Am I pregnant?
This question shatters the peace of seventeen-year-old Brooke Palinder’s life one Monday morning when she realizes her period is late. Although shaken, she’s determined to hide her feelings and go about her daily routine as though nothing is wrong.
Brooke’s boyfriend Ryan handles the news poorly, and she can’t bring herself to confide in anyone else, not even her best friend.
In an effort to distract herself, Brooke throws herself into a school project about Neptune, which leads her to some startling discoveries and a surprising sense of connection to the distant planet.
But by Saturday, she knows she must face the answer to the question that began her week.
Standing on Neptune is a novel in verse from the celebrated author of Counting Back from Nine, The Glory Wind, and Birdspell.
Moonbeam Children's Book Award, Young Adult Fiction – Mature Issues, Bronze | 2023 |
New Brunswick Book Awards (Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction) | 2023 | Short-listed
Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature | 2025 | Winner
“Sherrard enables readers to see how differently the two teens see their relationship and this situation that they may be in. She beautifully, succinctly captures Brooke's sense of loneliness and isolation, her uncertainty and fear, and both her desire to know and her dread of knowing. … This is an insightful, thought-provoking and perceptive novel, a brief but impactful exploration of the complexities of the human heart.”
“Standing on Neptune is a beautifully written, tender story that explores the inner world of Brooke, a teenager who thinks she might be pregnant. The book is engaging, easy to read, and deals honestly with a situation all-too-familiar to many young women. Sherrard never hits a wrong note: Brooke is a fully realized, very believable character who clearly expresses her shifting feelings about trust, family and friends as she grapples with fear about her future. Sherrard has a gift for poetic expression, along with a deep insight into what it feels like to be young, vulnerable and very much alone. Each poem can be read and understood on its own, yet each poem moves the plot and characters forward with seamless grace. Brooke’s identification with the mysterious planet Neptune is profound and haunting. Like all good poetry, and all good books, Standing on Neptune leaves echoes in the reader’s heart, long after it is finished. An impressive achievement.”