Jesus. My favorite part of this story are the poems written from the perspective of Mary, transporting the reader to ancient Jewish culture, and how they tie into the life of an afraid and pregnant 15 year old. I would consider having this story in my classroom library as an option for older students to read if they so choose. It is written in verse, so the book can be finished pretty fast.

[Rheetha Lawlor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw that many people were opposed to this book, but I thought it was very well written. The truth is that she was a teenager, and her fear was real. Her feelings of betrayal was real. And when someone is raised in the church and ends up pregnant, then there is also the shock of disappointment to the expectations. But what I did like was that she was trying to still relate to her faith. And that her mother was supportive. It's a quick read, and while I know it is controversial to promote the idea of adoption, I applaud Ms. Grimes for posing that option.

[Patrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one day. An easy read. Mister (who's real name is Mary) is a good Christian girl who ends up getting pregnant. After Mister loses her virginity, she starts to read a book called Mary Mary which is about the mother of Jesus. All throughout the book, it switches from Mister to Mary showing what they both are thinking and going through. It was a fine book. I would recommend this for young girls.

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found some old reviews that I didn't put on Goodreads among my Mary books. Can you tell I'm moving?
This is about a young 15-year-old African American girl who gets pregnant. Her thoughts are companions to Mary's thoughts.

I recommend Elizabeth Berg's The Handmaid and the Carpenter, which breathed more life into Mary's thoughts.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really gives the reader some things to think about. The parallels between our main character and Mary, mother of Jesus, are remarkable. How often do we read Mary's story and not think about the reality of her world and her situation? This books forces us to take a fresh look. I think it will appeal to middle and high school students.

[Joy Kirr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the author read this on the Hoopla audio version. I think that has made all the difference. To have the author read this book about the young holy mother-to-be and another young mother-to-be was something special. Some might judge it, thinking that the author compares both women, but I think Mary was there to support this young lady, not for comparison.

[J.C. Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to read a sequel, written maybe 10 years after the story ends...what happens to Mister's life when she's 25? Did she let the baby be adopted? What of Trey?

It seems appropriate to read this book at this time of year, since part of the book is about Mary and the Nativity.

I enjoyed it...especially as a writer of verse novels myself.