The First Part
Last
By: Angela Johnson
Summery By: Milady
Robinson
1st Period
4-25-11
Language Arts
Summary of the Book
The First Part Last is about a young teen
boy that has to handle his girlfriend getting
pregnant. He has to make s decision to keep his
daughter, Feather, or give her up for adoption. He
realizes that he has to mature weather he likes it
or not so he can take care of his daughter.
Theme of the Book
Theme is the message that the reader gets from
reading the book .The theme of The First Part
Last would be that, every action has a reaction,
and no matter what happens you have to take care
of your responsibilities.
Characters in the Book
Characters in the Book
1.) Bobby (main character)
2.) Nia (Bobby’s Girlfriend)
3.) Mary (Bobby’s Mother)
4.) Fred (Bobby’s Farther)
5.) J-Boy (Bobby’s Friend)
Setting
Setting is where the story takes place. The setting
of The First Part Last is in New-York City, at
Bobby’s house.
Plot
Plot is the sequence of events in the story. The plot of
The First Part Last would be:
1.) Bobby finding out that his girlfriend , Nia, is pregnant.
2.) Bobby telling his parents that he is going to be a farther.
3.) Nia gives birth to her and Bobby,s daughter, Feather.
4.) Bobby is forced to take care of his daughter, do to the fact that Nia
passed away.
5.) Bobby has to decide if he wants to give his daughter up for
adoption, or keep her and take care of her.
6.) Bobby decides to keep his daughter and take care of her.
7.) Bobby finally realizes that he has to grow up and take care of his
responsibilities and stop acting like a kid.
Climax
Climax is the most exciting part of the story. The
climax of The First Part Last would be when
Bobby’s girlfriend, Nia, tells him that she is
pregnant.
Conflict
Conflict is the problem in the story. The conflict
of The First Part Last would be that the
protagonist, Bobby, figures out that his girlfriend,
Nia, is pregnant with his first daughter. He makes
the decision to take care of his daughter, Feather,
do to the fact that he did not want to give her up
for adoption.
Resolution
Resolution is the the solution to the problem in the
story. The resolution to the problem in The First
Part Last would be that while struggling to take
care of his child and stay in school, he understands
that he has to man-up, and take care of his
responsibilities.
Style
Style is the way the author writes the story. There
are two types of styles, Informal and Formal. The
style of The First Part Last would be Informal ,
do to the fact that the story uses profanity, slang,
and dose not use proper English.
Tone & Mood
Tone is how the author felt while writing the story.
Mood is how the reader felt while reading the
story. The tone of The First Part Last would be
confidential and perplexed , do to the fact that the
protagonist, Bobby, is very confident to taking
care of his daughter, but as well as afraid to grow
up and be a man. The mood of The First Part Last
would be sorrowful, do to the fact that the
protagonist, Bobby, is very afraid to mature.
Author’s Purpose For Writing the Story
All authors have a purpose for the story they wrote. They
either want to inform,entertain, or persuade the reader
that is reading their story. The author’s purpose for
writing The First Part Last would be to inform
teens about everyday struggle with teens that go
through a teenage pregnancy, as well as to
entertain teens with a realistic-fiction like story.
What I Learned
From reading this book, I learned that every teenage
father is not a “dead-beat-dad.” I also learned that
teenage pregnancy can happen to anyone even
though they did not plan it. I also learned that
books have informal or formal style.
Would I Recommend This Book??
Yes I would recommend this book to young women
and young men, do to the fact that The First Part
Last is an excellent book to read, as well as to
understand the struggle of young teenage parents
that actually wants to be a good parent to their
child.
Facts About the Author
The name of the author of The First Part Last
would be Angela Johnson. She was born on
June 18th, 1961. She began writing in 1989.
Angela Johnson has won awards for both her
picture books and for her novels. She has won
the Correta Scott-King award for three works:
in 1999, for Heaven,(which is the trilogy to The
First Part Last), in 1994 for Toning the Sweep,
and in 2004 for The First Part Last. When I
Am Old With You was an Honor Book in 1990
as well as an American Library Associations.
The Other Side, The Shorter Poems was also
selected as a Coretta Scott King Honor book in
1998. Other honors include the "Best Books"
pick by School Library Journal for Toning the
Sweep and the Michael L. Printz Award[ for
Excellence in Young Adult Literature for The
First Part Last.
Other Books By Angela Johnson
Picture Books for Primary Grades (K-2):
Tell Me a Story, Mama (1989), When I am Old With You (1990)-(ALA Notable book,
Coretta Scott King Honor Book) , Do Like Kyla (1990), One of Three (1991), The
Leaving Morning (1992), Julius (1993), The Girl Who Wore Snakes (1993), Mama Bird,
Baby Birds (1994), Joshua’s Night Whispers (1994), Rain Feet (1994), Joshua By The
Sea (1995), Shoes Like Miss Alice (1995), The Aunt in Our House (1996), The Rolling
Store (1997), Daddy Calls Me Man (1997), Those Building Men (1999), The Wedding
(1999), Down the Winding Road (2000), I Dream of Trains (2003), A Sweet Smell of
Roses (2004), Violet’s Music (2004), Just Like Josh Gibson (2004), Lily Brown's
Paintings (2007)
Chapter Books For Intermediate Grades, 3-5:
Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street (1999), When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street (2001),
Looking For Red (2002), Bird (2004)
Novels For Older Readers:
Songs of Faith (1998), Heaven (1998), The Other Side, The Shorter Poems (1998), Toning the
Sweep (1993), Gone From Home: Short Takes (2001), Humming Whispers (1995), On
The Fringe , Running Back to Ludie (2002), A Cool Moonlight (2003), The First Part
Last (2003)
Agencies that Help Teens with Personal Issues
There are 3 agencies and what they do to help teens listed
below.
1.) Teen Outreach Pregnancy (TOPS)-They are located in Arizona. This
agency helps teens by educating them about parenting.
2.) American Pregnancy Hotline- They do not have a location listed. This
is a hotline that pregnant teens call when they need to be informed
about teen pregnancy.
3.) Wyman Outreach Center- Their mission is to help teens become
successful and informing them about teen pregnancy and how it can
ruin your life.