Fifteen (Beverly Cleary)
Encyclopedia
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.
One day while babysitting
, she meets 16-year-old Stan Crandall, who is a delivery boy for a pet-food store. Jane is immediately attracted to Stan, although she does not believe that he will be attracted to her as she forgets to pretend to be sophisticated during their brief encounter. However, Stan calls her later, and asks her out on a date. The two go on several dates, including to Chinatown
for dinner with other couples, which turns out to be a fiasco for Jane, because while Stan and the other teens wolf down the various exotic delicacies with unbridled gusto, Jane can't identify a single dish and she spills food on her new blouse.
Jane finds out that Stan is taking another girl to the school dance. Jane's friend Julie finds out that Stan is taking a girl named Betsy (Bitsy). Jane is extremely upset but it turns out that Stan asked Bitsy to the dance before he met Jane and he feels he cannot break the date now even though he is not attracted to Bitsy.
Jane and Stan's relationship fluctuates throughout the book. Jane constantly analyses her status with Stan, worrying about whether she's ready to date someone without scaring him off. 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 is sick with appendicitis
.
In the end, Stan reassures Jane that she's his girlfriend, and gives her his ID bracelet as a symbol that they are going steady.
with him. She constantly worries about her relationship. Jane gets her money by babysitting
. She describes herself as an ordinary girl with nothing special. She doesn't like Marcy but is friends with Greg. While dating Stan, she has become much more popular and has vowed to confident. Jane is a sophomore at her high school.
Stanley "Stan" Crandall: Stan is 16-years-old and works at the Doggie Diner. He had recently moved to Woodmont and soon starts a relationship
with Jane, and tells her he thinks she's different from most girls. Their relationship is strained for a short period of time, but in the end, he assures her that everything is OK before kissing her. Stan has brown hair and green eyes. He's a junior at his high school.
Julie: Julie is Jane's amply contoured
best friend. She has freckles on her face. She goes to the dance with Buzz, starting a possible relationship. She's also a sophomore and 15-years-old like Jane.
Marcy Stokes: Marcy is 16-years-old and the ultimate "guys girl" or as Jane puts it "the cashmere
sweater type" (the latest high school trend at their school). She has blonde hair which she always tosses in front of boys, and Jane to make her feel uncomfortable. Marcy likes to make Jane feel little and takes any chance to embarrass her. Although she is dating Greg, she is jealous
of Jane's relationship with Stan.
Buzz Bratton: Buzz is an inch shorter than Jane and Julie, even though he is a junior and 16-years-old. He likes Jane and even kiss
es her, making Stan angry. When Jane and Buzz were in middle school, he would tackle her and steal her baking. He is very reluctant about his relationship with Julie, possibly because he likes Jane not Julie.
Gregory "Greg" Donahoe: He's 16-years-old and Marcy's boyfriend. He seems to be good friends with Jane and Stan.
Mr. Purdy He is Jane's father. He is two years younger than his wife. He enjoys his begonia
garden and his cat.
Mrs. Purdy: She is Jane's 40-year-old mother and extremely overprotective. Jane dislikes how she never wears stockings on her bare legs.
Mr. Nibley: Mr. Nibley is the owner of the popular Nibley's Ice Cream Parlor. He thinks Jane is 11-years-old.
Betsy "Bitsy": She's Stan's former girlfriend who is short and makes fun of Stan's job.
Sandra Norton: Is 8-years-old and the brattiest girl in all of Woodmont. She has a mother who pays lots of money
when people babysit her monster child. Sandra and her family are from France
, and she likes Julie better than Jane.
George: He has a major crush on Jane. He's two inches shorter than Jane. He's 15-years-old and a sophomore. George carries his money in a purse
and is obsessed with science
and is about as romantic as a math test.
Tom Tom is Stan's friend from his old school. He works in Chinatown
.
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary is an American author. Educated at colleges in California and Washington, she worked as a librarian before writing children's books. Cleary has written more than 30 books for young adults and children. Some of her best-known characters are Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice Quimby, her...
. 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 like blonde, popular, and sophisticated 16-year-old Marcy Stokes has. Jane feels somewhat left out of social circles at her high school, and envies the more popular girls who go out on dates, seem more confident and wear more expensive clothes.One day while babysitting
Babysitting
Babysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child's parents. Babysitting is commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for extra money.-General:...
, she meets 16-year-old Stan Crandall, who is a delivery boy for a pet-food store. Jane is immediately attracted to Stan, although she does not believe that he will be attracted to her as she forgets to pretend to be sophisticated during their brief encounter. However, Stan calls her later, and asks her out on a date. The two go on several dates, including to Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
for dinner with other couples, which turns out to be a fiasco for Jane, because while Stan and the other teens wolf down the various exotic delicacies with unbridled gusto, Jane can't identify a single dish and she spills food on her new blouse.
