Unforgettable Books I Read in Grade School

When I was in 7th grade I read Mr. & Mrs. Bo Jo Jones by Ann Head, about a 16 yr old couple who have sex on the first date (this was the 60s!) and she gets pregnant. They decide to get married--their parents all freak, but support them emotionally. They move into a little apartment above a garage, and her father gets BoJo a job at his bank. She's bored to tears home all day. Tragically, the baby dies a few days after birth, and they eventually return to their separate lives, realizing they had nothing in common but the baby.

The book made a huge impact on me at age 12, and I've read it many times as an adult. The narrator was very emotionally mature for a 16-year-old, but was meant to be read so she wrote it in retrospect.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Bo Jo Jones

 

Tuned Out, written by Maia Wojciechowska , which I also read it in 7th grade, is set in the summer of 1967 when a boy realizes his brother who he idolizes is a drug addict. Many scenes take place in Greenwich Village and on the NYC subway. What a great voice and a lesson to be learned.

 

 

Tuned Out

 

In 7th grade I also read It Can Happen to Anyone by Margaret Maze Craig. Similar to Mr. & Mrs. Bo Jo Jones, this was set in the 60s also.

 

A Long Way to Go

 

This story is about three kids whose parents disappeared while on vacation at a Florida resort. The kids decide to walk home to Georgia.