eleanor & park

                                                          
eleanor & park by rainbow rowell
Published by St. Martin's Griffin
2013
Ages: 14+
Shelf:  Young Adult (YA)

Opening Line:  "He'd stopped trying to bring her back."

Favorite Quotes: 
"Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly.  Or a heartbeat.  Like holding something complete, and completely alive."

"He made her feel like more than the sum of her parts."

"It was like their lives were overlapping lines, like they had their own gravity.  Usually, that serendipity thing felt like the nicest thing the universe had ever done for her."

"She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something."

"I might not use capital letters.  But I would definitely use an apostrophe...and probably a period.  I'm a huge fan of punctuation."

"I want everyone to meet you.  You're my favorite person of all time."

"I love your name.  I don't want to cheat myself out of a single syllable."

Blurb:
It is 1986, and two sixteen year old misunderstood, geeky teenagers, Eleanor and Park are about to fall in love - of the extraordinary variety!  Eleanor and Park's story begins on the school bus (yes, extremely romantic), and they embark on the journey of their lives (well, their lives up until this point anyway).  "Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds - smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try."

Within its pages:

This is not your typical teenage romance novel.  It is raw, real, and deep.  The main characters are not glorified.  Eleanor and Park are both outcasts - both subject to bullying and scrutiny. 

Park is half-Korean in a mostly-white part of town, hopeful, and adores alternative music, superhero comics, and Eleanor. 
Eleanor is cynical, funny, awkward, and adores music, superhero comics, and Park.  She's not your classic love story protagonist, unknowingly beautiful or nerdy cute, she's on the heavy side and her clothes stand out for all the wrong reasons. But within the confines of the school bus they discover that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and while reading comic books and listening to music, they find a love that binds them.  

Park is intrigued by Eleanor.  She stands out like a sore thumb.  Eleanor remains a mystery for Park to figure out...he is trying to put the pieces together.  Eleanor has much to be mysterious and secretive about.  Her story is a complicated one, and not something to be shared with anyone....at least not yet. 

Shelf It!  

Remember how it felt to be 16 and be desperately in love? This novel will take you back there.  The love between Eleanor and Park is all-consuming and intense.  At times, it appears to be on the verge of obsessive, but then you are reminded that the characters are only 16, after all.  Rowell delivers a timeless teenage love story filled with agony and heartache, but tons of hope and inspiration, and a plethora of 80's nostalgia!

Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Published by Penguin Group

2013

Age 10 and Up

Shelf: Middle Grade 

Opening Line:  "A genius shoots at something no one else can see, and hits it."

Favorite Quotes: 

"My mouth is open and I'm suddenly some kind of fish out of water.  You can't see the hook, but it must be in my cheek."

"I don't want to know how you did it.  I want to believe that you're magic."

 

Blurb:

Willow is a twelve-year old genius who certainly doesn't fit in with the crowd.  She is obsessed with plants, medical conditions, and the number seven. Her safe haven is to be in the public library, surrounded by books, where she finds comfort and solace.  She has only conected with her adoptive parents and after they're killed in an accident, Willow must search for a surrogate family. Will Willow Chance find where she belongs?
 

Within its pages:
Willow Chance......You had us at page one!  Willow's strong voice echoes throughout all the pages in this book.  Her knack for accurately analyzing and depicting each scenario and character is both astonishing and refreshing.    Willow's determination, tenacity, and intelligence will astound and inspire you.  She is clearly wise beyond her years, as evident in some of the following lines:

"It had been my experience that rewarding and heart-breaking often go hand in hand."

"What we expect rarely occurs; what we don't expect is what happens.'

"I can't risk heading in what feels like the wrong direction."

"I'll be ready.  I'm not sure for what exactly. But maybe that's what being ready really means."

"A second can feel like forever if what follows is heart-break."

"She' s always the toughest person in the room, but with me leaving her armor cracks."

"Balance is critical in the natural world."

Shelf  it! (Counting by 7 reasons to shelf this book)

1.  Willow Chance.  Enough said!

2.  Willow will encourage you to think bigger! You will immediately be smitten with this twelve-year old genius, and then proceed to fall head over heels with the supporting characters.  The author has written such a touching and poignat book. She has created a cast of ordinary, everyday folk:  a fiesty teenager and her cranky brother, a nail salon owner, a taxi driver, an oddball counselor...And turned them into everyday heroes.

3.  Willow is the prototypical underdog in this book.  She is misunderstood and an outsider. You will find yourself rooting for her the entire book. 

4.  In times of despair and sorrow, this novel reminds us that hope can manifest and grow in unexpected places, and that miracles really do happen. 

5.  The prevalent themes of unconventional family, loss, grief, and belonging, combined with a strong-female character make it a book that begs to be shared. 

6.  Counting by 7s is a heart-warming story that promises to leave the characters lingering in your mind long after you turn the final page.  Don't be surprised if you can't put it down.  It's really that good!

7.  Willow Chance (In Case we didn't already mention it).