In this illustrated poem, Jane is frustrated because her parents won't give her a train, no matter how often she asks. Instead they give her more "typical" girl's toys. A well-done exploration of the frustrations of growing up female in a sexist world. (Reminiscent of "A Doll for William.") Sadly, the book is now out of print

I've been reading Klein's books since the age of 12 and her writing has inspired me to write. "Just Friends" was a nice conclusion to her life. She proved that she has a firm grasp on the minds of teenagers, that they're not all about clothes and popularity. She treats people my age like we're people with minds and personalities, which is refreshing to see.

Norma Klein is able to convince the reader by this brilliant novel of her great ability to write realistic novels about teens.

In this novel Norma Klein presents the story of two teens (Iz and Stu). Iz is keen to have a relationship with Stu. She knows Stu from Kindergarten and they are neighbours and are considered as being brother and sister by their friends. Throughout the plot a tragedy takes place. But I am not going to tell you, because you ought to read it yourself.

Anyway, one has to credit Mrs Klein for her fabulous work. I am still a teen myself. I think that she succeeds in presenting everyday problems in her novels. Yes, the problems are not very likely to happen. But still, Mrs Klein knows how teens think about certain issues. This book is a must read.

Just Friends marks the final book published by Norma Klein. Sadly, the novel is indicative of the promise that Klein had in tapping into a whole new genre of Young Adult fiction -- the final year of high school and the beginning of college. The novel contains many of the similar themes in Klein's work, namely intelligent, urban teenagers who are not mere replicas of the Sweet Valley High set. Rather, Iz, Stu, et al are bright, sensitive teens who are preoccupied with both their intellectual development juxtaposed with their burgeoning sexuality. The novel is concerned with the undercurrents of desire between best friends Iz and Stu, and through the progression of their final year of high school, both characters come to terms with the thought of leaving home for college, where they wish to go with their careers, and the ambguity of high school friendships. The novel ends with Stu and Iz daring to admit their feelings for each other and embarking on a sexual relationship, but this ending is neither sappy nor sentimental. The novel marks a satisfying, albeit untimely and sad end to Klein's career.

The text on the back of the book:

I'm Augie Lloyd and I feel like I'm eighteen going on ninety. I've always been impatient with people who aren't as smart as me. But the truth is that's just for show. In actuality, I'm scared to death. With two professor parents, it's no wonder I've exercised my mind a lot. But my body? Forget it. None of the guys from school came near me--and I'd never even had a date.

Enter Sam Feldman. He's a gorgeous former athlete from California. His parents are incredibly rich and he used to have everything--even an equally gorgeous girlfriend. But an awful car accident put him in a wheelchair. Now he's at my school in New York City and I'm tutoring him...

So here we are, the unlikeliest duo in the history of the world. Al of a sudden I don't know who I am or what I want. No one ever told me love would be like this...

Norma Klein Brings out the truth about first romances, the troubles of growing up, the fears of going off to college, exercising your mind more than your body, and taking in the truth about something you have to live with for the rest of your life. The book is about a young lady named Augie Lloyed who falls in love with Sam Feldman, a rich, gorgeous former athlete from California, who has been put into a wheelchair because of a car accident in California.

I personally love this book because a lot of subjects like sex, or leaving home, and friends being gay are talked about openly and freely. These subjects are hard for some people to talk about openly because some of your peers will think differently of you since now they know you're gay or you had sex with this one person. Also Norma Klein shows true meaning in teenage life. I would give this more than five stars!

This was great...I'd recommend it for anyone aged 12+. Well written, with a sensitive approach to disability and sexuality. Not a normal teen sort of book. 6 stars!

This is one of the few young adult novels that discusses a girl's first experience with menstruation. While the protagonist in this novel is only ten she experience this coming of age event and discusses her feelings of uncertainty and fear. Also broached in this novel is how two friends can suddenly grow apart and develop different interests, The main character is fearful of being labeled a "girly girl" by her former best friend and attempts to shed herself of all that is female, i.e. dolls, stuffed animals and her changing body. It's a good novel for mothers and daughter to read together in order to discuss how a female child's body will change as she approaches her adolescence.

I read this book and I think that it is a great book. I think it it is a book that not all, but many ten-year olds can relate to. It is about a girl, Toe Henderson, who does NOT want to grow up. But she's starting to. And, to make bad things worse, her best friend doesnt like her anymore because she's not enough of a tomboy and a lady that she likes very much gets a heart attack and died, AND, her own dog gets her eye poked out and has to get put to sleep. I know it sounds as though no one can relate to this, but some people can, just not in the same way.

Sigh.

This is another well-written book by Norma Klein, whose stories I have loved since grade school.

The setting is a hospital for mental patients, set in New York in the late 1980s. Protagonists include not only patients but a doctor as well.

The doctor has many of the same types of pitfalls as the patients portrayed. The reader cannot really be sure what keeps him on one side of the stethescope, if you will, and the patients on the other. THAT is what isn't fair.

Norma Klein paints warm, human characters. She portrays sex as it is in real life, and not as some authors do (as something to be purchased by the hour). You find yourself cheering for her characters, as tho they are people you know.

When I finished the book, I turned to the last page and learned that Norma Klein is the "late" Norma Klein. Her writing will be missed.

