Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson (0-670-05974-9) is a book that honors “normal” kids. Kids who don’t excel at school or sports, who don’t drive sports cars and are not the most popular kid in class. Ashley is not interested in going to prom with her boyfriend. They have better things to do, like planning on getting an apartment together after she graduates from high school. But then a math teacher steals the prom money and Ashley is drawn into helping her best friend scrape together a prom with no funds. As Ashley starts to participate, she begins to see that there is life beyond her own plans and that she is worthy of having larger dreams.
It is Ashley’s voice that carries this book. Her very normal teen activities, her lack of caring, her lack of self esteem all combine to create a vivid character who everyone can relate to. Actually, it is striking after reading this book how few normal teens serve as the protagonist in books for girls. This is a wonderful choice for girls and is far more than a fluffy book about prom, looking into the life of a girl that we can all relate to.