Jane finds out that Stan is taking another girl to the school dance. Jane's friend Julie finds out that Stan is taking a girl named Betsy (Bitsy). Jane is extremely upset but it turns out that Stan asked Bitsy to the dance before he met Jane and he feels he cannot break the date now even though he is not attracted to Bitsy.
Jane and Stan's relationship fluctuates throughout the book. Jane constantly analyses her status with Stan, worrying about whether she's ready to date someone without scaring him off. 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 is sick with appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
.
In the end, Stan reassures Jane that she's his girlfriend, and gives her his ID bracelet as a symbol that they are going steady.
Characters
Jane Purdy: Jane is 15-years-old. She is a brunette with curling hair, which she finds childish compared to Marcy's blonde hair. She is happy and surprised to meet Stanley Crandall and start a relationshipIntimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
with him. She constantly worries about her relationship. Jane gets her money by babysitting
Babysitting
Babysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child's parents. Babysitting is commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for extra money.-General:...
. She describes herself as an ordinary girl with nothing special. She doesn't like Marcy but is friends with Greg. While dating Stan, she has become much more popular and has vowed to confident. Jane is a sophomore at her high school.
Stanley "Stan" Crandall: Stan is 16-years-old and works at the Doggie Diner. He had recently moved to Woodmont and soon starts a relationship
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
with Jane, and tells her he thinks she's different from most girls. Their relationship is strained for a short period of time, but in the end, he assures her that everything is OK before kissing her. Stan has brown hair and green eyes. He's a junior at his high school.
Julie: Julie is Jane's amply contoured
Overweight
Overweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary...
best friend. She has freckles on her face. She goes to the dance with Buzz, starting a possible relationship. She's also a sophomore and 15-years-old like Jane.
Marcy Stokes: Marcy is 16-years-old and the ultimate "guys girl" or as Jane puts it "the cashmere
Cashmere wool
Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from Cashmere and other types of goats. The word cashmere derives from an old spelling of Kashmir. Cashmere is fine in texture, and strong, light, and soft. Garments made from it provide excellent...
sweater type" (the latest high school trend at their school). She has blonde hair which she always tosses in front of boys, and Jane to make her feel uncomfortable. Marcy likes to make Jane feel little and takes any chance to embarrass her. Although she is dating Greg, she is jealous
JEALOUS
"Jealous" is the first single by Dir En Grey and was released on May 10, 1998. The music videos of the title track and the B-side "Unknown･･･Despair･･･a Lost" are featured on the VHS Mousou Toukakugeki. A piano-vocal duet version of "Jealous" was later included on the "[KR] Cube" single...
of Jane's relationship with Stan.
Buzz Bratton: Buzz is an inch shorter than Jane and Julie, even though he is a junior and 16-years-old. He likes Jane and even kiss
Kiss
A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good...
es her, making Stan angry. When Jane and Buzz were in middle school, he would tackle her and steal her baking. He is very reluctant about his relationship with Julie, possibly because he likes Jane not Julie.
Gregory "Greg" Donahoe: He's 16-years-old and Marcy's boyfriend. He seems to be good friends with Jane and Stan.
Mr. Purdy He is Jane's father. He is two years younger than his wife. He enjoys his begonia
Begonia
Begonia is a genus in the flowering plant family Begoniaceae and is a perennial. The only other members of the family Begoniaceae are Hillebrandia, a genus with a single species in the Hawaiian Islands, and the genus Symbegonia which more recently was included in Begonia...
garden and his cat.
Mrs. Purdy: She is Jane's 40-year-old mother and extremely overprotective. Jane dislikes how she never wears stockings on her bare legs.
Mr. Nibley: Mr. Nibley is the owner of the popular Nibley's Ice Cream Parlor. He thinks Jane is 11-years-old.
Betsy "Bitsy": She's Stan's former girlfriend who is short and makes fun of Stan's job.
Sandra Norton: Is 8-years-old and the brattiest girl in all of Woodmont. She has a mother who pays lots of money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
when people babysit her monster child. Sandra and her family are from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and she likes Julie better than Jane.
George: He has a major crush on Jane. He's two inches shorter than Jane. He's 15-years-old and a sophomore. George carries his money in a purse
Handbag
A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, mobile phone etc....
and is obsessed with science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and is about as romantic as a math test.
Tom Tom is Stan's friend from his old school. He works in Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
.