Grown

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Part 1, Chapters 25-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapter 25 Summary: “Youtube”

The next day, Enchanted is distracted, thinking about Korey. In her favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, Ariel “gave up her tail for a pair of legs” (107), and she wonders if loving someone means giving up something you love for them. Suddenly, news starts to spread that Korey posted a video of him and Enchanted singing together. Enchanted feels betrayed, and she becomes very self-conscious and frightened of what people will think. The video looks too intimate, like they are “singing into each other’s mouths” (108).

Part 1, Chapter 26 Summary: “Group Text”

In a Will and Willow group text chat that excludes the Jones sisters, the other group members gossip about the video of Korey and Enchanted singing together. Aisha says that “[Mrs. Jones is] BIG mad. Said she didn’t give permission for [Korey] to record anything!” (111), and people are speculating about the nature of Korey and Enchanted’s relationship.

Part 1, Chapter 27 Summary: “Homecoming Dance”

At Enchanted’s homecoming dance, Korey shows up unexpectedly and performs for the crowd. Enchanted notices that everyone is enamored with Korey, but “his eyes are only on [her]” (114). He asks her to meet him out back.

Part 1, Chapter 28 Summary: “Privacy”

In the bathroom at the dance, Gabriela confronts Enchanted about her relationship with Korey. She reminds Enchanted that Korey is too old for her, and Enchanted accuses Gab of being jealous. Gab threatens to tell Enchanted’s mother everything, and Enchanted reveals that “Korey is taking [her] on tour with him!” (117). Gab says there is no way Enchanted’s mom will ever agree.

Part 1, Chapter 29 Summary: “The Proposal”

Korey meets with Enchanted’s parents to discuss taking her on tour. Her mother is furious that Korey “[plastered her] daughter’s face all around the internet without consulting [them] first,” and that he “[popped] up at her school, without [their] permission” (118). Korey apologizes and asks to take Enchanted on tour. Her parents say no, but Enchanted thinks she can convince her mother.

Part 1, Chapter 30 Summary: “A Mother’s Grip”

Shea confronts Enchanted after school and accuses her sister of being selfish and embarrassing her. When their mother picks them up, Enchanted begins to plead with her again to let her go on tour with Korey. Enchanted accuses her mother of holding her back and keeping her at home just to babysit. She begs her mother to think about the money she could make on tour, and says that if she can’t go, “[she] won’t be the same” (124).

Part 1, Chapters 25-30 Analysis

These chapters focus on the transition of Enchanted and Korey’s relationship from the private to the public sphere, and what happens when Enchanted must navigate being plunged into the spotlight. While the public may not know the details of their relationship, the YouTube video showcases enough intimacy to leave the public asking questions. Korey publicizing their duet is meant to legitimize Enchanted’s feelings about their relationship and pressure her into continuing it. Gabriela reacts with concern for Enchanted, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones are angry and protective of their daughter, outraged that Korey is overstepping boundaries. Korey’s apologetic nature after the homecoming dance is intended to persuade Enchanted’s parents that he only has their daughter’s best interests in mind, but the Joneses are able to recognize his disrespect for boundaries.

The decision to take Enchanted on tour is manipulative and carefully timed: Korey, tired of having to play by the Jones’ rules, knows that he can exert more control over Enchanted if he can get her away from home. To Enchanted, the tour means the chance to launch her music career and achieve her dream. Enchanted also makes it clear to her mother that she needs a chance to get away from home, because she is worn down from taking care of her siblings. Here, Jackson highlights again that social isolation and parentification (a condition in which older siblings are expected to performing caretaking of younger siblings) have made Enchanted vulnerable to abuse. Enchanted reaches a boiling point with her parents, and these chapters show her approaching a crossroads in her life. She can continue to be the well-behaved girl for her parents, or she can shed their expectations and take a risk on the road with Korey; Enchanted’s perception of these two avenues as her only choices also indicate her emotional immaturity. At 17, Enchanted is on the cusp of adulthood and desires more control over her life. Although Enchanted feels she will achieve more agency on tour with Korey, Jackson makes sure her reader understands that Enchanted will be even more vulnerable away from her friends and family.