My Darling, My Hamburger

by Paul Zindel

Overview

Four friends,
Two couples,
One year that will change their lives.

Liz and Sean, both beautiful and popular, are madly in love and completely misunderstood by their parents. Their best friends, Maggie and Dennis, are shy and awkward, but willing to take the first tentative steps toward a romance of their own. Yet before either couple can enjoy true happiness, life conspires against them, threatening to destroy their friendships completely.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060757366
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/29/2005
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	4.18(w) x 6.75(h) x 0.44(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Paul Zindel (1936-2003) was born and raised on Staten Island in New York. After teaching high school science for several years, he decided to pursue a career as a playwright. His first play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Shortly thereafter, he wrote his first novel for young adults, The Pigman, which has gone on to sell millions of copies. Mr. Zindel wrote more than fifty books over the course of his life, including the popular My Darling, My Hamburger; The Pigman’s Legacy, a sequel to The Pigman; and the autobiographical The Pigman and Me.

Editorial Reviews

Maggie, who wishes she had a boyfriend like her friend Liz has, goes out with Dennis and, despite a rocky start, they begin a relationship. Meanwhile, Liz and her boyfriend Sean have an emotional, on-again, off-again relationship, but truly care for one another. On prom night, a chain of events occurs that changes these four friends lives forever. An assault on Liz brings Sean to her rescue and they end up having sex. When Liz discovers she is pregnant, they initially discuss getting married, but Sean's father talks him out of that plan. Maggie goes with Liz to get an abortion, but panics when Liz starts bleeding in the car. Maggie gets Liz's parents, and everyone in town ends up finding out about the pregnancy. By the time graduation roles around, the dynamic between these people is permanently altered. While Zindel's work is no longer quite as controversial as when it was first published, many of the issues are still relevant to today's teenagers. The book is told mostly through narratives, but notes and school papers written by the main characters add texture. Zindel's characters and situations remain as realistic today as they were more than thirty years ago. 2005 (orig. 1969), Harper Trophy, Ages 12 up.
—Amie Rose Rotruck

Children's Literature