Hanging on to Max - Margaret Bechard

Teen Pregnancies are such a common thing unfortunately among teen girls in all countries of the world , it also can happen to all sorts of girls , be they Christians , non-Christians , silly or intelligent .What you do with the situation describes how you are as a person . Many Teen books that cover this topic are told from the mother's point of view, but what happens when the roles are reversed and it is the teen father that takes control of the child .

Review : Hanging on to Max - Margaret Bechard -2002

Meet Sam Pettigrew , no relation to Miss Pettigrew who lived for a day. He is your average everyday high school senior, wanting to play basketball , sit his SAT's and get into a good college. However , there is one thing standing in his way. His responsibility has shifted from looking after himself to looking after his son Max.
Sam during his high school year got a girl pregnant , the girl however could not cope with looking after a son and wished to give him up for adoption. Sam put his foot down and took custody of the child. Now eleven months later, Sam is still at school - an alternative one suited to teen parents.
When Sam's high-school crush Claire turns up with a baby , it seems a chance for him and Claire to finally connect but once his old best-friend Andy starts turning up , Sam sees how much he misses having fun and hanging out with not a worry in the world.
Sam loves Max ,adores him even but when things start getting rough for Sam , he must decide the ultimate sacrifice that any parent would hate to make but in Sam's case it was necessary. Should he keep Max and continue his life the way he has been or should he give Max up for adoption ?
Hanging on to Max was a wonderful read and it was so refreshing to hear from the father's point of view for a change rather than the mothers.
Hanging on to Max is a heart-wrenching and warming story rolled into one as we read one teen father's plight to decide what is the best outcome for his child and that sometimes the right choice for the child is the most heartbreaking choice for the parent, one that some may regret.