Fifteen (Beverly Cleary)

infobox Book
name = Fifteen


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author = Beverly Cleary
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country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Novel
publisher = HarperCollins
release_date = Steptember 1, 1956
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pages =
isbn = ISBN 0688312853
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followed_by =

"Fifteen" is a juvenile fiction novel written by Beverly Cleary. It was first published in 1956. It chronicles the perspective of a teenage girl entering her first romantic relationship. The book captures the innocent spirit of life in the 1950s, both through the playfully light storyline and the casual references to convertibles, sweaters, "meeting boys", and soda shops. Regardless, the book remains in print today because its overall theme of difficult adolescent feelings still connects with young readers.

Plot

Jane Purdy is a 15-year old student at Woodmont High School in California. She dreams of having a boyfriend, especially a someone tall who's at least old enough to have a drivers license. Unfortuately Jane feels left out of social circles at her high school, where more popular girls with dates seem more comfident and wear more expensive clothes than her.

One day while babysitting, she meets 16-year-old Stan Crandal, who is making a delivery at the house for Doggy Diner. He calls her later, and they begin to spend more time with one another, even going to Chinatown for dinner.

Jane and Stan's relationship fluxuates throughout the book. Jane constantly analyses her status with Stan, worrying about whether she's ready to date someone without scaring him off. Stan takes another girl to a school dance based on an arrangement made before he met Jane, and she's distraught and upset before learning the whole story. After another outing, Jane takes Stan's unusually quiet and detached behavior as a sign that he's tired of her, but later she learns that he sick with appendicitis.

In the end, Stan reassures Jane that she's "his girl", and gives her his ID bracelet as a symbol that they are "going steady".