I believe this was Norma Klein's last book, and it made me miss her even more...this multi-layered, overlapping account of people in & out of a supposedly reputable mental institution delves into the human psyche and the capacity for good & evil in everyone. The patients are portrayed warmly and sympathetically, and most of the hospital staff much less so...But everyone is unapologetically and honestly revealed to the core. I'm not getting this across right, but I CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS BOOK HIGHLY ENOUGH. It succeeds on every level, and powerfully displays Norma Klein's ability to see into the human heart without cringing - but always forgiving.

I read this book for the first time when i was 14yrs old, 11yrs and two children later i found it at a goodwill and decided to read it again. I found more to complain about now that i am older. First, people were really cruel to him and more understanding of her for wanting to sell her baby for money. I don't see how the fact that cheryl needed the money had any bearing on him wanting to raise his child and not give it up for adoption. I don't understand why a father wanting to raise his child would be considered selfish. Second, Vivian had issues of her own. She called him cruel for taking the baby from it's mother when in fact the mother was going to give him up for adoption so she wouldn't have him anyway. Third, Cheryl was nothing but a golddigger with a plan that went wrong. I just think that everyone Tim surrounded himself with was close-minded. I can only hope that Norma klein has become more informed on single fatherhood since she wrote this book. With teen fathers not always taking responsibility for their actions, I think Tim should have been more understood and cheryl more looked down upon.

This book was very inspiritng to me. It tought me to wait until i was ready before i started a family. It also showed me that hard work, and a loving family will always be here to help you through any thing, that tries to block your road. I would defiently recommend this book to other people, either young or old at age. It tells alot about the struggle of life, and how to overcome your fears

This book was sooooo good. In fact it was so good I can't even believe that I read it. Anyone that has not read this book yet has not lived life the way it was meant to be. The scenes are shocking and mocking, without a lot of talking!!!!! You are not considered cool inless you've read this.

I thought the book made a lot of sense when you try and relate it to real life shiznit. ya know.

I think the book "That's my baby" is a excellent book for a average teenager. It explains in good detail about teenagers facing problems. This book is about a 18 year old boy named Paul having a affair with a 23 year old women named Zoe. It starts out as Paul seeing A ad made by Zoe that she put up in the apartment complex, for someone to walk her dog Baby. It turns into a hot love affair between Paul and the married Zoe. They sneak around behind everyone and make love constantly, until on day Zoe tells Paul she's pregnant, and isn't for sure who's it is. The affair ends and they go their seperate ways. Zoe and her husband end up moving out of the apartment complex to a house in Conneticut, and after high school Paul starts his play writing carrer. One day Zoe writes Paul a letter about one of his plays she saw, and ends up Paul goes down to visit her, and I'll leave it up to you to figure out what happens in the end.

"That's My Baby" was my favorite book in middle school. Ten
years later, I'm amazed to find that I still love it, though
for completely different reasons. As a writer of fiction, I
really admire Norma Klein's style--the characterization is
finely drawn, the plot well-structured. She was an excellent
novelist and should not be forgotten.

Although graphic, tells of teenagers today (or hopefully not). Geez, learn it from the master

I read this book when I was 14, it was the type of book that young girls giggled about and passed round the class to read then held many a discussion, following the reading of the book, during lunch hours.

The book contains many detailed descriptions of both having sex for the first time and learning how to deal with the complications that may arise from maybe 'growing up too fast'.

Leda and Joel are 2 young teenagers experiencing sexual behaviour for the first time and the book tells how they come to terms with young sex.......

This book is great and I would highly recommend reading it.

I read this when I was in the 8th grade, and oh my lord it was too hot for my virgin eyes. A lot of graphic sex and language is in store for you, so beware. Leda is a New York psycho hose beast, and Joel is a shy/quiet virgin nerd. We all know what happens with the quiet ones, don't we? I loved this book, and I still read it today. I recommend it only to those ages 15 and up.

I loved the way that the author created a special place in society for the mentally retarded. Jenny was a flower in bloom and only needed someone to notice. She had special gifts and unique ways of relating to her world. If only Jenny would be allowed to grow and receive the proper care and attention like a flower, she could become something special like a blue rose.

I first read this book in eighth grade, when it was making the rounds between all the girls in my classroom with some of Ms.Klein's other books. We all loved it then because of the romance between a teacher and his student - how impossibly romantic! It is now 15 years later, and although this book is a part of my library, it is not a favorite any longer. The character of Maggie is annoyingly too feminist - and Caroline comes off as much too innocent and stupid. Why three stars? Nostalgia, perhaps. Also, Ms. Klein cannot write a sequel as someone in another review requests, she passed away some years ago.

I'm sorry to see that this book is out of print, as it was one of my favorites many years ago, when I was about 10 years old (possibly younger). I was considered an intelligent, precocious child, so it was exciting for me to read about "older girls" who seemed smart and strong-minded, and were facing adult challenges. I certainly didn't find it to have a corrupting influence in any way; I was inspired by the heroines, especially Maggie, whose wit leapt off the page. I recall trying to read other books by Norma Klein, but this was the only one that I thought was really well-done.

I think it is a good book for teenagers and young adults.