No Use for a Name

Gr 9 Up—Baby learns at 15 that her parents did not ever get around to naming her when she was born and left her name as "Baby Girl Anderson." Thus begins the spiral of events that almost ruin her life. Baby tries to navigate through high school while living with her neglectful mother, deciding between two boys in her school, and dealing with the cheerleading squad. Her journey is fast and furious—anything that a teenager could imagine as a worst-case scenario happens to Wright's characters. Readers have many supporting characters thrown at them early on, but none of them are fully developed. The language and sexual situations serve more as distractions than as crucial points to the plot. Many contemporary themes are explored in this work, but the book feels oversaturated. Teens who enjoy a fast pace and overblown, surface-level adolescent drama will appreciate this offering.