Books Tell You Why, Inc.

An attractive first edition/first printing in Fine condition with lightly soiled edges in alike dust-jacket.

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg's debut novel, First Offense, is the story of a young woman's attempt to make sense of her past and forge a future after being caught with a small amount of marijuana. Seventeen-year-old Lena has been in and out of juvie and the foster care system her entire life, and is now facing a felony charge for the first time. Hoping to get her life back on track, Lena enrolls in community service at a local soup kitchen. There, she befriends the soup kitchen's executive director, Kate, and her daughter, Lila. Lena also starts to fall for Kate, who helps her to see that she deserves more than her current situation. When Lena is caught smoking marijuana again, she is forced to make a difficult decision: go to trial and risk a long prison sentence, or take a plea deal and admit to a lesser charge. Lena chooses the latter and is sent to a juvenile detention center, where she meets a; 8vo; 338 pages.

Price: $33.75