46 pages 1 hour read

Jessica Anya Blau

Mary Jane

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2021

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Chapters 11-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 11 Summary

After returning from the trip, Mary Jane feels her whole life has changed. She can no longer relate to her parents and feels that the people at the Cone house act more like a real family than her own. In the three following weeks, Mary Jane continues her babysitting chores, but Richard and Bonnie seem distant from each other. One day, Sheba and Jimmy decide to take Izzy and Mary Jane record shopping. They need to drive into Baltimore to find Night Train Records in a neighborhood populated by Black and immigrant people. Mary Jane believes her mother would have a fit if she knew.

When they arrive, the store clerks immediately recognize them, giving the couple celebrity treatment. Everyone loads up on music from a variety of genres. The clerks ask if they can take a photo of the famous couple and their “nieces.” They agree, and when Jimmy confides to Mary Jane that he’s getting edgy from all the attention, the group leaves.

Back at home, Mary Jane and Izzy listen to their new songs. After dinner, Jimmy brings out his guitar, and so does Richard, even though he’s put his rock band days behind him.