Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

Pages: 265
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Drama / Romance
Notes for Parents: Contains discussions about religion versus science.

The Back Cover

Your best friend hates you.
The guy you liked hates you.
Your entire group of friends hates you.
All because you did the right thing.
Welcome to life for Mena Reece, whose year is starting off in the worst way possible. She’s been kicked out of her church group and no one will talk to her—not even her own parents. No one except for Casey, her supersmart lab partner in science class, who’s pretty funny for the most brilliant guy on earth.
And when Ms. Shepherd begins the unit on evolution, school becomes more dramatic than Mena could ever imagine as she is caught up in a controversy involving science, religion, freedom—and a heart-racing, blush-inducing, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him crush.
Now Mena’s own life is about to evolve in some amazing and unexpected ways.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the author’s first novel.

What’s good?

Mena is a strong, curious, honest, and very relatable protagonist. The story is basically about a girl who is trying to reconcile her beliefs as a Christian with what she’s learning in science class, and also with her conflicting feelings about the behavior of some of the people at her church. The plot is fairly simple, the pace is steady, and the chapters are short. The main characters, Mena and her friend Casey, are very well-drawn. It’s difficult for a story about religion versus science not to be preachy, but the author does a good job of eventually representing both sides respectfully.
Best Part: Puppies!

What isn’t good?

Hopefully people will read this story understanding that Pastor Wells and his congregation do not accurately represent the majority of Christian communities. While there are many organizations that would agree with what the fictional pastor was preaching, the actions of the congregation do not reflect those of the majority. The pejorative behavior of the church youth seemed a bit severe (although not unheard of), especially in contrast to the loving kindness of Casey’s family, and the savvy confidence of the science teacher.  
Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation þþþþo

I enjoyed the story. It was interesting to watch the religion versus science debate and I think the ending was a win for both sides.  The light romance between the two main characters was sweet, and the puppy project was adorable. I found the behavior of the church youth a little hard to stomach, but unfortunately that’s a reality in some communities. Definitely recommended.

Brande, Robin. Evolution, Me& Other Freaks of Nature. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.